The bulk of Money Mustache advice is about avoiding paying money for stuff that doesn't really improve your life. This advice is actually more important for people who don't have money. As Mr. Money Mustache points out, most things we buy are "luxuries", we don't need them. And adding a little hardship to our lives, avoiding needless luxuries, actually improves our happiness. See, e.g., http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/08/29/luxury-is-just-ano... --or-- http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/07/frugality-the-new-...
In other words, "what the hell is someone doing buying a $1,200 tv on credit?!" What's wrong with a $400 tv? Or a $200 tv? Or no tv?
A $3 coffee everyday adds up to about $90 a month, when you can usually just drink free coffee from your office or buy some cheap pre-ground stuff.
Spending $5-6 for lunch each day at work can easily add up to another $100+ dollars a month, when you could just make a bunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and spend a fraction of that.
So there's close to $200 a month, right there.
If you're trying to retire early, it's definitely way tougher on a lower salary. But improving your spending habits is an important skill for everyone, especially for those making less.
Focus on earning more, not saving (on useless expenses).
Do you know how many people pay the listing price of a car, yet cut coupons to save a few euros/dollars? A lot. It's ridiculous.
Some of the joys in life are simple things, such as drinking a $2-3 coffee or having a cocktail in a nice bar, etc.
The idea is that those small daily expenses tend to add up, and there may be a lot more of them than you realized.
"If you had stopped smoking 10 years ago you could afford to be driving around in a Ferrari right now."
"Do you smoke?"
"No."
"Then where's your Ferrari?"
Point is don't sweat the small things. Sure they add up, but you should dedicate a portion of your cash flow towards investments at the start of the pay cycle, not "what's left at the end." Then the rest can be spent on anything arbitrarily with a clear conscious.
The MMM philosophy isn't to deprive yourself. It's to learn to find satisfaction without the high cost.
Personally, I hate eating out every day. Packing a tupperware with leftovers is much more my style. I save about a thousand a year because of this, but I don't feel deprived at all.
Ideally. But in reality with bad habits you will spend that extra $1K you started earning.
>>Focus on earning more, not saving (on useless expenses).
Both. Without discipline its all useless. Why else do you think so many athletes or lottery winners lose those millions?
Any investment advice is fairly useless without some money to begin with, investing is the art of bootstrapping.