Mia Rose McGrath has managed to save nearly £100,000 thanks to the strict spending rules that she has stuck by since being a student – and she thinks anyone can do it
While millions of Brits are struggling to build their savings as costs continue to skyrocket, one savvy young woman has managed to stash an eye-watering £100,000 by the age of 24 – and she’s planning to retire at 40.
Mia Rose McGrath, from London, has “almost £100,000 in savings and investments” and lives by strict financial rules so she can “soft retire” a whopping 26 years before most of her peers.
The fashion worker, who has racked up more than 143,000 TikTok followers, regularly shares her brutally honest money-saving tips online. And she’s not afraid to call out the habits keeping her generation broke. “Trying to be cool or aesthetic is making you broke,” Mia declared in one viral video.
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For her, splurging £38 on a trendy Rhode phone case or buying a new outfit just to look “aesthetic” on Instagram is a total waste of cash.
Reflecting on her own spending, Mia admitted: “I realised I was doing it for other people, not for myself.”
The thrifty 24-year-old says there are four common mistakes draining young people’s bank accounts:
1. Chasing trends you can’t afford
“You don’t need the latest trending item – a Labubu, a Coach bag. It’s not essential,” she warned.
Mia says it’s fine to save up for something you really love, but only if it’s for you – not just to keep up appearances.
“I guarantee if you waited 30 days to buy it, you wouldn’t want it anymore,” she added.
2. Thinking saving small amounts is pointless
Mia started her own savings journey as a cash-strapped student, putting aside whatever she could from her maintenance grant.
“If it’s £10, £50, no matter how small it is, it’s still worth doing,” she said.
3. Saying you’re ‘too busy’ for a side hustle
“Stop using the excuse that you don’t have enough time. You just don’t want to enough,” Mia told her followers.
She’s juggled a full-time office job while building extra income streams, including content creation and personal branding.
4. Hoping a rich man will rescue you
Mia slammed the idea that a woman can just sit in her “soft feminine energy” and wait for a wealthy partner to fund her dream lifestyle.
“You have to work hard and have your own money,” she said. “Sure, if you meet someone who earns more than you, that’s a bonus. But make sure you have your own finances sorted first.”
Now, Mia is on track to retire by 40 – or at least scale back to a life on her own terms. And she insists anyone can follow in her footsteps if they ditch bad money habits and get serious.
“You don’t need to make six figures to save. You just need discipline.”
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