I was saving 20% a year when I was making $36k a year and spending $800/mo on an apartment in the tenderloin. In 1997. It's called beans and rice. I'm still saving 20% a year, making $200k a year and owning a house. Yes, you can do it. Stop buying shoes, clothes, rims, and video games and you've probably got 20% right there.

Oh, and don't get married.

What an exciting life you got there! Enjoy your sad and lonely retirement

Not sure what that means. I own a couple classic cars and a house, work 60 hours a month, travel for fun most of the time. Lived in 12 countries in the last 20 years. Have a great girlfriend and a great ex who I get along with. But I don't waste money on rims, shoes or clothes. And tonight I made rice and lentils, because my credit card bill this month was $8k and I only made $15k.

It's actually more exciting if you limit yourself and enjoy the struggle of trying to hit a high target. For example, moving to Mexico and trying to live on $3k a month. I did that a few years ago, it was awesome and I saved a lot of money.

Sounds great!

I guess dying destitute because you saved nothing is more romantic?

The romance of Dickens gets less appealing with wisdom.

The median US household is statistically within the ballpark of being able to achieve this per the data. Americans have extremely high incomes and anomalously low taxes on the middle-class. They can easily afford it.

Whether they save or not is another matter. Something like 30% of Americans don’t save a significant fraction of their income even though the data clearly indicates it is easy to do so.

The trick is not to let it hit your checking account. Live without it and your lifestyle will adjust.

The 20% includes pension contributions.