Sign in

Indian-American woman reveals 5 things she doesn’t spend her money on, despite $250,000 income

An Indian woman based in the United States has revealed the five things that she does not spend her money on as a “financially responsible adult” 

Updated on: Mar 31, 2026, 10:40:37 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

An Indian woman based in the United States has revealed the five things that she does not spend her money on as a “financially responsible adult” and a “working mother.Shivee Chauhan is a Senior Examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and a former Wall Street executive who posts on Instagram about life as an immigrant, motherhood and all things money.

Shivee Chauhan reveals 5 things that she does not spend her money on. (Instagram/@shiveechauhan)
Shivee Chauhan reveals 5 things that she does not spend her money on. (Instagram/@shiveechauhan)

In a recent video, she revealed that she and her husband earn a combined income of $250,000 ( 2.3 crore) every year. In spite of this, there are some things on which she refuses to splurge.

‘5 things I don’t spend money on’

These are the five things that I do not spend my money on as a financially responsible adult,” Chauhan said, before listing down the five things.

First, she said, she does not buy multiple luxury bags. “What are you putting in it? Where are you going with it? And what is so important that it requires a $3,000 bag?” she questioned.

The finance professional also had another issue with designer bags — they mostly live on a shelf and rarely see the light of day. (Also read: Indian employee earning $150k in US asks if 32 LPA offer in Bengaluru is worth returning home)

Second, she refuses to buy dupes. “Listen, if dupes work for you, that’s great,” she clarified. But for herself, she knows that if she buys a dupe, she will use it a couple of times before buying the original as well.

“So now I have spent money twice. Dupes don’t save me money. They are going to cost me more,” she explained.

Grooming and fashion

Shivee Chauhan further revealed that she does not spend money on hair removal services. Instead, she uses an epilator and has been doing so for the last 10 years.

As the fourth thing that she does not spend money on, she named fast fashion. “I have not bought a single item from Zara, H&M or Forever 21 in the last three years. And I genuinely don’t miss it. The quality is not there, the clothes don’t last even one wash,” she explained.

The final thing

Finally, Chauhan said she refuses to spend money on eating at average restaurants. Instead, she prefers to reserve eating out for special occasions.

“This one I feel strongly about. Going out for an incredible meal? Yes. Going out for a special occasion? Yes.

“But buying coffee every single day? And lunch that is just average? That is just no,” she declared.

Chauhan said that she prefers to eat at home where she can track her macros and knows exactly what is going into her food. Not buying coffee every day also ensures that she is generating less waste.

(Also read: Unable to afford rent, US couple moves to hotel, saves $12,000 annually: 'It isn’t luxurious, but it is worth it')

  • Sanya Jain
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Sanya Jain

    Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

Discover the latest Trending News, viral videos, social media stories and unusual events from India and around the world. Stay updated with the topics everyone is talking about.