Calculate your target net worth and find out exactly when you can escape the rat race.
FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) is a movement of people dedicated to extreme savings and investment so they can retire decades before the traditional age of 65.
To retire, you don't need infinite money; you just need your investments to pay for your living expenses. The famous Trinity Study found that if you withdraw 4% of your portfolio every year (adjusting for inflation), you have a massive statistical probability of never running out of money.
Because of this, your FIRE Number (the exact amount of money you need to retire) is simply your annual expenses multiplied by 25. If you spend $40,000 a year, you need $1,000,000 invested to be completely free.
Your income doesn't dictate when you can retire; your savings rate does. A person making $50k who saves 50% of their income will retire much faster than a person making $200k who only saves 10%. By lowering your expenses, you achieve two things simultaneously: you increase the amount you invest, and you permanently lower the total FIRE number you need to hit.