Japanese man lives frugally for decades to save ₹4 crore, regrets it in retirement: ‘Only money left’

A Japanese man who spent decades shunning luxuries to save money has come to regret his frugal lifestyle after the death of his wife.

A Japanese man who spent decades shunning luxuries to save money has come to regret his frugal lifestyle after the death of his wife. The story of the 67-year-old man, known by the alias Suzuki, was reported by the asset management news outlet The Gold Online and later by the South China Morning Post.

The Japanese man spent decades living frugally to save money (Representational image)

How the Japanese man saved money

For years, Suzuki lived a life of extreme frugality to save money wherever he could. The Japanese man was born in humble circumstances and started working when he was just in secondary school. He worked part-time in restaurants to earn money.

After getting a full-time job, Suzuki found a cheap apartment even though it was far away from his office. He used public transport or a bike to commute and never bought a car.

To save money, he cooked food himself and never ate out at a restaurant. His lunchbox for office typically contained chicken and bean sprouts.

In fact, he never even used an air conditioner at home to prevent the electricity bill from shooting up.

Suzuki’s family life

Eventually, Suzuki married a colleague who was aware of his personality. The Japanese man said he was not as good at saving money after their child was born.

However, the family continued to live frugally. Their outings mainly consisted of going to the park. If they ever needed to go anywhere else, Suzuki looked up the cheapest way to get there. He never bought a car or a house.

Savings from a life of frugality

Thanks to decades of living on bare necessities, Suzuki built savings of 35 million yen (about $240,000).

At the age of 60, he withdrew part of his pension to invest, and his total assets are now estimated at 65 million yen (around $440,000 or ₹4 crore).

“This money is a guarantee for emergency situations and my later life,” Suzuki was quoted as saying.

Suzuki’s regret

However, not long after he retired, Suzuki’s wife was diagnosed with a serious disease and died at the age of 66. Now, in his retirement, he wishes he could have given his wife some more luxuries.

“I wish my wife and I could have relished travelling more and eating in restaurants,” said Suzuki. “But time cannot be turned back. What is the meaning of life with only money left?” he said.