Saving isn’t only a function of income; it’s a function of expectations. If your lifestyle grows to meet every dollar you make, no salary will ever feel like enough.
Saving is also psychological. It requires the ability to separate “what I can afford” from “what I should buy.” It requires tolerating mild dissatisfaction now for the sake of future options. That’s a trade most people say they want—until the moment arrives and the purchase is right there.
The deeper reason to save is not to optimize returns. It’s to reduce fragility. A saver doesn’t need every month to be perfect. A saver can endure mistakes, pauses, illness, layoffs, bad timing, and personal reinvention.
Saving money is the act of buying yourself time before you know what you’ll need time for. That sounds vague until life proves how often you need it.