It just takes discipline, foresight and common sense. I started following Mr. Money Mustache after I read an article about how this Portland couple who made less than 6-figures combined ended up saving enough in their 30s to retire....forever. They weren't rich and actually worked the standard 40-hours at very middling jobs. But they were FRUGAL and knew when/how they wanted to retire at the outset. They and many others constitute a new frugalism movement in the US and it's not just for the dead-broke.
At its core, frugalism is about rejecting commonly held-assumptions about how to adult. It's about rejecting the 40-40-40 scam we were force-fed at a young age (ie) work for someone else for 40 hours a week for 40 years and try to retire off of 40% of what you could barely live on when you were working? You can always get more money if you lose it (see Bitcoin's unprecedented price increase from the 2000s) but not time as it has no equivalent. Financial freedom frees up your life so that you may truly live.
Mr. Money Mustache has been featured in the New York Times and Forbes. Peter Adeney, the author, is a retired engineer, freely proffers his financial wisdom on his blog. His writing is funny, clear and his advice, sound. Many have successfully followed his Basic Blueprint on how to retire before age 40: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/
Sources:
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2016/07/13/making-space-for-badassity/
https://www.forbes.com/pictures/fjfi45kmk/intro/#49dceae060ab
https://www.forbes.com/pictures/fjfi45kmk/intro/#49dceae060ab
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-24/could-the-frugal-movement-help-you-sort-your-finances/8289962
