Author Topic: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years  (Read 12452 times)

jengod

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http://www.asiaone.com/asia/japanese-woman-retires-34-after-living-2-day-years

A woman in Japan who spent no more than 153 yen ($2) a day for the past 16 years has achieved her dream of retiring before her 35th birthday, Oriental Daily reported.

The 34-year-old woman, known only as Xiao, reportedly has never bought new clothes since she was 18, choosing to wear only hand-me-downs.

It was also reported that she spent only 25 yen ($0.33) on udon noodles for dinner every night.

Her frugality has allowed her to save enough to acquire three houses in under two decades, which cost a total of 55 million yen ($716,974).

Xiao is now living on a monthly income of 300,000 yen ($3,911) from rent.

“Save your energy and money for something you love; only then, can one be said to be responsible for one’s own life, ” she said.

OtherJen

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2019, 11:27:46 AM »
Her savings are impressive. Hopefully her health hasn't suffered from the diet.

Cassie

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2019, 11:34:59 AM »
I agree about both aspects.

partgypsy

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2019, 05:58:05 AM »
Hopefully she was getting fed at work as well, sounds like she is probably malnourished. But impressive hacking!  At the least it is a reminder of how much one can cut from one's budget depending on motivation.

YttriumNitrate

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2019, 07:18:07 AM »
This article gives a bit more detail.

https://www.worldofbuzz.com/34yo-woman-only-spends-rm6-day-for-16-years-now-retired-owns-3-properties/
Quote
For her breakfast, she would eat a slice of bread with a little bit of butter, then for lunch, she would fry some salmon to eat with rich and for dinner, she would make udon noodles with discounted vegetables she got from the market.

It sounds like her diet is a lot healthier than many peoples.

happy

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2019, 08:31:17 AM »
Good on her! Given the state of the Japanese economy this is an outstanding achievement.

partgypsy

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2019, 09:38:52 AM »
Oh I thought she was just eating noodles every day. That sounds a lot better.

expatartist

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2019, 09:51:31 AM »
Highly focused and disciplined. Glad she was able to have her dream of a cat café.

Dicey

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2019, 11:04:38 AM »
"She shared her money-saving tips, which are rather extreme as she only spent about 153 yen (RM6) per day for her food expenses for the past 16 years."

Uh, not quite what your headline implies. Still, an interesting story. Good for her!

partgypsy

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2019, 08:52:58 AM »
"She shared her money-saving tips, which are rather extreme as she only spent about 153 yen (RM6) per day for her food expenses for the past 16 years."

Uh, not quite what your headline implies. Still, an interesting story. Good for her!

So a 1.45 a day, or $43 a month. Pretty extreme.

Dicey

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2019, 09:04:20 AM »
"She shared her money-saving tips, which are rather extreme as she only spent about 153 yen (RM6) per day for her food expenses for the past 16 years."

Uh, not quite what your headline implies. Still, an interesting story. Good for her!

So a 1.45 a day, or $43 a month. Pretty extreme.
Sorry, that isn't my point at all. She isn't "living on $2 a day". She's spending that on a single budget category. Big difference. Sure, it's great she took a disciplined approach to achieve her goals, but she did not spend only two dollars a day overall. In fact, given the way the article ended, I suspect she's now spending as much or more to feed her cats. Not to mention the cost of their housing.

The end of the article was so odd. Wait, she scrimped and saved to buy houses, then turned one into a cat house? Oh, so super savers are all crazy cat ladies?

partgypsy

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2019, 11:33:15 AM »
I would say spending $43 a month on food, is pretty extreme. When I was in college I spent 75-80 a month on food and I thought I was pretty badass and that's half of that!
I of course don't know about her breakdown in other areas but as it mentions she didn't buy new clothes, she is probably pretty consistent in all areas of her life re: frugality. 

Dicey

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2019, 12:00:29 PM »
I would say spending $43 a month on food, is pretty extreme. When I was in college I spent 75-80 a month on food and I thought I was pretty badass and that's half of that!
I of course don't know about her breakdown in other areas but as it mentions she didn't buy new clothes, she is probably pretty consistent in all areas of her life re: frugality.
I totally agree it's extreme. It's just a crazy misleading headline. She did NOT live on $2/day (or less) for 16 years. It bothers me because it makes people say shit like "Those FIRE people are crazy." Or "I could never do that."

I would agree that your college food budget was badass. I'll also bet that you didn't eat the exact meal every single day. Plus you're not claiming that you LIVED on 75-80 dollars a month. Big difference.

partgypsy

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2019, 12:48:21 PM »
I would say spending $43 a month on food, is pretty extreme. When I was in college I spent 75-80 a month on food and I thought I was pretty badass and that's half of that!
I of course don't know about her breakdown in other areas but as it mentions she didn't buy new clothes, she is probably pretty consistent in all areas of her life re: frugality.
I totally agree it's extreme. It's just a crazy misleading headline. She did NOT live on $2/day (or less) for 16 years. It bothers me because it makes people say shit like "Those FIRE people are crazy." Or "I could never do that."

I would agree that your college food budget was badass. I'll also bet that you didn't eat the exact meal every single day. Plus you're not claiming that you LIVED on 75-80 dollars a month. Big difference.

Yes it also annoys me when headlines are so misleading to be clickbait, when the real story is interesting enough, it cheapens it.

pegleglolita

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #14 on: August 21, 2019, 03:00:16 PM »
Amazing what you can accomplish in a place with low housing prices and universal health care.  During the entire time, she never had to worry about going bankrupt from illness or injury or spending 20-50% of her income on health insurance.  Very freeing.   

expatartist

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #15 on: August 21, 2019, 07:48:10 PM »
True, healthcare for much of the first world isn't the dealbreaker it is in the US.

Japan's housing market is...unique. Years ago I'd looked into investing in a couple of flats since prices outside Tokyo and Kyoto can be reasonable. But buildings are designed with planned obsolescence and there are no residency benefits so decided against it.

imadandylion

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2019, 11:08:44 AM »
The end of the article was so odd. Wait, she scrimped and saved to buy houses, then turned one into a cat house? Oh, so super savers are all crazy cat ladies?

It says she made one of her properties into a cat cafe, not a 'cat house.' Huge difference. Have you been to Japan? Cat/animal cafes are very popular.

Dicey

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #17 on: December 09, 2019, 11:47:39 PM »
The end of the article was so odd. Wait, she scrimped and saved to buy houses, then turned one into a cat house? Oh, so super savers are all crazy cat ladies?

It says she made one of her properties into a cat cafe, not a 'cat house.' Huge difference. Have you been to Japan? Cat/animal cafes are very popular.
You're right, I have no idea what a cat cafe is, so I googled it. I have no words...

OtherJen

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #18 on: December 10, 2019, 07:08:38 AM »
The end of the article was so odd. Wait, she scrimped and saved to buy houses, then turned one into a cat house? Oh, so super savers are all crazy cat ladies?

It says she made one of her properties into a cat cafe, not a 'cat house.' Huge difference. Have you been to Japan? Cat/animal cafes are very popular.
You're right, I have no idea what a cat cafe is, so I googled it. I have no words...

One of the local animal shelters runs a cat cafe as a fundraiser and showcase for adoptable cats. Seems like a smart idea.

imadandylion

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #19 on: December 11, 2019, 09:38:51 AM »
Haha, I thought it was wacky too until I went to one. :P I also went to a hedgehog cafe. They're definitely a unique experience. You can buy a period of time (like 30 mins or 60 mins) and you get a free drink of your choice.

It's great for funding shelters. I see kids going in there and spending them with cats all the time. Not for volunteering but because it helps their anxiety or something. And those aren't even paid!

simple money

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #20 on: December 31, 2019, 12:46:02 PM »
Reminds me of a woman I saw on a show called ultimate cheapskates a few years back. She never bought new clothes, her socks had holes in them. She would wash her clothes by swishing them around in her shower water and hang them. She used a squirt bottle instead of toilet paper. I think she worked as an accountant. She couldn't cook the expired food she scrounged up because she shut off her gas. It looked like a miserable way to live but I bet she's got lots of money in the bank.

trashtalk

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #21 on: December 31, 2019, 02:05:29 PM »
Reminds me of a woman I saw on a show called ultimate cheapskates a few years back. She never bought new clothes, her socks had holes in them. She would wash her clothes by swishing them around in her shower water and hang them. She used a squirt bottle instead of toilet paper. I think she worked as an accountant. She couldn't cook the expired food she scrounged up because she shut off her gas. It looked like a miserable way to live but I bet she's got lots of money in the bank.

I remember that lady. Some of the "extreme cheapskates" were just countercultural weirdos and fundamentally admirable but there were some who seemed downright unbalanced and she was one of them.

John Galt incarnate!

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #22 on: January 01, 2020, 08:52:53 AM »
I would say spending $43 a month on food, is pretty extreme. When I was in college I spent 75-80 a month on food and I thought I was pretty badass and that's half of that!
I of course don't know about her breakdown in other areas but as it mentions she didn't buy new clothes, she is probably pretty consistent in all areas of her life re: frugality.



I've been curious as to how low a food budget could be for 1 adult for 1 month.

I wanted to know if I could eat 3 meals per day for <$1 per day w/o feeling hungry.

I was by myself for about 6 weeks so I had the opportunity to find out.

Over a period of 30 consecutive days I ate homemade lentil soup, bean soup, pea soup w/carrots, fried potatoes w/fried onions, and oat meal. I drank nothing but water. Though I never felt hungry I did tire of my low-cost diet's sameness. I don't know if it met all the requirements  of a healthful diet.

lentils

peas

beans

onions

potatoes

oatmeal

carrots

raisins

sugar

 salt

 cinnamon

canola oil

water

^

The total cost of these ingredients was <$30.



StockBeard

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #23 on: January 13, 2020, 10:13:50 PM »
The 34-year-old woman, known only as Xiao
Not that it matters, but "Xiao" is definitely not a Japanese name. That article was maybe translated from a Chinese source? The person's name, as shown on the TV show screenshots, is probably "Saki".

Felt the irrepressible need to be pedantic here. Journalists are not what they used to be, etc, etc...

Hula Hoop

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Re: Japanese woman retires at 34 after living on $2 a day for 16 years
« Reply #24 on: January 14, 2020, 07:16:55 AM »
I would say spending $43 a month on food, is pretty extreme. When I was in college I spent 75-80 a month on food and I thought I was pretty badass and that's half of that!
I of course don't know about her breakdown in other areas but as it mentions she didn't buy new clothes, she is probably pretty consistent in all areas of her life re: frugality.



I've been curious as to how low a food budget could be for 1 adult for 1 month.

I wanted to know if I could eat 3 meals per day for <$1 per day w/o feeling hungry.

I was by myself for about 6 weeks so I had the opportunity to find out.

Over a period of 30 consecutive days I ate homemade lentil soup, bean soup, pea soup w/carrots, fried potatoes w/fried onions, and oat meal. I drank nothing but water. Though I never felt hungry I did tire of my low-cost diet's sameness. I don't know if it met all the requirements  of a healthful diet.

lentils

peas

beans

onions

potatoes

oatmeal

carrots

raisins

sugar

 salt

 cinnamon

canola oil

water

^

The total cost of these ingredients was <$30.

This sounds like it's a bit short on the fresh fruit and veg.  I'm not much of a meat eater and love bean soups but I'd feel pretty blah on that diet after a while.  Fruit and beg don't need to be expensive if you eat in season local produce.