When I came back from my trip, my belongings were dumped on the lawn with a note: “If you want to stay, live in the basement.” So I moved into my secret apartment instead—and stopped paying a dime. Six months later, they knocked on my door, asking to move in with me.

That was when they asked me to move back home and help cover the bills. They were afraid of losing the house they’d lived in for two decades. I glanced around—the kitchen where I’d had breakfast every day as a kid, the living room where we used to watch movies, the backyard where Dad taught me how to ride a bike.

So, I gave up my apartment and returned to my childhood bedroom. It felt strange at first, but I set up my computer, got a solid internet connection, and settled in. Since most of my work was remote, it wasn’t a big adjustment. And honestly, it ended up working better than I thought it would.

I earned a decent income—about $85,000 a year as a developer—but the real money came from the bonuses. Whenever one of my software products was picked up by a major tech firm, I got a cut. Some months, that meant an extra $10,000 to $15,000 in my pocket.