Mia McGrath eats eggs and toast for breakfast every morning. It costs her 65 cents. And she has $97,000 in the bank before her 25th birthday.
The British account manager has gone viral for her aggressive savings strategy, which she documents to over 100,000 followers on TikTok. Her goal is $1.3 million by age 40 — enough to walk away from full-time work and never look back.
@miarosemcgrath Replying to @Blessed_Blay another long video sorry guys #100k #howtosave #savingmoney ♬ original sound – Mia McGrath
Her approach is straightforward. No takeaways. No daily coffees. No salon visits. No expensive lunches. She cooks every meal at home, shops secondhand, and invests £1,300 every single month into dividend stocks.
@miarosemcgrath Replying to @claudia how to save money step-by-step #savingmoney #budgeting ♬ original sound – Mia McGrath
But the detail that critics keep pointing to is this — for the first critical years of her savings journey, she paid no rent. Living with her parents in London allowed her to save between 50 and 70 percent of her salary, stacking £22,500 in just 18 months. That single advantage, unavailable to most young people, is what built her foundation.
Her income is also not limited to her day job. She holds contracts with two modelling agencies and has landed brand deals with American Express, British Airways, and the BBC — none of which she discloses earnings from publicly.
She has since moved into a £2,500-a-month flat in South London with her boyfriend, but has not slowed down. She is targeting £100,000 in savings by year’s end and continues investing monthly without exception.
Her definition of retirement isn’t stopping work entirely. She calls it a “soft retirement” — the freedom to choose what she works on, and the ability to say no without fear.
“I tell people I want to retire at 40, they laugh,” she said. “But I have a plan.”
The discipline is undeniable. But so is the privilege that made it possible.
