I wonder how this true this sentiment actually is. For instance, my house was built in the twenties. Other than internet and a television (which are hardly bank breaking expenses), living in this home is not meaningfully different than it would have been in the 50s. All of my major expenses are things that would have been accessible (if cheaper, eg college education) in the 1950s. Cutting all modern luxuries from my life would hardly move the needle on my ability to “work a hell of a lot less”.