Nurse Who Grew Up In Poverty Reveals The 8 Smart Things She Did To Get Herself 'On Track' To Retire At 35
Her experience taught her that financial independence is far more in reach than many of us think.
Monkey Business Images | Shutterstock We've all heard about or know someone who's financially independent and on the road to super early retirement at an age that blows our minds. Usually, we listen to their story while seething with jealousy. After all, these people are almost always rich kids.
However, one nurse on social media is on a mission to dispel the assumption that you have to have been born rich, or at least with a lot of privilege, to be financially free. "You can do it no matter what background you come from," she said, and she knows from experience.
The nurse, who grew up in poverty, shared 8 smart financial things she did to get 'on track' to retire at 35.
That surely sounds too good to be true, but TikToker Mel, known on the app as @travelingtoretirement, knows what she's talking about. A nurse anesthetist, Mel is 31 years old and a first-generation immigrant who "grew up in poverty" — yet she's just four years away from retirement.
How on Earth did she manage that? Well, the simple answer, as she put it in a video caption, is that her "consumption did not change" from her days of living in poverty, despite making far more money than she grew up with.
Of course, it's far from that simple — her journey required lots of strategy and perhaps even more sacrifice. Still, her path shows that it is possible to reach financial stability even if you don't have help from your parents or a trust fund filling your wallet. Here are eight things Mel did to get herself to the verge of retirement by 35.
1. She lived with her parents to graduate without debt.
Mel's college journey wasn't all late-night dorm talks and frat parties. Instead, she lived at home and worked multiple jobs to self-finance her education without student loans.
That's a tall order, of course — and not everyone can rely on their parents for anything at all, let alone housing. Still, her experience underlines how important it is to consider paths other than the traditional college experience.
Community colleges, for example, can be an incredibly cheap launchpad that can lead to scholarships and grants at more prestigious schools. They allow you to start ahead of the game by not having to take on staggering amounts of debt.
2. She went back to school to drastically increase her income — but continues living way below her means.
Mel shared that when she graduated college at 22 with a nursing degree, her first job paid just $28,000 a year — not nearly enough to live on in most of the country. Going back to school for a master's seemed like the best bet.
It has paid off handsomely. After getting a master's degree and becoming a nurse anesthetist, Mel now makes six times what she did before, but crucially, she continues living well below her means.
3. She saves and invests at least 50% of her income.
As she put it in one of her videos, "my consumption hasn't changed" since sextupling her income — she's still largely living as she did when she was making a paltry $28,000.
All that extra money isn't just going into a savings account. Rather, she's been using it to "invest aggressively" throughout her 20s to amass a nest egg that is only four years away from letting her live an independently wealthy life.
Crucially, it all comes back to that "consumption" thing. She may be on the brink of being independently wealthy, but she isn't remotely living like it, which makes a huge difference.
4. She's all about 'underconsumption.'
Obviously, a life like this requires sacrifice, but for Mel, it's all about priorities.
In a video about her "underconsumption," a popular online movement where people endeavor to spend as little as they can on luxuries by being strategic about how and where they use their money, Mel shared some of the things that have helped her continue saving and investing.
For instance, her car is a 20-year-old Subaru that is far from glamorous but gets her "from A to B" safely and efficiently. She never gets manicures because she simply doesn't care about how her nails look. Even her wedding band is a $34 ring from Etsy and she and her husband Jason's dog was adopted on a "free adoption" day at a rescue.
"I'm grateful for everything but know my happiness isn't tied to what I have," she wrote in an onscreen caption.
5. She found a partner who shares her goals.
Speaking of that Etsy wedding band, Mel and Jason's relationship is likely one of the most important aspects of their financial situation. Mel wrote in one of her videos that she made a shared commitment to financial freedom a priority when searching for a partner.
Finances are an incredibly common source of marital tension — not to mention divorce. A partner's poor financial decisions can quickly become your own problems. Being on the same page is not only vital for a solid relationship but a linchpin toward financial success as well.
6. She buys high-quality goods secondhand and fixes everything herself.
If you've bought… well, pretty much anything in the last few years you've likely noticed that it's basically impossible to buy anything of even mediocre quality anymore without paying through the nose. So you end up on an endless cycle of buying and rebuying everything because it breaks or wears out in 15 minutes.
Mel takes a different approach. She buys for quality, but always secondhand. That way, you get the best of both worlds — the durability without the enormous price tag. You'll still end up spending more than you would on Amazon but experts say you're likely to spend much less in the long run.
And when things do break or wear out? Learn to fix them yourself. That's what Mel and Jason did, and as a person who won't go to a mechanic unless his car is actively on fire, I tell you from experience: The vast majority of repairs are much, much easier than you think — and there's a YouTube tutorial for every one of them!
7. She favors free hobbies.
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Not every hobby can be free of charge, of course, but plenty are low-cost, and these are the types that Mel and her husband gravitate towards. Things like hiking and trips to the beach can take up a whole day for barely any money at all, and even many creative pursuits can be done on a shoestring.
8. When they splurge, Mel and Jason make it meaningful and memorable.
Mel shared that she and her husband have a passion for travel, and this is the one area where they readily shell out money, though they stick to a budget when they do. The expenditure is worth it to them, though, because it brings them "lasting joy."
This is in line with what many psychological studies have found — things, by and large, do not bring happiness or an elevation of mood. Experiences, on the other hand, do. Studies have shown that people who spend their money on memorable experiences, like special dinners, events, and travel, reported far higher happiness than those who spend money on possessions.
Of course, everyone's life is different, and not all of us can do exactly what Mel and Jason have done. Still, their approach provides a lot of food for thought about the many ways we can all be more intentional about our spending and reap dividends — both figuratively and literally — in the future.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.