By not falling into the trap of consumerism and keeping up with the Jones's If most people didn't buy a brand new car with $500-800 a month payment + insurance

By not falling into the trap of consumerism and keeping up with the Jones's If most people didn't buy a brand new car with $500-800 a month payment + insurance, they could afford buying a single rental property and immediately retire in a low cost of living country. People love to buy useless crap though and live beyond their means. Rent too high? Live with a roommate. House-hack - buy a house, get 2 friends to live with you and pay you rent - your mortgage is paid off without you paying it every month. Save up for another year or two, rinse and repeat. Life's not hard, but people fall into the trap of consumerism and working to live and get by paycheck-to-paycheck. First generation immigrants save more on a minimum wage job than most people do with a high paying job. Simply because their expenses increase as their income increases, rather than saving and investing their income.