Things that I stop spending money in my late 20s

Expecting to retire in my 60s made me realise that my late 20s aren’t about looking rich — they’re about building stability.

Things I slowly stopped paying for:

• ❌ Gel nails every month

→ I do basic nail care at home. Clean nails > fancy nails.

• ❌ Eyelash extensions

→ Mascara is cheaper, healthier, and I can remove it anytime 😌

• ❌ Following every trend

→ Just because it’s viral doesn’t mean I need it.

• ❌ Impulse shopping

→ I ask myself: Do I really need this, or am I just bored?

• ❌ Expensive café hopping every week

→ Coffee at home + meaningful conversations hit different.

• ❌ Buying things to impress people

→ People come and go, savings stay.

• ❌ Over-spending on things that don’t add value

→ preferred putting my money into assets, not liabilities. Things that grow with time, not things that lose value the moment I buy them.

Because real luxury in your late 20s isn’t trends or validation —

it’s financial peace, quiet confidence, and knowing you’re building something for yourself 🤍

1/30 Edited to

... Read moreIn my late 20s, I realized the importance of shifting from spending on fleeting pleasures to focusing on long-term financial well-being. One key habit I adopted was cutting down on non-essential beauty treatments like gel nails and eyelash extensions. Instead, I embraced at-home care and simple makeup routines, which not only saved money but also promoted healthier habits. Another important lesson was resisting the urge to follow every new trend or indulge in impulse shopping. Trends can be tempting, but they often lead to unnecessary purchases that don’t add real value. By pausing and asking myself if an item or experience was truly needed, I avoided buyer's remorse and reduced clutter. Replacing café hopping with making coffee at home became both a monetary and emotional win. Not only did I save a significant amount of money, but sharing conversations in a cozy home environment brought deeper connections and joy. Most importantly, I learned to stop buying things to impress others. People come and go, but consistent saving and wise investments create lasting security. Redirecting money towards assets—like savings accounts, investments, or skills development—helped me build something that appreciates over time rather than depreciates. This journey taught me that real luxury in your late 20s is about financial peace, confidence, and having a purposeful approach to money. It’s empowering to know you’re building a foundation for your future instead of chasing temporary validation.

1 comment

StudioYadah's images
StudioYadah

An example: Buying a piece of expensive dress for a wedding dinner! For the sake of “respecting” urself and the hosts! NOPE! Msg: ehh, next time don’t call me! My hongbao will probably yield lesser returns or profits on the seat and dinner u’re paying!

Related posts

Things i’m going to stop spending money on
It’s time to stop spending money on unnecessary stuff in 2024 so here’s my take : 1. Unused gym memberships at expensive gyms, i spend $190 a month on fitness first, initially i had the membership because fitness first has unlimited yoga/pilates classes included but i realised my schedule became
Yuki

Yuki

237 likes

how i saved my first 100K by 30 + SAVING TIPS
Saving $100k by 30 is a common first financial goal in the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) community and it was mine too when I started working. Growing up poor, I developed good saving habits and over the years, I remained frugal and loyal to this goal because I strongly believe th
yt luna 🍰

yt luna 🍰

838 likes

How I CUT COSTS✂️💰 (as a 28 y/o making $73k)
I had so much fun drafting the post on lifestyle creep that I thought to do one that is the complete OPPOSITE which is lifestyle deflation! As Ramit Sethi often emphasizes, this is a perfect example of me cutting costs mercilessly on areas that fall outside of my money dials. 1. as someone wh
Yerim

Yerim

134 likes

here’s how I changed my bad $$ habits 😣
hi guys, i used to be notorious for spending alllll my $$$ on food and shopping 😣 it was so bad i barely managed to save! and sometimes just to satisfy my cravings i would take money out from my savings which just wasn’t the right way to do things i’ve tried several ways to save and here’s w
jo 🧚🏻

jo 🧚🏻

58 likes

Saving 100k by 25 yo
I often see people sharing how they managed to save $100K by the age of 25, but rarely do they share the budget plan behind it. So, I decided to put together a sample budget using a pseudo income to estimate how much one would need to save in order to hit $100K within 4 years. ⚠️ Important cavea
Justsomebody

Justsomebody

318 likes

how i managed to save 5 digits by 19 🫶
people might think that im only 19 and wouldnt have much savings, or that i rely on my bf’s money (and some wild stories I’ve heard lol 💀) but everything i saved came from working hard, and learning the hard way how fast money can disappear. so this is just me sharing what i did to go from less tha
ilovpickles

ilovpickles

610 likes

HARD TRUTH after investing for 3 years @ 25 y/o
I’ve always loved the idea of “buying money with money” (that’s why I majored in economics & finance). Like most people in my 20s, I tried everything — stocks, fixed deposits, dividends 🤯. But here’s the reality no one really tells you: Stocks 📉 Back in 2022, I put $2,000 into stocks becaus
Sylvia.liu

Sylvia.liu

152 likes

I don’t pay full price for groceries anymore 😋
If you always buy from NTUC FairPrice or take Grab, this hack is too good not to share 🙂‍↕️ Lately, Shopee’s been very aggressive with % vouchers, especially during sales like 9.9, 11.11, mid-month & payday sales. Sometimes there are also 30% vouchers from influencers floating around 👀
sweet deals 🎀

sweet deals 🎀

454 likes

See more