rebecca's pocket

Hah! At her age and income, I think the *only* reason Anna ("Frugal Fanny") is able to do this is her lack of student loan debt. I don't know what kind of life she lived in college, how hard she had to work, but even being able to get a "free ride" usually involves some kind of privilege - whether it's parents who have the leisure to be engaged in early childhood education or just native intelligence. The average joe who can't get a scholarship from a prestigious school like MIT, for whatever reason, let alone necessarily afford to get through even a state school with little debt, isn't going to have it quite as easy as her. And her life isn't "easy" per se. (You also don't get a scholarship from MIT by being foolish and/or lazy.)

I think it's good to strive for Anna's situation. But I don't think it's feasible for everyone.

(This is like my future in-laws, who inherited farmland with several houses on it, and so who have literally never had to pay for housing, except in terms of maintenance or improvements. They've worked hard, but you'd think that they made much more money than they actually did. And both have retired before turning 60.)