I’m not an engineer. I don’t make the big bucks. I’m just a normal person who worked in community management over the past 6+ years and this is how I made it in the city by saving and being savvy.
If you’re non-technical, then you can relate to this. While I’ve worked at startups or larger tech companies, my salary has never reached the behemoth levels of what engineers could get paid. That being said, it also taught me how to live more frugally in some ways, as well as being more aware of my investing and savings. While in college, other students spent their money while I squirreled it away in savings or invested in stocks.
Live with Housemates when you’re Younger
Sometimes I chuckle and look back at how I used to share a small room and pay $900 USD to live in the sunset, in a room with two single beds where I shared with a friend doing her MBA. I also remember the 45 minute commutes to work, cramped in a bus uncomfortably. When you’re younger, these things don’t bother you as much. I am glad I was able to save money when I was young by living accommodations and saving up slowly (but surely). I remember being in awe seeing my friends get their own rooms or pay an arm and a leg for a studio apartment, but I reminded myself that I had one goal and it was to pay off my college debt, as well as save for the future.
Living in the sunset sharing half a room – $900 USD
Living in Nob Hill luxury apartment for half a master’s room – $900 USD
Living in Hayes Valley for a tiny room – $1000 USD
Living in Japantown for my own room – $1400 USD
Living in Avalon Mission Bay Luxury Apts – $2150 USD
Now sharing with my partner (can’t disclose area) in a 100 year old rent controlled unit – $1000 USD
But as I got older and accrued more savings, I also had more leverage and time. That was a definitive moment. I don’t think many people really want to be ridiculously rich; I think they just want their time back, their freedoms back, and to not have to deal with the aspects of life are tiresome (like 45 minute commutes). Money isn’t really about buying the nicest items or luxuries; I truly believe it’s about gaining your time back. There is power in leaving a crap job with a shitty boss because you have savings and don’t need to stay. There is freedom in taking time for your hobbies and getting better at them. There is time in taking your parents for a trip they’ve been wanting to go their whole life.
People often bemoan the fact that San Francisco can be a costly city to live in, and I do agree. I agree because people also allow the city to inflate their lifestyle. I don’t think it’s impossible to save, as long as you are being aware and conscious of your spending habits. In the city, everything is so accessible via technology like food delivery apps, robotaxis, workout classes, etc. I realized that by simplifying my life, I could reach certain saving goals and prepare for the future. Basically all these big costs will end up costing and being bigger responsibilities. As a 30 year old female living in the city, I want to make sure I’m prepping myself for the future in case I want to build a family, move elsewhere, or stabilize my own career and life.
Take Advantage of Public Transportation
To be honest, there are some bus lines and neighborhoods I will avoid due to personal safety and experiences. I’ve had a couple run-ins with some mentally unstable folks and had a shit experience. That being said, I no longer want to put myself in certain situations at night time or during my commutes. I do try to walk and take public transportation when I can, but ultimately, walking or even taking Muni or Caltrain to get around is my first choice. If you take muni often, you may consider buying a monthly pass with Muni.
Cook and Make Food at Home
I truly enjoy cooking when I’m not rushed for time, so I’ll sometimes bulk prepare lunch and dinner for my boyfriend and I. We do tend to eat out on the weekends, but cooking and making food is soothing to me, so I don’t mind bulk cooking pasta or meal prepping for the week.
We use Weee! an online Asian grocery store platform that sells all the things you can find at H Mart, 99 Ranch Market, and so forth. I love buying from them because they are fast in shipping and give a lot—you get your bang for your buck. We also do not own a car nor want to take an uber every time for groceries, so we use Weee! to get groceries every 2-3 weeks to supplement our fridge with veggies, sauces, and frozen meats.
Sometimes we go out to eat and it’s already $60-150 USD, with the SF food taxes and tipping. Tipping in San Francisco has gone insane, ranging from 18-25% at times. It’s sometimes better to just stay at home and cook in the comfort of your own home.
Go to Free Events in the City
If you live in a big city, you have the advantage of the ongoing city events that happen every weekend. Luckily for us, there are a ton of free events that the city hosts.
Sometimes I’ll check out Fun Cheap SF or Eventbrite to see what local museums have free residents day. Often times, neighborhoods, libraries, or the SF city will host free events, like the SF Chinatown or Art Walk in North Beach. These are events you can attend with friends, go walk around, and enjoy a day out in the city. If you like to attend AAPI-centric events, I would also recommend checking out On Waverly, a Chinatown bookstore that sells some of the best curated AAPI-founded products (books, keychains, chili oil, cards, etc) and they host curated events on the weekends too.
For career-related events, there are a TON on Luma. A lot of them are tech focused or related in a certain niche, like climate tech, tech poetry, or semiconductors, etc. You’re able to find cool events that are usually free. If you’re a job seeker, then you should ask for a free ticket and see what they say! Never hurts to ask.
The below image is LUMA and will detail events happening around your city. There’s also a subscribe button if you’re interested in receiving new events weekly.
Learn How to Have a Minimalistic Mindset
Maybe it’s because I moved around so much, but I was able to develop a minimalistic mindset and not want to buy items. Perhaps the amount of stuff I have correlates to the amount of noise I have in my head, so I usually like my spaces clean, minimalistic, and decluttered. While not everyone has this mindset, I recommend building layers on top of a capsule wardrobe, which is having a few key items (good quality) that you can build off on. You can recreate different outfits with the fits, as well as keep them for a long time because you get pieces that are trendy throughout the seasons and easy to match with other colors. If you find that you want something, rest on that decision for a week and then decide if you want it still.
Be Savvy When Purchasing Items
When I’m set on buying an item, I will generally look at two places:
- Ebates for cash back rewards – I always check the plugin before buying anything and seeing if there’s a percentage for ebates platform. You can use my referral code if you’d like to try Ebates for yourself!
- Credit card partners for cash back – I have Chase credit cards so I tend to check partnerships and see what type of cash back or rewards they have. I will usually go through the partnerships and check what potential partners I would work with or use
- What promos the website currently has – they usually have an email marketing campaign or percentage
Combat FOMO (fear of missing out)
I combat FOMO by being selective on who I follow on Instagram or on social media in general. Now that everyone has access to social media and showing only their highlight reels, I know how susceptible we are to fomo, distortion of reality, and being influenced. I dislike the idea of being influenced or sold anything, so I am careful to follow anyone who is an influencers. In actuality, my favorite content creators are those who inspire me through knowledge, business, or health. While I applaud all creators trying to make a living out here, I personally want to follow creators who inspire me to be better than inspire me to buy items I don’t need. Additionally, creators usually get an affiliate or kick-back of commissions if they are able to sell or promote anything.
I respect the hustle, but am careful to see what content is being promoted.
Avoid Any Subscriptions
A lot of my friends use YouTube premium, Netflix, Disney+, and more. The crazy thing is there are tools that help you identify what subscriptions you are still paying for that you might know of—I pride myself on not buying a lot of things and subscriptions because I want to know where my money’s at. I don’t use any premium subscriptions at the moment, except I pay for CapCut and use it for content editing.
Find Ways to Workout for Free
My favorite workouts include Pamela Rief for her fun, upbeat dance workouts. I like them because they’re 15 minutes long and packed with a ton of energy. There’s a couple fun ones where you squat and pretend to slap the person in front of you. For your back and posture workouts, I like using Emi Wong’s videos. She has a collection of fitness, pilates, and stretches that I enjoy doing as well.
If you have a yoga mat, then your room or your living room can be a workout space. Running is an option as well, though the concrete gets harder on my knees every year so I don’t run as often as I used to.
Don’t Keep Up with the Joneses or Your Tech Friends
This one’s a tough one as when you’re young and malleable, or perhaps in a certain industry, you tend to become influenced by the people around you. The older I get, the more aware I become of the things I dislike and don’t want to do. In my video, I share about how I spent $3,000-$4,000 on a branded bag because everyone was asking me about my “big girl” purchase and I was persuaded to buy a branded bag by the rest of my girlfriends. “It’s an awakening, a rite of passage, and a feeling that is indescribable,” they said. But to be honest, I felt happy for a couple days and then wondered why I bought the bag in the first place.
Anyways, the idea of not keeping up with the Joneses is there to keep you focused on what you truly value. Maybe it’s that extra trip to Asia each year, saving up so you can retire early, or going out to a nice dinner instead of buying an expensive bag you barely use. Everything is incredibly subjective to each person, to their interests, and upbringing. While you’re trying to impress other people with money you don’t really have, you may be squandering money that you don’t have and digging yourself into debt. The best thing you can do for yourself is by living authentically, and working towards a life you envision, not a life that’ll impress others.
If You are Going to Spend, Spend it on your Education and Growth
One of my favorite books by Ramit Sethi is a no-frills, modern book written for people like myself who want to enjoy life, but also be smart and prepare for the future. I Will Teach You How to Be Rich, like wow. Talk about a bold statement, but his book has garnered millions of copies sold and lives changed. I like how he breaks down the concepts of personal finance and makes it applicable to everyone.
If you’re going to spend money, spend it on education, books, growth, and things that give you a balanced life, not a Gucci belt that you’ll wear once to show off at an event.
