TLDR: By living well below my means, staying away from debt, and working side jobs (while having the good fortune of no major, negative life events), I was able to save consistently into a mutual fund over 5 years that returned over 12%, allowing my wife and I to buy a nice, starter home for 100% cash.The First Hurdle: CollegeIn 2007, I was a sophomore in college, paying my way with various web design projects. I wanted to graduate debt free, a goal I set for myself in high school after being...