Student reveals how she lives life with 'no spending' and saves thousands

A 26-year-old PhD student has lifted the lid on her 'no spending' lifestyle, with her only outgoings being rent, bills and groceries.

In a clip that's racked up 2.5 million views on TikTok, Mia Westrap celebrated her ninth payday with limited buying.

She told fellow TikTokers that she starts her payday by planning her finances and allocating her funds for the month ahead.

Mia was transparent with her earnings of £2,142.98 and said £1,233.59 had to be set aside for essentials. She is then left with £909.39, which she then splits into savings and groceries.

She initially set out to save £4,000 as a part of her no-spend year and has already exceeded that with a staggering £5,500.

In a piece for Business Insider, Mia explained how she grew up in a lower working-class background and how she had no concept of money management when she first moved away for university.

"Once I graduated and was getting higher paying jobs, the money still wasn't stretching regardless of how I got paid," she shared.

"I didn't feel like I was living this really extravagant lifestyle. But the reality was I was going out for dinners and drinks all the time and buying the clothes and books that I wanted."

Mia no longer indulges in takeaways or shopping at pricey corner shops. Instead, she sticks to a weekly grocery shop and cooks all of her meals.

When it comes to meeting with friends, she refrains from buying alcoholic beverages and sticks with water.

"The only thing that I've really allowed myself to buy that's not an absolute necessity is cinema tickets," she said. "I live right next to a cinema and that brings me joy. I go maybe once or twice a month and it's about eight or nine pounds."

She described the experience of no spending as feeling "like a weight off my shoulders," and feels as though she has "more freedom and independence" than ever before.

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