She is one of America’s most popular financial TikTok stars with 2.2 million followers.

It wasn’t easy. She says her first job wasn’t always lucrative, and she didn’t like working 9-5. It was to save her $100,000 by saving, getting a freelance job, and being thrifty. (Want to save more? Some high-yield savings accounts are paying out more than you’ve been paying in 10 years. See some of the best savings accounts you can get here. )

She blogged about her journey to getting a job and a freelance gig with the goal of saving her $100,000 with a blog called Her First $100K. It gained quite a following and Dunlap leveraged it to an even wider audience, her podcast “Financial Feminist” being her 11th.^th The most popular business podcast on Spotify and her eponymous debut book, financial feminist, strike of new york times Bestseller list when released in December 2022. Dunlap has 2.2 million followers on TikTok and 685,000 followers on Instagram.

Dunlap attributes her popularity to the fact that she doesn’t shame her audience. Her ethos that saving her money wasn’t hard and she could actually express her political values ​​appealed to a generation of women fueled by the #metoo movement and the persistent gender pay gap. To do. “There can be no equality without economic equality,” says Dunlap. “Financial education is the best form of women’s protest.”

Here are her saving tips.

1. Automate your savings.

It’s age-old savings advice, but Dunlap says it’s been essential to helping her reach her goals. She says she set up her account so that as soon as her salary was credited, a percentage of it was deposited into her savings account. She also promised to deposit the money she earns from her side hustle, such as freelance writing work and marketing gigs, into her savings account. Dunlap says she doesn’t have to start with a lot of money to do this practice effectively. In fact, she can start from as little as $20 a month. The joy of seeing your money grow is itself a form of motivation, she points out. Check out some of the highest paying savings accounts you can get here.

2. Pick 3 things to splurge on.

Dunlap recommends making three lists to splurge on. “I can afford almost anything, but I can’t afford everything,” she says. For example, when she was working on her savings goals, Dunlap chose to spend on traveling, eating out, and decorating her living space. On everything else—clothes, transportation, parties—she was careful not to waste money. I wanted to,” she says.

3. Keep your end goal in mind.

Saying no to bachelorette weekends and impulse purchases is a lot easier when you see them as a means to an end rather than something that should save you money. Because everyone says money is important. “You need to identify what you want your life to be and how you can spend your money to get there,” says Dunlap.

Early in his career, Dunlap realized he didn’t want to devote all of his time and energy to corporate work, and set a savings goal that he felt allowed him to quit his job. If you’re planning a family, perhaps your goal is to be able to stay home with your kids for a few years.

4. Process takes precedence over perfection

Money habits are ingrained in us by our parents, notes Dunlap. If they didn’t have healthy spending habits, neither would you. “How can you manage money well if no one teaches you how to use it?” says Dunlap. If this is your trait, chances are you’re really struggling to reach your savings goals despite your best intentions.

Dunlap says it’s fine, and it’s normal. In fact, there were many times when Dunlap thought he couldn’t reach his $100,000 goal. For example, when I was unemployed for three months. But even if she didn’t reach her goal, she would have saved quite a few pennies to gain financial clout. say. “The most important thing is that you keep making progress.” After all, saving is better than nothing at all.