How I saved Ksh1 Million Before My 26th Birthday

You’re probably wondering how people grow their savings to a million shillings, especially when your paycheck barely makes it past the second week. Unexpected bills keep showing up, and let’s be honest, adulting is just expensive.

You try to be disciplined. You download the budgeting apps. You promise yourself this is the month you will save more.

But then life happens. Rent, hospital, birthdays, and new stuff. And before you know it, your money is gone and you are back at zero, again. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. And honestly, sometimes it feels like saving is just not made for people like you.

You’re not lazy. You’re not reckless. You’re just trying to figure it out in a world that keeps pulling you in every direction.

Believe me, I get it.

Broke Childhood Dreams

I can still remember the day I got my first salary. I was 22 years old, fresh from college. I was living with my aunt while I searched for jobs, and it didn’t take long before I got one at a stable NGO. It started as an internship, which was unpaid except for some stipend to help cover transport, but a few months in, I was confirmed for a full-time position. The job was good and the salary modest. Within the first year, I was earning a net salary of Ksh 40,000 as a software engineer.

You see, growing up, we had to do without a lot. My parents did their best, but we were many, and money was always tight. Some days, I had to go to school in a torn uniform that I tried to hold together with threads or safety pins. Mismatched shoes weren’t surprising to me back then; if anything, they were normal. And while we rarely went completely hungry, some nights we only had porridge before bed. It wasn't ideal, but it was our life.

So deep down, I developed this craving to fulfill those needs as an adult. Maybe it was some form of childhood trauma, but I always knew that once I started making my own money, I’d buy better clothes, nicer shoes, and live in a bigger, cleaner place. It made me feel accomplished.

So I dedicated my first salary to fulfilling my childhood dreams. 

Luckily, I was good at my job, and my then-boss acknowledged it by giving me a 25% raise. And not long after that, my immediate supervisor resigned, and I was promoted to his position. This promotion moved my salary from Ksh. 50,000 to Ksh. 70,000. I was elated.

I moved from my aunt’s place to my own apartment, bought new clothes and furniture, and literally blew all of it in a week or two. However, I didn’t mind because I could afford it, and another payday was just weeks away.

After that, I got another pay and another, and kept blowing it all off on eating out, buying stuff I didn’t need, attending parties, and even giving family and friends handouts or bad loans. I was living paycheck to paycheck.

The Podcast Made Me Panic About My Finances

One day, I stumbled upon a podcast. The guest that day was a dollar billionaire CEO who was sharp, brutally honest, and refreshingly open. He didn’t mince his words or gatekeep any information. He talked about money, success, and the mindset it takes to build real wealth. 

By the time the episode ended, I was sitting in silence with only two thoughts in my head: I wanted to be filthy rich, and I was terrified of going broke. Two sides of the same coin.

This changed the course of everything. I had been spending almost all my money on one thing or the other and kept justifying each, but I had to start being smart if I ever wanted to make it. I listened to more podcasts on financial literacy, read books and articles, and one of the ideas I came up with was living a frugal life.

I quickly found out that frugal living, also called minimalist living, isn’t one of the easiest to achieve because you basically strive to save almost 50% of your income while only living on the other half.

That meant making tough calls. I had to cut out luxuries, and every coin had to be assigned. It wasn’t going to be easy.

But I chose it anyway. I realized that I had been spending all my money and didn’t have anything to show for it for close to two years. I didn’t even have a stable savings account.

Unfortunately, nobody was coming to save me. 

Therefore, I…

1. Moved to a smaller apartment

I let go of the fancy apartment that was swallowing half my salary and downsized to a simple one-bedroom unit. It was clean, safe, and affordable, nothing flashy. The savings on rent alone freed up a huge portion of my income.

2. Stopped impulse buying

No more random shopping sprees or emotional buys. I gave myself a 48-hour rule: if I saw something I thought I wanted, I’d wait two days. Most times, I’d forget about it altogether. This helped me avoid buying things I didn’t really need or even use.

3. Wrote down every expense

I tracked every single shilling, including snacks and cab fares. I used a basic notes app to jot things down as I spent. It opened my eyes to hidden leaks like frequent takeout or random subscriptions.

4. Focused on needs over wants

Before buying anything, I’d ask myself: Do I need this, or do I just want it? If it wasn’t food, shelter, or something directly improving my well-being, I skipped it.

6. Created a simple budget

I kept my budget basic: Rent, Food, Transport, and Savings. That’s it. I didn’t overcomplicate it. This helped me see exactly where my money was going and gave me a clear spending limit in each area. Simplicity made it easier to stick to it.

7. Avoided loans and debt

I avoided loans like the plague unless it was an emergency. That meant saying no to luxuries until I could afford them with cash. It wasn’t always easy, but living debt-free gave me peace of mind. I learned to enjoy what I had and wait for what I wanted.

How it Worked Out 

After my internship, I was fully onboarded by the company and started earning a salary of Ksh40,000 at the age of 22. Life had just begun. By the time I travelled upcountry for the holidays that year, I only had Ksh30,000 in my account. I hadn’t developed a savings plan yet—I would just put aside whatever was left after spending, or whatever I felt like saving.

Everything changed in January of the year I turned 23, around the time I discovered a podcast that sparked my financial curiosity. After doing some intense research, I decided to start saving half of my salary in a Money Market Fund (MMF) offering a 10% annual return.

By mid-year, while setting aside Ksh20,000 every month, my savings had grown to about Ksh143,000, including compound interest. Around the same time, my salary was increased to Ksh55,000 net pay, which meant I could save even more. Maintaining my frugal, minimalist lifestyle, I continued living in my Ksh8,000-per-month bedsitter and stuck to a Ksh20,000 monthly budget. This allowed me to raise my monthly savings to Ksh35,000.

Within the following year or so, my salary increased to Ksh70,000, and my savings had grown to about Ksh590,000. At that point, I decided it was time to improve my living situation. I increased my monthly spending cap to Ksh30,000, moved into a one-bedroom apartment along Waiyaki Way for Ksh13,000, and allocated the rest to other expenses. This meant I was able to save Ksh40,000 monthly as I turned 25.

By the time I turned 26, my savings had grown to Ksh1.15 million, with compound interest earning me an additional Ksh84,000.

Was It Easy to Hit the Ksh1 Million Mark?

No!

Some months were painfully tight. Emergencies came without warning and tested my discipline. I had to say no to plans that looked fun, and pass up trends that made me feel left behind. The pressure to spend was constant, with friends questioning my choices, family expecting support, and people assuming I had money to spare just because I had a job.

There were moments I questioned myself, too, wondering if I was being too hard on myself or missing out on life. But I had started seeing my savings account growing, and it looked and felt great, so I kept going. I stuck to the plan. I reminded myself of the goal every time I felt tempted. Slowly, the numbers began to add up. First Ksh100,000. Then Ksh500,000. Then more. And one day, I looked at my savings and saw the figure I never thought I’d reach: one million. It didn’t happen overnight, and neither was it easy to live on half my salary, but it happened. Because I was determined enough not to stop.