I hear you because I was in your boat only a few years ago. I had 4 roommates in a decent apartment in a major city and paid less than $10k that year in rent. My lifestyle at the time was a lot simpler so I made $40k work quite well.

Now that I make more than double that, I can tell you one thing - I feel exactly the same, honestly I reminisce on those days quite often. 40k was all I “needed”. What mattered more was being surrounded by good people.