"Giving examples of 'extreme savers' like this is just discouraging to normal people ..."  Well, there's an objective statement, I DON'T think!  Hilarious.  Hey, Kew: what if HE is normal, and the rest...well, kinda abnormal?  All jesting aside...

Seems he's had the best of both worlds: university degree AND big savings.  Yes, that is rare...but can be done.

"regular people with regular lives"?  Got one for you.  She didn't go to university and bury herself with mounds of student loan debt.  She took two years, and her bursaries and scholarship (five I think) and studied to be an X-ray technician.  Another driver totalled her older car. Oh woe!  However, she saw opportunity.  Insurance bucks paid off her modest student debt.  Used mass transit, sometimes drove her boyfriend's car. Post-secondary: 2 full-time years, a few months part-time ultra-sound courses.  Great career. Earns close to $80,000 yr. today.  

She's my daughter.