If you're only saving 10% doesn't the math work out to retiring at the normal age of 62 to never before you die?
I'm also not sure you would become financially independent at any point.
Being "mustachian" has to at least be about retiring earlier than normal or attaining the financial ability to work only voluntarily. Remove both of these and you just have "frugal person" not mustachian.
This part sounds a little Internet Retirement Police-y. Even MMM hasn't stopped working entirely, and has some income from the blog, and he basically says that financial independence is the key, not necessarily stopping work entirely. Being able to choose how and when you work, or not work at all, was his goal. It may not be *your* goal, but that's also okay.
Look, not everyone is going to do everything exactly the way MMM does it. We all come to MMM at different points in our lives, careers, some are parents, some grew up with money, some grew up poor, some start here with huge debt, some with none. And really, it's a journey, a path that MMM has set out as an example. You are free to do exactly what MMM does, move to Colorado, be a software engineer, have a spouse in real estate, save as much as possibly by making your wants few, and have one kid before getting the snip.
But everyone gets to make their own choice for themselves. It might net you a facepunch, or not, depending on a variety of other factors.
As for me, I came to MMM in 2013 after paying off all of DH's and my nearly $54k in student loan debt in about 4 years. I was bored with Dave Ramsey, and MMM was a radical idea. Just keep putting that huge amount we were paying toward debt and invest it in the S&P 500 instead, allowing us to retire by age 50 if not earlier? DH and I were pretty much immediately on board. But we don't live like monks. We do, however, live near both of our jobs/school in an inexpensive one bedroom apartment with very little 'stuff' by most standards. No kids. We have two cars that we paid for in cash while paying off that $54k in debt, and we put less than 6,000 miles on them combined last year. DH earns less than $30k annually, and I earn between $50-60k depending on how you count benefits packages. Together, it's less than $100k annually, but our area is relatively low COL and while we do 'splurge' on a few things (concert tickets, travel, some eating out and other entertainment), we definitely aren't living paycheck to paycheck in search of happiness. Our net worth has gone from negative to over $100k in about two years. DH is only working part time and is in grad school, and we're able to pay that tuition bill each semester with no loans and no additional sweat. School (total ticket price around $22k) will bump up his income around $10k+ annually, if not more. Could I get a higher paying job? Yes, I likely could, but then instead of working exactly 40 hours per work, I'd likely be working 60+ hours per week, and the trade-off in my time for money isn't worth it to me. I'd be way more stressed and unhappy in my career, and the money wouldn't be a good enough compensation for my free time, which I like to spend reading, learning, exercising, and enjoying nature. Savings rate is around 40% and will be bumped up higher when we aren't paying tuition and DH's income goes up. We still aren't sure about buying a house, because of maintenance and utility costs (paying for heat in Minnesota from October through April doesn't sound fun, and neither is snow removal).
But there is always more than one way to see something, and I like that the helpful, friendly, kind people in this forum take their time to answer questions for newbies and others.