Also mid 40s and just bought my first house. 100% was the new job with significantly higher pay. None of my past efforts at frugality paid any dividends either.

Im in the process of buying my second house, much bigger on a nice chunk of land. I make good money nowadays but we absolutely 100% would not be able to afford anything at all if we didn't already own a house to sell. We bought it for $100k in 2021 from a grumpy old guy who wouldn't leave during showings and scared everyone off. Thankfully I grew up around grumpy old guys and he liked us enough.

We're now selling that house for $230k, granted I also entirely rebuilt it the last 4 years and I think we could get more but I like the people buying it. We got lucky all the way through.

I started with a family business that underpaid me. Couldn't get ahead in my hometown city so i moved to another city with cheaper rents and housing costs. I eventually got a job where my work ethic and previous education and experience makes me almost irreplaceable. I used that as leverage with my boss to get paid a more competitive wage for my skill and responsibility level.

Before i was employed or got my raises, saving every penny i could kept me afloat. I'd take my neighbors empty beer cans and return them if i noticed them in the bin. I had maybe a month or 2 of living expenses left when i finally found a job in my field. Had i not been frugal from the start i may have had to abandon my whole plan and move back home completely broke before i could land a job.

Doing 1 frugal trick won't make a big difference. Applying a frugal mindset as often as you can will make a noticeable difference and can give you a little monetary boost to start getting ahead. For example if you have a little extra money, you can stock up on food during a sale. It requires more capital up front but you benefit from a cheaper price long term.