How To Save $100K: I Did It In 3 Years

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Bola Sokunbi

In this post, I'm delving more into my money story and sharing the details of how to save $100k based on what I did. And I was able to save this money all without earning a six-figure salary in a little over 3 years.

I share these money-saving tips with the hope that they will inspire and motivate you to save because if I could do it, so can you.

So, here's exactly how to save $100k in 3 years like I did!

How To Save $100k: The beginning of my journey

When I first graduated from college, I got a job making a starting salary of $54,000  which was really ~$40,000 after taxes. Three and a half years later, I had saved over $100,000. It was an incredible milestone to cross on my early journey to financial wellness.

I did however have a couple of really great things to my advantage in terms of the amount I saved, which were:

  • I was fortunate to have no student loans (Thanks to my super hardworking mother who paid for my college tuition in cash - a gift I am forever grateful for - and a partial scholarship I had)
  • As a brand new college grad, I got a good entry-level salary (To me 40k after taxes was awesome!)
  • I got a raise and a bonus every year and got promoted, raising my salary by the end of the 3.5 years to ~$74,000 (which was really ~$52,000 after taxes)

That said, whether or not I had these advantages, over time, I've become a saver by nature. This means, as long as I earn, I save, and I'll talk a bit more about this below.

A few other money-saving tips I'd like to note:

  • I saved this money entirely on my own. There was no inheritance, no handout, no trust fund
  • I was single and did not have the added luxury of a joint income. I did not have a sugar daddy or a rich boyfriend (just thought I'd put that out there), it was just me.
  • Did I mention I did this all without earning a six-figure salary?

If you're wondering how to save $100k in 3 years, or even is 100k a year good to save, read below, where I’ve broken down the things I did to help you understand how I saved that much money. I've also included some money-saving tips that can help you with your own savings plans and as you set your financial goals.

It's also important that I mention that my "self-education" from reading books and learning as much as I could, was key to my success. This completely changed my life and relationship with money and the concepts I learned stand true to this day.

By the way, I've written my own book series (yass!), and the first book is called Clever Girl Finance: Ditch debt, save money & build real wealth. This is the book I wish I had to guide me, at the beginning of this journey.

Ok, let's get into how to save $100,000!

How to save $100k in 3 years: My key tips

How to save $100k

1. I contributed to my retirement via a 401k offered by my employer

To be honest, when I first started working, I had no clue what a 401k was. I also didn't know why I needed one. All I knew was that I was being offered free money via a match and I was all over it.

Over time, I learned what it was, about asset allocation, fund types, expense ratios, etc. But to start out, I took advantage of the free match.

At the time, my employer matched 100% of the first 6% that I contributed. I didn't max out my contributions back then, but I did contribute ~15% of my salary. Throughout the 3.5 years, I was able to save about $40,000 in my retirement account.

This was also before the last major US recession. So the money I contributed had grown because the stock market had been performing pretty well.

Clever Girl Tip: Investing is a key part of how to save $100k. Contribute to a retirement plan as soon as you can. Max out if possible. Can't afford to max out right away? Increase your contributions by one percent every quarter until you can.

If your employer offers a match, take it! Want to learn more about investing? Check out my book, Learn How Investing Works, Grow Your Money!

2. I kept my expenses low

After my 401k, health insurance, and tax deductions, I had my main expenses. They were my car (I paid a car note for ~$150 and then later ~$300), insurance (~$80), and my mortgage (~$900).

I lived at home for six months after graduating from college before moving into my first place. This is one of the best money-saving tips I know!

It helped me really kickstart my savings because I was able to save most of my pay for those six months. Groceries were never a big bill being single, as I never really cooked much. As a result, I didn't really eat much lol (Yes, ramen was my friend).

Going out was usually hanging out at friends' houses, and I don't drink alcohol so that was a big savings. I traveled a lot for work and so a lot of my lunches during the week were reimbursed. I also lived very close to work when I was home, so I didn't buy gas often.

When it came to shopping, I shopped here and there too, but I didn't have any expensive habits...yet! My water bill, internet bill, and cell phone bill all came in around $170 combined each month.

Clever Girl Tip: Getting your expenses down should be your first area of attack in your budget. Try living close to work if possible, cook at home, and pack lunches.

You can also work out at home or outdoors, carpool, cut out alcohol and use online coupon & rebate sites to save money. This will help you save $100,000 faster!

3. I focused on saving 40% to 50% of each paycheck and anything extra

After my 401k, other deductions, and taxes (my tax rate was ~25%), the first year I earned somewhere around $1350 - $1400 a paycheck. I tried to save at least $500 to $700 of every paycheck and because I kept my expenses low, this wasn't hard to do.

I saved all of my yearly bonus (after 50% bonus taxes this was somewhere around $1500 the first couple of years. Not much,  but still something) and I always saved a bulk of whatever tax return I got.

As a result, I saved a ton of cash very quickly this way. I averaged about 18,000 a year in cash savings, and in 3.5 years I had well over 50K saved in cash from my full-time job.

Tips: When it comes to how to save $100k, It's not just about keeping expenses low, it's also about making a plan to save what you have leftover. I made this easy for myself by having this money automatically sent to my savings account as soon as I got paid.

I also funnel a lot of my money into investing in the stock market for the long term. One of the platforms I use right now is Fidelity for my IRA and non-retirement investing.

4. I started a side hustle

Starting a side business is another great way how to save$100,000!

I became very interested in taking photographs around my 2nd year of saving and ended up with a very successful part-time lifestyle and wedding photography business.

To do this, I dipped into my savings to invest in an entry-level DSLR camera in order to start my side business. I studied my craft, did a lot of free photography to start, and then raised my prices as I got better.

Within a few months, I found this business growing very quickly and becoming very profitable, much to my surprise. As time went by, I began to network and make friends with as many experienced photographers as I could.

In turn, they let me second shoot for them and began to refer business to me, which also helped my business grow. I loved doing it and it earned me a great side income.

What I did with my side hustle money

I paid my business taxes and spent my earnings reinvesting into my business. This included buying professional cameras and lighting and taking a few courses.

I also saved a lot of it and funded the early stages of a very expensive handbag collection that I later sold. If I didn't have such a handbag obsession, I know I could have saved so much more money during these 3 years.

The first year of my business I earned around $10,000. The second year I earned around $30,000. In subsequent years I earned more. I worked hard, but to me, it was worth it.

Around this time, I also started learning about investing outside of retirement and I used some of the money I earned from starting a business to do that. This side hustle pushed my savings well over the 100K mark. It's a great option if you're looking for good second jobs!

Clever Girl TipA side hustle, if set up and managed the right way, can be a huge boost to your income. It can also be big part of how to save $100k. Just don't spend all your earnings on things you don't need!

5. I spent money on credit but I was smart about it

Yup, I still had a credit card but the majority of my spending on credit was using a charge card. With a charge card, you are required to pay your balance in full each month. For example, American Express Gold is a charge card.

I was required to have a charge card to cover all my work travel expenses. So I thought, why not get one for myself too? I got a few reality checks when I overdid it at times, but using a charge card always reigned me in, and still does. Now I know my limits.

Tip: If you are able to qualify for one, consider getting a charge card instead of a credit card. It will help you build credit and acts just like a credit card. It's also really important that you stay on top of your credit report and history.

I get asked all the time about how to build, maintain or repair credit. I think it's a good idea to understand how credit works and if your credit score has dropped, why that happened.

You can save $100,000!

These steps are how to save $100k in 3 years as I did!

All of this being said, you may not be able to save $100,000 right now. Maybe you have large debts. But regardless of where you are (single, married, kids, no kids—I know what it's like to save with kids—I have twins!), know that you can still pay off your debt and you can still save a serious amount of money over time.

It starts with adjusting your mindset, taking a full assessment of where you currently stand, creating a strategy around your situation, keeping your expenses low, automating as much as you can, and staying focused.

Over time, and with discipline and dedication, you will see results. I promise. Remember, every single dollar counts. Start by implementing one or more of my above tips on how to save $100k.

It's usually easier said than done but it's doable—I did it.

If you want to delve into ideas to grow your current savings, check out our tips on how to turn 10k into 100k!

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