Similar. I left home at 15 made my own way. I saved 95% of what I made - drank powdered milk, worked 7 days a week for 15 years multiple jobs, side jobs (flip houses, production company). But I set a goal so, unlike my grandmother, who never stopped fearing the return of the Great Depression, I could stop. I retired in my mid-thirties and now I study languages and write and travel, but I don't buy stuff. Maybe if you set an achievable goal it will help.
Do you feel satisfied in that series of decisions? This was something I started doing in my twenties, but am glad it didn't continue, despite having some major financial difficulties now (though I don't have much control over that anyway). Do you feel like your travel experiences offer you more substance than any possessions would, and do you feel like language learning is a fruitful use of time?
Yes. I'm learning Russian, traveling all the time, studying philosophy, working with a small think tank and I've become a black belt in Krav Maga. I hate stuff, don't miss it and learning a language has changed my writing, thinking and it's actually fun.
Thanks for answering, have two follow up questions. How do you differentiate between acquisition of intangible things like Krav Maga and Russian language, and tangible things; is the value you derive from exclusively engaging with them sufficient? Secondly—and this feels like an obvious one—do you feel like the social connections you've made along the way, in what appears to be a black and white intensity of lifestyle, are where you want them to be?
I enjoy travel, and don't have the resources to travel full-time, but at 30 I feel like if I were set up financially for it, my lack of relentless working has let me build a resilient group of relationships that I struggle to think would be around otherwise, and I'd be able to leave for a while without them suffering too much. Those two fulfillments strike me as diametrically opposed, but I always like to hear about other paths.
