How I retired at 33 and so can you

What's it like to retire at 33?

"Every day is like a Sunday where I don't have chores, and I have all this free time and can do what I want."

That's the synopsis from Justin McCurry, a Raleigh, N.C. resident who swapped life as an engineer for early retirement two years ago. Far from subsisting on rice and beans, McCurry eats "5-star meals" made from scratch at home, vacations with his family and spends time outdoors hiking and swimming.

So what's the secret to ditching the rat race before even hitting the big 4-0?

"We weren't extraordinarily wealthy or lucky in terms of income or jobs," said McCurry, who writes about his experience on his personal finance blog www.RootOfGood.com.

Source: Justin McCurry

Justin McCurry with family on vacation in Mexico.

Instead, he and his wife (who recently joined him in early retirement) saved about half of their income and tried to resist lifestyle inflation. Even though their combined salaries never rose to more than $141,000 ($150,000 with dividends), they were able to squirrel away a sizable net worth, which currently stands around $1.4 million.