Do you still have medical bills? Why can't you live on the cheap for a year, save one year worth of living expenses and then leave your job?
For instance:
1) If you live in a big city, live in a very small apartment. Use public transportation and sell your car if you have one. (Yeah, I know this is hard to do in many parts of US).
2) Cut unnecessary recurrent expenses like cable, netflix, gym, etc. You can still buy movies once in a while. If you wanna exercise, just run outside, play sports at public courts, etc.
3) Don't buy the latest gadgets. Unless you're making software for it, you don't need the latest iPhone/android.
And so on. This is essentially how a junior Japanese salaryman lives. They must, because they earn only around $25~30$k. So if you can earn more than that and still keep a low living cost, you could save quite a bit.
I had obligations but now I am essentially debt-free outside of a mortgage (not underwater). I have been saving aggressively however I do spend some of it funding my side projects. I've got around 8 months of expenses saved up and hope to get to two years worth within the next 12 months. Without outside investment, that is when I'll hit my personal comfort zone for going after it.
Until then, I'm focused on building the resume and resources I will need in the future. In fact, that is part of the reason I'm working on Sparkmuse. Working a day job and at night can be brutal but I have no regrets.
For instance:
1) If you live in a big city, live in a very small apartment. Use public transportation and sell your car if you have one. (Yeah, I know this is hard to do in many parts of US).
2) Cut unnecessary recurrent expenses like cable, netflix, gym, etc. You can still buy movies once in a while. If you wanna exercise, just run outside, play sports at public courts, etc.
3) Don't buy the latest gadgets. Unless you're making software for it, you don't need the latest iPhone/android.
And so on. This is essentially how a junior Japanese salaryman lives. They must, because they earn only around $25~30$k. So if you can earn more than that and still keep a low living cost, you could save quite a bit.