Rs 20,000 salary, Rs 3,000 savings: Bengaluru CA walked 4 km daily instead of taking an auto

At 22, Meenal Goel was earning Rs 20,000 a month in her first job, but after paying rent, food and bills, just Rs 3,000 remained. Instead of spending Rs 60 on an auto ride each day, the Bengaluru-based CA chose to walk 4 km for three months. What began as a way to save money soon became something bigger. For Goel, those daily walks became a lesson in self-reliance, resilience and learning to do hard things.

Why Meenal Goel walked 4 km every day

Bengaluru CA Meenal Goel recently took to social media to share a personal story about money, independence and resilience. At 22, during her first job, Goel earned Rs 20,000 a month. Once rent, food and other bills were paid, she was left with only Rs 3,000 in savings. The obvious solution seemed simple. Take an auto.

People around her repeatedly told her to spend the Rs 60 fare because it was a relatively small amount. But Goel looked at the numbers differently. A Rs 60 daily fare for 26 working days came to Rs 1,560 a month. That amounted to 52% of her monthly savings. So, instead of taking an auto, she started walking.

Rs 60 a day became Rs 1,560 a month

Goel walked 4 km every day for three months to avoid the auto fare. She revealed that her parents did not know she was doing it. Had they found out, she believes they would have immediately sent her money. But Goel had made a promise to herself at 20: “No more depending on them.”

That decision gave the daily walk a deeper meaning. It was no longer simply about saving Rs 60.

‘I was building something bigger than savings’

Goel said people around her thought she was being unreasonable. They questioned why she was putting herself through the daily walk when her parents could afford to help her. But Goel saw the situation differently. She said every time she walked those 4 km, she was building something “bigger than savings”. For her, that something was self-reliance.

She also described the walks as a way of proving to herself that she could “do hard things”.