A woman earning £156,000 a year has admitted she 'doesn't feel rich' and has imposed a ban on Botox and holidays to save for her dream home. Amelia Brown, 33, from London, earns £13,000 monthly but falls into the HENRY category—high earner, not rich yet—meaning she lacks accumulated assets or wealth despite a 'decent salary'. Over a decade, she increased her wage by £111,000 but still doesn't feel wealthy, taking home £6,924 a month after tax and pension contributions.
Sacrifices for a Dream Home
In a bid to save for a three-bedroom family home in London with her partner, Amelia has cut Botox and placed herself on a holiday ban. 'I think if I was on my salary in other parts of the country it would be crazy, but when I was a kid, if I imagined earning this much money, I didn't think it would be a relatively normal lifestyle,' she said. 'I don't want to be in the class of HENRY who is a massive whinger. I know I'm extremely lucky to be earning this amount of money.'
Frugal Lifestyle Changes
Amelia has stopped buying new clothes and only shops if she sells something on Vinted. She has also deferred buying a car and reduced travel. 'I've stopped getting Botox. We like to travel pretty frugally but we're reducing that as well,' she explained.
Career and Financial Strategy
Born in London but raised in Australia, Amelia turned down a PhD in mechanical engineering paying £10,000 a year to become a management consultant. She also rejected an Oxford scholarship to work for a start-up. Now head of growth in tech, she urges others to explore additional income streams. She boosted her income by 20% through content creation and manages her paycheck by paying herself first—calculating monthly costs and saving or investing the rest.
Investment Approach
Amelia aims to save for her forever home without buying a starter property first. 'The common wisdom is to buy a starter home and get on the property ladder, but my strategy is to save as much cash as possible and buy my forever home without that intermediary step, which has costs like stamp duty and moving,' she said. She maxes out her ISA annually, invests in the stock market, and has reduced pension contributions from 20% to 10%.
Advice to Others
Amelia advises being honest about finances and cutting expenses ruthlessly. 'Some people already on high salaries need to look at their expenses and be ruthless to cut expenses and save money. The majority of people need to be really honest about their salary and find opportunities to increase their money and earnings and to set financial goals and reach them,' she concluded.
