After college, I paid $800/mo and lived modestly to save up money in SF. Two years later, I bought my first house in Berkeley and moved in. The tax savings from mortgage interest helps save alot of money. We rented out 2 remaining rooms that we are not using and it helped cover the mortgage. (Starting out, I made around 100k and saved around 50-60k/year)

2 years after that, my gf (at the time) and I pooled our money to buy a house in south SF. 2 years after that, my mom and I bought a 3 unit run-down place in Oakland and fixed it up. 6 years after college, I have rental income coming in around 13k / month and I quit my job. No need to move to a new/cheaper location, 13k / month is plenty for bay area.

Now, I run a nonprofit to help people in the bay area community learn how to code (we focus on low income workers and we pay them to quit their jobs so they can learn how to code full time).

Looking back, the best thing I did for myself is to refrain from living extravagantly. Its an easy trap once you start making 200k/year. With that much money, its easy to think that you deserve a nice car, impress girls, and get stuck in the mindset of always getting the best, which not only drains your financial resources quickly, but also creates an internal emptiness. Reuse old cars, cook at home, host modest dinner parties in your own place with friends/coworkers instead of going to bars. You will save alot of money.

Also, (I could write a whole blog about this), time capping your time at every company to 1-2 years helps you cut through political bullshit (huge time sink) and focus on impact. Plus, sign-on bonuses every year boosts your income significantly.