A single man living in Minnesota says he’s been maxing out his 401(k), Roth IRA and Health Savings Account for years, all on a $100,000 salary. And he didn’t start at six figures either.
Seven Habits That Made It Happen
“I have been doing so for 4 years, and I have been maxing it out even when making $80k,” the original poster wrote on Reddit’s r/MiddleClassFinance recently. He estimated his take-home pay is about $3,800 per month after taxes and deductions. With careful budgeting, he spends around $3,650 and saves the rest.
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Here are the seven frugal habits that helped him save aggressively:
“I still travel a lot and have allowed myself to buy some nice things. Cars just aren’t my thing,” he said.
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But Is It Realistic For Most People?
While people generally praised his discipline, many comments poured in with a more complicated reality: it’s much harder when you have kids, debt or live in a high-cost-of-living area.
“Yeah, not having kids is financial easy mode,” one person wrote. “I’d be retired at 40 if I didn’t have kids in my mid 20s.” Another added, “Child support alone for my daughter was more than a maxed-out Roth for 17.5 years.”
Others pointed to daycare costs of $1,500 to $2,500 a month, student loans, or high insurance premiums. One commenter said, “We’d have a lake house if we didn’t help four kids go to college.”
Still many agreed the tips were useful if you could modify them to fit your situation.
“It’s good to do this before you have kids if you can,” one person said. “I did what you did. My roommate was and is my significant other,” another added. “My income is higher now and I could easily afford a new car and fancy possessions but I’m still very frugal at heart and I want to save as much as I can so I don’t have to work as hard for my money.”
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Early Saving Sets You Up Later
Several people backed up the idea that aggressive saving in your 20s and 30s pays off in your 40s and 50s. “Prioritizing saving early in life is a HUGE leg up on securing your future,” one commenter said.
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Ultimately, the thread showed just how much your financial plan depends on your personal circumstances. That includes your income, location, housing, family size, insurance costs and how much help you got–or didn’t get–early on.
“I realize that people are in different situations,” the original poster admitted, “but I think these tips will still help whatever the situation.”
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