EXCLUSIVE Truth about how 'frugal' 24-year-old junior sales executive who wants to retire at 40 REALLY saved £95,000

Daily Mail​

18 hours ago

She is seen as a twenty-something graduate who by living frugally has saved £95,000 towards being able to retire by the age of 40.
Mia McGrath says she has saved her sizable nest egg by cutting back on life's luxuries like takeaways and boasts of eating pasta meals for as little as £1 a time while living at home with her parents.
But despite urging followers to cut back on luxury spending, Mia is also cultivating a parallel brand as a model and lifestyle influencer.
Mia, who is signed to both Memesis Models and W Model Management, runs a second Instagram account under her full name, showcasing a far glossier life - with shots from holidays in Paris, Barcelona and Corfu, nights out in Chelsea, and shopping sprees at Prada.
The junior sales executive is also facing claims she is in fact paid thousands of pounds by big brands like the BBC, American Express, British Airways and Marshmallow car insurance to promote them.
Quite how much she receives is unclear as Mia Rose McGrath - her username across multiple platforms - doesn't declare this publicly.
So adept is Mia at offering her services as a way for corporations to 'reach' young people that she even provides a breakdown of her influencer profile in the style of a media sales executive.
She details her audience reach by age (85% of those following her posts are aged 18-34, for example), by country and by audience numbers reached: an astonishing 3.1million at last count.
She even pitches direct to potential sponsors: 'I'm a 24-year-old London-based creator who has grown a TikTok account to over 125k followers, specialising in personal finance and investing content.
'While my niche focuses on finance, I've also worked on creating UGC [user generated content - ie her posts] for skincare and lifestyle brands, blending creativity with authenticity to connect with audiences.'
All this seems distinctly at odds with the tone of her main output to TikTok viewers, describing herself as a 'fashion girly' and 'your financially literate bestie'.
And her USP on social media comes from that professed financial literacy: she routinely lectures young people on how to achieve wealth young and offers tips on how to emulate her savings success.
And she provides links that go straight to online trading platforms to assist.
Of course influencers being paid to produce or promote content for commercial organisations is nothing new - and there's no suggestion that Mia is flouting any of the rules around this practice.
But when your whole personal brand is about being relatable on a financial level as you're just the same as other struggling 24 year olds, then perhaps there are issues with this.
Social media marketing expert Hannah O'Donoghue Hobbs told MailOnline: 'Mia should be more transparent about how much money she is getting from these affiliated brands.
'I know she does admit to having some privileges, due to her being an influencer, which means she's been able to find things more affordable. But I believe she needs to be more loud and proud about it.
'If you're going to make a living out of posting on Instagram, shout about - literally explains every perk you're getting so you are being super real with your followers and be as open as you can be as a creator.'
Mia has repeatedly spoken in videos about her plan to 'soft retire' in just 16-years time - when she turns 40 in 2041. By this, she apparently means that she will still do part time work or things she's 'passionate' about, but won't need to work full time to 'stay alive'.
She added: 'I'm not underestimating the work that goes into content creating, it can be an absolute graft and to build the TikTok following she has is no joke but her income stream from paid promos etc should be made clear.
'A lot of these brands look at the numbers, rather than the actual content, and jump on board. 'It's called 'vanity metrics', it will appease board members but they sometimes don't necessarily give too much thought into what these influencers are actually posting.'
WIth this underpinning goal, she tells how she has already accrued £80,000 in savings - and regularly shares insights on her frugal lifestyle which involves shunning treats like takeaways, daily coffees and croissants as well as boozy trips to the pub.
She has also says that a significant part of her accrued savings had come from saving money on rent by living at home with her parents.
On one of her TikTok videos she told how living at home for a year and a half after graduating from university helped her save ''50 to 70' percent of her income at the time- or £22,500.
Of course, to be able to do this, it helps if the family home is a £900,000 house in a pleasant corner of Lewisham, South East London.
For someone who lives her life so apparently openly online, Mia has been relatively guarded about her family but those parents are Danny McGrath, an actor and drama teacher, and mum Louise Balmain, who adopted her after she was born in China. She also has a sister, Emily.
Apart from saving money from avoiding rent she also rails against wasting income on fripperies like food treats and throwaway fashion.
'These are the things I just don't spend money as a financially responsible 24-year-old who wants to retire early,' she said in one TikTok video, which has racked up more than 500,000 views.
She then cites ordering food via her phone as a waste of money and says she doesn't even have the Deliveroo app on her phone: 'I won't get a takeaway if I can't be bothered to cook. If you can cook really good food, you just don't need to get a takeaway.'
In a similar vein, she also says she won't treat herself to a daily coffee or a pastry: ''I don't see the point of buying one every single day. They're four or five pounds sometimes. That really adds up,' she says.
She also appears to be unwilling to splash the cash on trinkets, referencing the viral 'labubu' trend - 'monster toys' that have grown popular on social media - and said she would never be caught buying one.
She also doesn't buy 'extra' make-up and skincare beyond the 'capsule' collection she sticks to.
She said: 'I couldn't tell you the last time I tried out a new product. I really just stick to the same routine of the same essential products and I just top up when they run out.'
And when it comes to nights out, again abstemiousness is the rule, she says: 'I'm just not a big drinker. If I'm out with friends, I'll probably just have one or two.'
Despite all this frugality, she is apparently now making enough money from her day job - her LinkedIn says she is a Junior Sales Account Manager for a fashion company - combined with what she calls her 'side hustles' that she can now contemplate spending £15,000 a year on rent.
Because Mia has recently moved in with boyfriend Archie Steves a few months ago to a two-bedroom flat in Clapham, South London.
She and Archie now pay £1250 each a month for the attractive property in London's Zone two.
She says despite this big new monthly outgoing, she can still invest £1,300 in shares every month and has a dividend stock portfolio- with links so that fans can emulate her in this.
She has also said she's hoping to increase her savings to £100,000 by the end of this year.
Her commercial interests will certainly help.