The Story of How McDonald’s First Got Its Start
smithsonianmag.com
smithsonianmag.com
If you are interested how McDonald's became a company that is recognized around the globe, I would highly recommend the book Behind the Arches. A very interesting corporate study.
One of my favorite anecdotes: 80-year old Kroc's favorite pastimes was flying around in a prop plane with a highway map scouting out potential McD locations.
What struck me most however was this quote:
"Soon, they believed, the work week would shrink to under four days, leaving Americans with abundant leisure time in which to tool around in their cars—and stop to eat."
I didn't realize this idea was so old and we're not really any closer.
But it requires modest houses, modest cars, and overall frugal lifestyle choices. You will not "keep up with the Jones'". That's why I specified a 1950s-esque standard of living. I worked just about ten years and saved enough that I don't think I need to work ever again. But I can't afford a $30,000 car or a $500,000 house, and that's OK with me because that's the trade-off I chose to make.
But my suggestion was not to work 32 hour weeks, because high paying jobs rarely let you do that. Instead play along with the system of 50-60 hour weeks, but with the right lifestyle choices, you only need to do it for 10-20 years.