If you see little credit to the latte factor, the way this guy treated his housing is the stronger argument in comparison. Sweetie and I bought less house and car than we can "afford" so we have the budgetary room to save. "Latte factors" fade in and out...but when we work on reducing them, it's because "hey, we could be saving more than we are now," not "I have two gallons of gas in the tank and $5 to last through payday."
Cutting the latte factor assumes that you're actually putting the savings in the bank, which isn't always the case. Far simpler to keep your house and car expenses in line and send big, automated payments to your investment accounts.
But taking the middle road isn't an "interesting" read. There's no clickbait to a story about a guy who had a side gig and roommates for a while and paid off the house in ten years.
Also, remember our nation's history: many of our ancestors are people who saved up every bit they could, to get ship passage to the US or Canada to emigrate. Our ancestors are largely people who arrived with next to nothing, having to scrap and struggle to get established. This is part of our cultural memory! Financial values/habits in a family pass on to the children. The people in the Old Country who stayed behind were either already comfortable, or less motivated. Or weren't of an ethnic/social minority facing annihilation. The lesson passed down is that thrift is a (sometimes literal) lifesaver.