I know you live in Poland and you already crossed your living cost threshold but in a more expensive country your report means I need to save up at least a year of living expenses because what you brought in would simply not pay my bills.
While I certainly don't live frugally I don't own a car and the money is merely for things like rent, food and such. I have a baby girl though and my wife is currently at home. When she starts working again the picture would certainly change.
TL/DR Not so easy to replicate if your cost of living is higher.
I have a baby girl and non working wife too plus just buying brand new car (with 50/50 loan). Moreover it pays all my bills (I am living in a own house) and I feel quite comfortable already. All I can recommend to you is moving to Poland ;)
> I don't own a car and the money is merely for things like rent, food and such. I have a baby girl though and my wife is currently at home.
My apologies if this is unsolicited and unwelcome advice, but have you considered supplementing your income by replicating Chris' efforts on a much more relaxed schedule and in your spare time? Blogging handsomely supplements my income, without much effort (or time) required on my part.
I describe in detail the steps I take in my upcoming book on technical blogging. (Shameless plug: http://technicalblogging.com)
When I'm too busy to promote an article myself, my regular readers will usually do it for me organically. They are generally not as thorough as me, but they get the job done. :)
Not at the moment, but I'm considering the possibility of turning http://technicalblogging.com into a blog on the subject. If I go for it, I'll announce it on the newsletter.
Right now I'm entirely focused on putting the best of my advice into the book.
I know what you mean--I get these comments too, and I've been living in places like Germany, Belgium, England, Mexico (Mayan Riviera ain't as cheap as you'd think) etc., while earning dollars, and still making it happen.
People always ask how I can manage to travel so much and live independently when my take-home pay is so low compared to a salaried developer. The answer is that just like everything in life, it's about priorities. One person might prioritize cable TV and an iPhone for $200/month, whereas I'd put that money to a plane ticket. Granted sometimes things like babies or health problems don't give you a choice, but for many people, it is a choice to be chained to desks job they hate.
Don't know about living costs in Japan, but I've lived in Thailand and Russia where doing a bit of remote consulting and a bit of product development earned me around 2000 USD a month without a whole lot of sweat.
In those countries, it was more than enough to live well above average. Taxes are naturally also much, much lower which have a large effect.
At the moment I'm back in Europe for a contract. 2000 USD while living here? After 50% tax, that's only enough to cover half my rent! Techies in low-cost countries really do have it easier, as they can price their products / services to an international level, while still having low local prices.
While I certainly don't live frugally I don't own a car and the money is merely for things like rent, food and such. I have a baby girl though and my wife is currently at home. When she starts working again the picture would certainly change.
TL/DR Not so easy to replicate if your cost of living is higher.