Originally Posted by Unregistered

Actually, lifestyle inflation doesn't have to happen.

The same person earning $100k - $300k can choose to live the exact same way as he/did when earning $3k (i.e. eat at the same places, live at the same house, etcl

If the person is smart, he/she will invest majority of their salary, start a business of their own or find ways to create passive income so that he/she doesn't have to work for the money and if retrenchment, dismissal or whatever happens, it doesn't matter because there will still be money coming in. The best part is with compounding interest, if someone earns $100k to $300k and invest it, he/she can be out of the rat race in just a few years compared to peers that decide to choose to spend the salary on depreciating items.