Endured Daily Food Expenses of 1,800 Won for 15 Years... A 30-Year-Old Who Bought 3 Houses, What Did They Do?

Owning Three Houses in Early 30s
Saves to Create a Shelter for Stray Cats

A woman in her 30s from Japan has surprised netizens with her story of purchasing three houses over 15 years after various efforts, including reducing her daily food expenses to 200 yen (about 1,830 won).

On the 27th (local time), Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP) highlighted Saki Tamogami, a Japanese woman in her 30s. Saki appeared on a local TV program in 2019 to reveal her saving secrets and earned the nickname "the most frugal woman" in Japan. She once stated, "Since I was 19 until before I turned 34, I had a goal to own three houses," adding, "I found stability in saving money and enjoyed seeing my money grow."

Ms. Saki Tamogami limited her daily food expenses to 200 yen for 15 years and usually had udon or toast for meals. The photo is an image for illustrative purposes and is not related to any specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

After graduating from university and working at a real estate agency, the first thing Saki did was reduce her daily food expenses to "200 yen." While this amount might be insufficient for a single meal for most people, Saki managed to cover her meals within 200 yen as much as possible. When there was nothing special, she always cooked at home, and even when dining out, she chose simple and inexpensive dishes like toast or udon.

She also saved as much as possible on tableware costs. Instead of buying dishes, she ate her meals directly from the cooking pot to save money. She had not bought new clothes since she was 19, instead wearing hand-me-downs from relatives. It is also known that she had a side job selling her hair. She said, "I have never dyed or permed my hair, so it is in good condition," and added, "I sold this hair for 3,100 yen (about 28,500 won), which is enough to cover two weeks of living expenses."

Saki's third house has been remodeled into a stray cat shelter.
[Image source=Captured from Saki Tamogami's Instagram]

After saving money through various means, Saki bought her first house in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, at the age of 27. At that time, she purchased the house for 10 million yen (about 91.9 million won). Two years later, she bought a second house for 18 million yen (about 165.45 million won), and in 2019, she finally owned a third property worth 37 million yen (about 340 million won). She thus owned three houses in her early 30s.

Regarding why she maintained an extremely frugal lifestyle to buy houses, Saki explained, "When I was young, I adopted a stray cat, and it was a great comfort to me during difficult times, so I lived frugally with the desire to save stray cats." She renovated the first floor of her third house into a "Cat Protection Center" where she takes in and cares for stray cats with nowhere else to go.