Featured Image Credit: @MaqwgNaJKDOnxGb/X
Topics: Food and Drink, Money
Lucy Devine
A man has left people stunned after managing to put away a staggering to amount of money so he could retire early.
We're always looking for ways to save where we can, but it can be difficult to put money away when the cost of living is so steep.
But one man from Japan managed to save hundreds of thousands of dollars thanks to his strict saving regime.
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The man in question, who has not been named, wanted to save 100 million yen, which is the equivalent of around $640,000 for his retirement, and did so by coming up with a simple but genius idea.
For over 20 years, the man cut back wherever he could, and even gave himself the nickname online, 'the man who will definitely resign'.
With an annual salary of around $32,000, the man made a detailed plan to save as much as possible, which meant he lived in a dorm, paying $190 per month for rent, living off the simplest of foods and even skipping some meals.
According to the South China Morning Post, he would have a dinner of sour plums, salted vegetables and rice, meanwhile other times he would just have an energy drink, or a drink of cola and biscuits.
It's certainly not the most nutritional diet, but the man persevered.
Apparently, he never used any kind of heating or air con, either. Instead, he would do squats to stay warm and wore a wet T-shirt in the summer to stay cool.
After years of hard work saving every penny, the man finally announced that he had managed to save $860,000 after nearly 21 years.
The man also wrote a book, which he has a steady income from. And let's just say his meals look quite different these days, with him enjoying four boiled eggs for breakfast as well as a variety of hot meals for his dinner.
But despite his hard work and success, the man has spoken about the value of his savings and how they have recently decreased.
“If the yen keeps depreciating, I’ll never achieve financial freedom. What have I been working for these 21 years? It’s all meaningless, so tragic,” he said.
People were shocked by the man's revelation with some surprised the man had not fallen ill after eating such a poor diet for many years.
Meanwhile, others suggested he invest instead.