Long story short: tried it twice, the second time was the charm as a freelancer. Earning less money as I was full time, but steadily going up and getting close. Sidenote: changed my life, I'm more productive in general.

Don't want to make a blogpost of a comment. The how? It depends on two things mostly: lifestyle and family. As I'm 25 and single it was easier for me to do that because I can tweak my lifestyle as I want. I think it's a bigger challenge for those who have someone to support. And by tweaking I mean push yourself little by little to spend less, you get used to it quickly.