But it feels like it's not enough, I don't know that I can keep eating sh*t for another 7 years. We're saving about 55% of our net income after rent, we're pretty frugal to begin with in a high col area (not in the US).
It's definitely part of the solution and I can't wait to quit working but it's not enough to carry me on its own. If it were I wouldn't feel this way.
Do you have this sentiment too?
When the weather's nice and I'm stuck in my air conditioned office all week, only to be too busy on the weekends with errands to enjoy going out, week after week after week. That's not living.
With Freelancing, I'll need to do it for more years, but I can casually take weekdays off whenever I like and this year I took 8 full weeks of vacation. I don't know any full-time Software Engineers who are given that by their employers.
Beyond bringing in a modicum of control over my schedule, I find switching projects every few months keeps the job far more interesting. I'm learning more every day just as it was in my Junior days :)
If any job ever felt like it wasn't meeting my needs in some way (stability, financially, growth etc) I've moved on.
Here's a good starting point.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-sim...
It's important to note that (Mustachian) financial independence isn't about making money so you can retire (despite the name). It's about designing a lifestyle for yourself that makes you happy without the need to buy things or experiences to sustain that feeling of happiness. The rest is just bookkeeping. And (as a neat side-benefit) you generally become healthier and fitter, gain more skills, and reduce your consumption levels, thereby helping save the planet.
Knowing that you're building a future life for yourself makes the hard days at work easier to take. Once you have the financial security of being FI/RE you are free to take career risks or try things that interest you but may not have much money-making potential.