Man saved £300k by age 30 – he had same pillow for 12 years | Personal Finance | Finance
Airic Z, 31, said money ‘wasn’t always readily available’ when he was growing up (Image: Airic Z/SWNS)
A thrifty man has disclosed what he gave up to save £300,000 by the age of 30, including sleeping on the same pillow for 12 years and never replacing his worn-out socks. Airic Z, 31, said money “wasn’t always readily available” during his childhood and he learned to be economical.
When he began earning a salary, he actively started trying to save from around the age of 21. He slept on the same pillow for 12 years before he finally replaced it when he started suffering from “headaches”.
He also confessed to using manual toothbrushes rather than electric ones until he was 23, which led to him having numerous fillings until he switched to electric brushing. Airic would also not replace his socks when they developed holes in them and said he had “blisters” from the irritation.
He managed to save £100,000 by the time he was 25 simply from being economical and investing money into the stock market and also began investing in a stocks and shares ISA when he relocated to the UK three years ago. Now he estimates he saves around £40,000 annually, but says he balances “life more these days” and ensures he “intentionally splurges” every now and then to enjoy his money. He currently earns £107,000 per year and plans to “retire early”.
Airic, an auditor from central London, said: “I think being frugal is something that has always been instilled in me. My parents were immigrants in Canada.
“Money wasn’t always readily available and they taught me how to be more frugal and understand the value of money better as I grew up. When I started off working, I wasn’t making life-changing money, but I realised I needed to be investing my savings and allocating towards my future.
When Airic Z started earning a wage, he actively started trying to save from around the age of 21 (Image: Airic Z/SWNS)
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“In terms of value, I have saved over £300,000, but I saved my first £100,000 by the time I was 25 through being frugal and investing. When trying to hit first my first £100,000 I was aggressively meeting a minimum of 50 per cent of my wage in savings. I came across a few YouTube videos and articles – there’s a subreddit about the FIRE movement I looked at to see how I could get there and see what other people were doing.”
Airic had to forfeit numerous things in order to accumulate such substantial amounts year after year and acknowledges he “regrets” and feels “embarrassed” when reflecting back.
“I used the same pillow too long, for many years,” he revealed. “One of the side effects is the pillow is too flat and doesn’t support the head very well.
“I felt like it started giving me headaches. It’s only when I got a pillow with better support that I stopped getting headaches.
“Heating and air conditioning is something easy to save money on. One thing as a side effect is becoming unproductive – your body is not the right temperature and you’re not moving.
“In winter especially you just want to stay in bed scrolling on your phone, which makes you less productive. Another video I did recently I talked about manual toothbrushes.
A frugal man reveals what he sacrificed to save £300,000 by 30 (Image: Airic Z/SWNS)
“Manuals are cheaper, but the electric ones have a motor and clean so much better. With my socks, I would wear them until they had holes in them. I felt like I was constantly damaging my skin and I had irritating blisters and I realised I needed to refresh my socks more often.”
Airic also admits that he feels he “neglected” his parents during his younger years by not devoting enough time to them and making trips to Canada to see them.
He said: “Another one that doesn’t get talked about is having to save money and pick and choose the social events you have to go to. In London something is going on every day and every weekend.
“You have to pick and choose what’s more important and what you want to prioritise, rather than getting FOMO and going to everything. I feel sometimes it can be isolating at times, but once you find a better circle of friends who value money and time you can find other things to do that don’t revolve around going for drinks at the pub.
“I lived at home with my parents up until the age of 28 and that helped save a lot of money. I try to find all kinds of deals on anything I buy.
“When I travel I use credit card points. If something is broken I will try and fix it first before replacing it or buying a new one.”
Airic revealed that after tax, he consistently “tries to max out” his ISA each year, saving £20,000 annually.
He said: “I put money into my pension of a similar amount, around £20,000. My main investments are any extra left over – I might consider investing. I balance life more these days.”
Nowadays, Airic practises ‘intentional splurging’, recently shelling out £700 on a five-star hotel stay with his partner for their 10-year anniversary and indulging in a new restaurant “every month” or treating family members.
He explained: “It’s just making sure I enjoy part of the money I earn but still managing to save. I think figuring out when I want to retire and how much money I need to retire has given me clarity to work backwards and see what I can work with. I like doing those splurges and experiences what I deem as a value splurge […] rather than going out window shopping and seeing something I like and buying it.”
Airic Z saves a huge amount of money by living a frugal life (Image: Airic Z/SWNS)
Airic’s tips on saving
Monitor your spending and set a budget
Identify ways to save money without altering your lifestyle
Take advantage of bank switch offers
Invest your funds into stocks and shares ISAs
