Forget dine and dash — this former Wall Street trader dined to save cash.
Vivian Tu, known on TikTok as @YourRichBFF, first went viral in 2021 with a clip in which she bragged about she went on six dates a week to avoid paying for groceries.
“Between 2016-2018 I didn’t buy groceries once. Probably saved about $150 a week,” she captioned the post, in which she mouthed along to Lana Del Rey’s “Jealous Girl” while on the beach.
Now, in a new interview with Elite Daily, TikTok superstar Tu admitted to her 2.3 million followers that she “jokingly” made the controversial video and she “didn’t start going on dates just for food.” However, she really did notice an ease with her finances while looking for love.
Tu explained to the outlet that she really was on dating apps to find a connection when she first moved to New York City, but quickly realized, “‘Oh, I can go to a fun tapas restaurant for (probably) free, or I can spend my own money on food at the grocery store that I still need to cook. And it’s probably not going to taste as good.’”
“There’s obviously subconscious thinking that goes into it,” she admitted.
However, Tu also said, “In my opinion, deliberately going on dates for a free meal isn’t a great idea. I am very much in the camp that you’re dating to find love.”
She further explained that while she was making $95,000 a year, her living expenses were “very high.” Living in Hell’s Kitchen, Tu said it wan’t the easiest to find affordable groceries nearby.
“The market closest to my apartment was incredibly expensive, so I never felt comfortable shopping there. Instead, I would haul my butt on the subway 15 blocks to Trader Joe’s and grab all that I could carry,” Tu said.
“It wasn’t easy, and I really had to think strategically about what I was buying — usually their turkey corn dogs and supreme frozen pizza.”
But by going on dates, Tu realized she was saving about “$50 to $100 per week” which amounted to thousands in discretionary income while she spent on “things, like savings, investing, and a black Prada bag to replace my tattered Longchamp tote.”
But Tu’s practices continue to divide TikTok users. Some have crowned her a “girl boss” while others called it “borderline unethical.”
“Smarter not harder,” one supporter reasoned.
“Finesse the bag,” another cheered her on.
“Toxic femininity,” one hater declared.
“But if you were good with money you wouldn’t need those dates?” another stated.
“I was busy investing my money since I wasn’t spending it on food,” Tu shot back.
While she now knows that there are better money savings strategies, Tu doesn’t regret her dates — even the occasional cheapskates that asked to split the bill.
“Even if you do put your card down, it’s still a win: You get to say you went somewhere new, ate great food, and made a new connection – or, at least, practiced your small talk,” she reasoned to Elite Daily.