I went on six dates a week and saved a fortune on groceries – I banked £12k over two years & bought Prada bags instead
A NEW York influencer has revealed the unorthodox tactic she used to save almost £12,000 on groceries – but not everyone agrees with it.
Vivian Tu has claimed she didn’t buy groceries at all between 2016 to 2018, but some are calling her method unethical.
On her popular TikTok account, “Your Rich BFF”, Vivian shared that while she lived in New York City, she searched for love on dating apps.
After some financial hardships, she quickly realised she could save her hard earned coin by letting someone from these apps spoil her on a date.
Vivian said: “Oh, I can go to a fun tapas restaurant probably for free, or I can spend my own money on food at the grocery store that I still need to cook.
“And it’s probably not going to taste as good.”
Rather than buy affordable groceries in the store across town, she said she saved £30 to £80 per week by going on the cheeky dinner dates.
With her earnings, she quickly racked up a savings pot which she spent on savings and of course – a new black Prada bag.
Though the influencer was making £77,000 per year, her living expenses were extremely high as she lived in central Manhattan.
She added: “There’s obviously subconscious thinking that goes into it.
“In my opinion, deliberately going on dates for a free meal isn’t a great idea. I am very much in the camp that you’re dating to find love.”
But viewers of Vivien’s video are torn: some think her move was genius, but others don’t agree.
One user claimed she did the same thing: “Baby I can’t believe someone else did this too sometimes I be double booked!”
One girl said: “Smarter not harder,” while another congratulated her on “finessing the bag”.
Vivien has worked hard, amassing 2.3million followers on TikTok for her budgeting and finance videos.
In another video, the ex-Wall Street trader shared an acronym she uses for budgeting: S.T.R.I.P.
S.T.R.I.P. stands for savings, total debt, retirement, invest and plan.
Despite the backlash on her dating video, Vivien says she has no regrets about her cheeky money saving tactics: “Even if you do put your card down, it’s still a win.
“You get to say you went somewhere new, ate great food and made a new connection – or, at least, practised your small talk.”