How I Money: Surabhi

Video Transcript

My name is Surabhi. I am 23, and I'm a software engineer.

[WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF MONEY?]

I remember always being really excited to get more money, to get more tokens at Chuck E. Cheese. I used to have this tub of tickets. I used to be obsessed with--I still am kind of--stuffed animals.

[WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO SAVE?]

The thought of not working someday if I'm being brutally honest.

A lot of people my age have the mindset that OK, I graduated and now you're making paychecks, and it's really nice and you have this influx of money. And so what do people do when they get that? They want to expand their lifestyle. I've always thought about it kind of in the inverse. If I set a really good foundation, it will allow me to have more freedom in the future.

[DO YOU TALK MONEY WITH FRIENDS?]

Some friends yes some friends no. Everybody's relationship with money is so different, and can sometimes be such a sensitive topic. Now also, it's easier to talk to an unbiased party. I had a mentor in college who I still talk to. He was kind of the one who coached me into investing, and then now when it comes to salary and just talking about work and promotions and things like that, I always go to him. It's important to find somebody like that in your life.

[WHAT'S THE BEST MONEY YOU'VE EVER SPENT?]

Honestly, this water bottle. OK. This is a shameless promotion for this water bottle. It has literally changed my life.

But I think a more general answer is I feel like any trip I go on. I went to Peru with my friends, and we did these crazy hiking excursions and ate the best food and it was so fun and that's like one of my best memories from college, and I love that. So that was some of the best money I've spent.