The Worst Crisis Ever! Young People Can’t Afford to Live—A Strange Phenomenon in China!

Let me show you how young Chinese are surviving through extreme saving. One man who moved to Guangdong in 2005 says he never eats out. At 11.35am, he went to the supermarket and spent just 7.5 yuan on tofu and pork to make cabbage stew. Every day after work, I cook at home, he says. When colleagues invite me to dinner, I refuse, because 100 yuan at a restaurant could instead buy me 3 jin of pork, 30 eggs, 10 jin of rice, and a bucket of oil. Enough food for two weeks. As China's economy slumps, the real estate market crashes, and youth unemployment stays painfully high. Consumer confidence has collapsed. In response, a wave of revenge saving is sweeping across the country. On social media, hashtags like saving campaign, saving check-in, and gold bean saving are going viral. One blogger, born in the 1990s, shows how she and her husband survive on extreme frugality. Spotting a watermelon on sale, she buys only half. The flesh becomes dessert, while the rind is stir-fried into a spicy dish for dinner. We never order take-out, she says, a home-cooked meal for a few yuan last days, while fast food costs more than 10 yuan for just one meal. People say we don't know how to enjoy life. The truth is, making money is so hard now, and life costs money everywhere. We can only save little by little. She skips milk, tea, and coffee, drinking plain water instead. Why waste money on sugar and caffeine when a cup costs over 10 yuan, she asks. Cooking at home is healthier and safer, and it saves money. Earning only 3,000 yuan a month, she manages to save 18,000 yuan a year through strict discipline. Her secret? Every month she deposits 1,500 yuan into a one-year paper certificate of deposit. By the 13th month, the first one matures. She reinvests the principal and interest along with the next 1,500 yuan. Over time, she holds 12 certificates, one maturing each month, creating a rolling cycle of savings. Once you start, you'll want to continue, she says. The habit snowballs, and your money grows. But if you live paycheck to paycheck, 10 years will pass and you'll have nothing. Now, this frugal couple with three children owns a car, a house, and steady savings. Their monthly food bill is under 1,000 yuan. How do they do it? By following what they call the five no's. No takeout, no eating out, no luxuries, no waste, no excuses. For them, saving isn't just a habit, it's survival. The blogger shared that she rarely buys clothes and never chases after designer brands. A 10 yuan t-shirt is enough to last her all summer. Her husband doesn't smoke, drink, gamble, or hang out socially. He works at a construction site, and on days off, he delivers food. In recent years, with money getting harder and harder to earn, she realized saving is no longer a choice but a necessity. She even collects used cardboard boxes, exchanging them for eggs whenever she has enough. Don't listen to the lies online about enjoying life while you can. You must save more. In today's world, having savings—20,000, 30,000, 100,000, or 200,000 yuan—gives you true peace of mind. Don't fall for the sweet talk that money is earned, not saved, that you should live like every day is your last or spend without worry. Those are illusions meant to trap you. Picture this. A family member suddenly falls sick, or an emergency hits, and you don't even have 10,000 yuan on hand. You beg for help, but everyone looks at you with pity or disdain. That helplessness, that humiliation, you'll never forget it. She explained that once saving becomes a habit, you won't panic when life throws challenges at you. Instead, you'll feel safer, more fulfilled, and more stable as time goes on. Both she and her husband grew up in rural villages. Through years of relentless effort, they managed to buy a house four years ago. Many ask how ordinary office workers can actually save money. They revealed three golden rules for saving. First, learn to control monthly spending. Before buying anything, always ask yourself, do I really need this or just want it? By doing this, they cut 35% of unnecessary expenses last year alone. Mastering your spending limits can save you tens of thousands more than others without even realizing it. Second, never overspend. They refuse to use credit cards, Huawei, or online loans. Spending in advance is simply borrowing from your future self, and debt always comes back to collect. Third, save before you spend. Every month, once their salaries come in, they immediately set aside a portion into savings and only spend what's left. Whatever remains at month's end goes straight into a savings account. Saving together as a couple not only grows their money, but makes the process more motivating and joyful. The husband admitted, I used to smoke a pack every three days, around 20 yuan a pack. We agreed I would cut down, which is good for my health, and put the saved money into our piggy bank. I also had income from side hustles. Meanwhile, she gave up milk tea and put her savings in too. A young couple, both born in 1998, managed to save for a house while keeping their monthly living expenses under just 800 yuan. We live in Zhejiang, earn 6,000 yuan a month, and here's how we make it work. First, she breaks each month into four weeks, keeping weekly food and groceries under 175 yuan, just 25 yuan a day. That's 700 yuan for four weeks, leaving 100 yuan for other needs. Second, since they live in a small county town, they mostly shop at local street vendors, far cheaper than supermarkets. For instance, she bought a big bunch of amaranth for just 3 yuan, enough to cook a large stir-fry. Third, her husband sometimes visits wholesale markets to buy staples like rice and oil. A 50 yuan bag of rice lasts them a month and a half, just 1.2 yuan a day. Most of the meat in their fridge comes from their hometown, costing them nothing. Their daily seasonings, oil, salt, vinegar, add up to less than 1 yuan per meal, saving them over 1,000 yuan a month compared to ordering takeout. Fourth, they almost never eat out. A restaurant bowl of noodles costs 15 yuan, but a bag of instant noodles at 8 yuan covers breakfast for a week. Fifth, the husband cooks dinner every night. A meal for two usually costs less than 10 yuan. For them, saving young means freedom when life gets tough. Let's fight for our future together, they said. One blogger added, don't think saving sounds cheap or boring. Take an example. If you're broke, riding an electric scooter feels embarrassing because you imagine people are judging you. But if you have money, even riding that same scooter gives you confidence. Saving doesn't mean being stingy. It means cutting unnecessary costs, not the important ones. Youth won't last forever, nor will your ability to earn. The joy of saving, even a little, is priceless. Another couple, both 40, felt immense financial pressure after buying their home. For two and a half years, we've saved every penny possible. We don't buy anything unless it's necessary. From meals to daily goods, we calculate everything, cook all three meals ourselves, and almost never touch drinks or milk tea. The blogger said, earning money is a skill, but saving money is true wisdom. Watching her bank balance grow brings more joy than any online shopping spree. Even college students living on 1,500 yuan a month can save. Just avoid these traps. Don't subscribe to multiple apps. Two memberships already cost 40 yuan. Don't order takeout. 20 yuan a meal adds up fast, while cafeterias are cheaper and healthier. Don't hoard skincare during big sales. Promotions only push you to overspend. Don't collect endless lipsticks or cheap clothes that wear out after two washes. Buy a few good quality basics instead. And avoid frequent manicures. 50 yuan for a plain color or 200 with nail tips can drain your savings. The blogger shared her own life in Foshan. We earn about 12,000 yuan, but we live frugally, so our savings grow little by little, hoping to buy a house soon. Look at these bean sprouts. Only 1 yuan for such a big bundle. Stir fry with tofu, onions, garlic, and chili, and it's both cheap and delicious. No matter how much we earn, we won't spend recklessly, because no one knows what comes first, tomorrow or an accident. For us, savings are the only real security. She stressed that this isn't about being stingy. It's about preparing for the future. In today's society, life is cruel and unpredictable. Sometimes, a wealthy villain gets saved in a hospital, while a poor good person may not. That's why everyone must understand the importance of saving and keep pushing forward. I'm saving 5,000 yuan for myself. Without this safe, I couldn't save anything. Even on a 3,000 yuan salary, it's possible to save. I withdraw cash and lock it away. If I leave it in my card, I'll just spend it. This pile has almost 20,000 yuan already, and my goal is 40,000 yuan by year's end. Do you want to try saving in a safe too? Another example comes from a 26-year-old named Xiaojiajie. On social media, she showed how she keeps monthly expenses under 300 yuan. In her viral video, she demonstrated spending less than 10 yuan a day on food, sparking heated discussion. Now, countless netizens are looking for saving buddies, a new trend where people form online communities to track each other's progress and share money-saving hacks.