What might sound like an impossible dream for many is a Japanese woman’s reality. Saki Tamogami, 37, has managed to buy three houses and start a cat cafe in 15 years. All this was made possible by her discipline.
She monitored lifestyle costs, invested her savings, and completely shunned luxuries. Dubbed “the most frugal girl in the country,” Tamogami lived on a daily budget of 200 yen(Rs 120) for many years.
Tamogami set a goal of owning three houses by age 34 when she was 19. After securing a job with a property agent in her early 20s, Tamogami chose an almost monastic life. She cooked all her meals at home, relying on simple, low-cost dishes such as toast, udon noodles, and discounted radishes.
Once in a blue moon, she would indulge in small luxuries such as jam on bread or a piece of salmon with rice, but her food expenditure would seldom exceed the limit.
Tamogami also avoided buying new clothes, relying on old clothes given to her by friends. Further, she obtained her furniture from junk markets, and she even sold her long, untreated hair for 3,100 yen (Rs 1,800) when it grew long enough, covering half a month’s living expenses.
By 27, Tamogami had saved enough to purchase her first house in Saitama, Kanto region, for 10 million yen (Rs 61 lakh). After giving it out on rent, she used the rental income to obtain a loan, which in turn allowed her to purchase a second house for 18 million yen (Rs 1.1 crore) just two years later. By 2019, she had achieved her goal of owning a third house, costing 37 million yen (Rs 2.3 crore).
After achieving her ambition, Tamogami also fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning a cat cafe. She developed a cat cafe named Café Yuunagi on the ground floor of her third house. The café offers shelter and support to numerous stray cats. Tamogami, who has a deep love for animals, uses the earnings from the cafe to rescue more strays.
Reportedly, despite achieving her goal of owning 3 properties, Tamogami continues to live sparsely and plans to use her rental income and salary to further expand her property portfolio.
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