This just happened today. I need to rant.
I'm currently working and living at an offshore financial centre where individual tax is extremely low but cost of living is somewhat high. We had a lunch and learn today where I met 3 people from a different department. We started chatting about island life, travel, vacation and etc. One guy mentioned a former colleague called Bob who quitted the job last year and has been travelling the world since then. He currently stays in India since March become it costs close to nothing to live in that country. Another guy quickly jumped in and added that Bob was able to save $50k during his 2-year contract here. All 3 guys were saying what a miserable life he must be living in and it was impossible to save that much! I just said sure he can, $50k is definitely doable. They all stared at me as if I'm an alien. One guy said no way, you need to live a life here. Another guy said that life is short, why would you want to save that much after all. And no matter how much you save, you still can't buy a property here or a place in London (where he comes from). The 3rd guy added that sure you can save a lot of money and may get hit by a bus as soon as you move back to London, so why save.
I was speechless. I know saving $50k in 2 years is doable and I can even show them the math but I just kept my mouth shut. According to them, Bob earned $74k per year. Based on my calc, he gets around $66k net, which is $5500 per month. 1bd rent+utility would cost him around $2000 per month. If he had a roommate, it would be even less. Another $500 for home cooked food, $200 for internet and cell. That leaves him $2800. Fun money and etc for another $300. He can save $2500 a month easily which is $60k for 2 years. Bob only saved $50k so the math certainly works out. By the way, I spent less in every category myself.
I earn a bit more than Bob did and my goal is to save $50k a year. I'm on my way to my goal as I was sitting at the lunch table with those guys. Like I said, I kept my mouth shut.