The 29-year-old girl became a millionaire, bought 3 houses by wearing ‘sida’ clothes, eating at a discount, would rather walk than call a motorbike taxi

*The article is shared by Alexandra Fasulo – a 29-year-old girl who is currently a writer, entrepreneur and host of the Freelance Fairytales podcast.

In 2018, I made my first 6-figure income as a freelance writer on the Fiverr platform, earning almost $300,000 in revenue from blogging, press releases, and website content for clients.

At the moment, I have 6 different sources of income, from freelance writing, KOL, selling ebooks, selling courses, revenue from advertising and affiliate marketing. Last year, I made over $400,000 after taxes. I have 3 homes in Florida with a total value of nearly $1.2 million.

However, I knew that I couldn’t count on making that much money forever. So, instead of splurging on food, entertainment and travel, I actively save and invest to increase my net worth.

Here are 5 things I refuse to spend money on so I can live the life of my dreams:

1. Brand new clothes and bags

I shop for fashion at popular boutiques like Buffalo Exchange and Pavement. In addition, I also buy used clothes. Thanks to that, I saved a considerable amount of money.

My rule of thumb is to spend no more than $2,500/year on shopping. This habit not only helps me accumulate more money but also helps protect the environment when donating old clothes to charity parties, recycling.

2. Eating and drinking

I am a person who likes to get up early and take advantage of the time when the food stores have promotions, especially when traveling. Eating early every day costs me 1/3 less than eating after 8pm.

3. Commuting

If the place to go is less than 5km away, I will walk to save money on calling costs as well as for practice. Thanks to that, I don’t need to spend an average of 30 USD on two-way technology rides. When I travel, it helps me to explore more of the place on a smaller budget.

I try to walk at least 12,000 steps a day, especially at home in Florida. I usually check the map before going to make sure the path has sidewalks. Walking saves me more than 300 USD per month.

4. Rent

I bought my first house last March. This is also where I live. In October, I bought another apartment in Miami for investment purposes. The last house I bought was last month.

I’ve made two long-term rentals for the two homes I bought later, making enough money to cover the mortgage and other costs of owning a home. As for the house that I live in, the monthly payment is lower than the rent for similar apartments.

5. Flights not yet discounted/free

My Chase Sapphire Rewards credit card accumulates travel points when spending on dining and travel. The points accumulated on the card when redeemed could cover most of my annual flight and car rental costs.

While this card has an annual fee of $300, it has saved me about $2,000 in annual travel costs. In addition, I use another credit card with similar benefits to fly several free flights a year.

Source: CNBC