Building retirement savings between emergencies
At 28, Carla is saving aggressively for retirement while navigating a life where one unexpected expense can erase months of progress. Her story shows how discipline and planning still aren’t enough…
A carefully lived life
Carla is 28, newly married, and living in an apartment in Florida with her husband, Caleb, and their two cats. She works remotely as a quality expert for a tech company, logging full-time hours from home. On paper, it looks stable. In reality, it’s a life balanced carefully on planning, discipline, and the knowledge that one unexpected expense can undo months of progress.
When Carla thinks about retirement, she doesn’t imagine luxury. She imagines relief. “I can’t wait to retire,” she said, then paused. “But with the way things are going, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be working until I drop dead.” The joke lands because it’s close to the truth — and because Carla is doing everything she can to make sure it doesn’t become one.
She didn’t always think this way. At 20, during her first job in law school, retirement wasn’t even a consideration. “Not at all,” she said. But as she’s gotten older, the rising cost of living has forced her to think further ahead. “Every year, things get more expensive,” Carla explained. “Last year was expensive, and this year it’s even more expensive than last year. My salary can’t keep up.”
Savings come first
To ensure continued progress on her long-term savings goals, Carla saves consistently and intentionally. “I put 20% of our monthly income into savings,” she said. “There’s no debating that or changing it up.” That rule comes first — before groceries, before extras, before ease. Some weeks, it means Carla and Caleb sit down and figure out the best way to stretch what they have. “I’m like, ‘We only have $50 for the rest of the week. We have to stretch that out somehow,’” she said. Not because they forgot to budget, but because they already paid themselves first.
Carla tracks every dollar in detailed Excel spreadsheets, watching the savings grow slowly and carefully. But just as often, she’s watched it disappear.
After their wedding, Carla and Caleb focused on paying off resulting credit card debt. They lived frugally for months, finally paying it off and celebrating the rare feeling of being debt-free. Then they had to start over. A few paychecks later, they’d rebuilt their savings to about $700—just in time for the car trouble.
“One day, I tried to drive and the car wouldn’t move,” Carla said. “The tire exploded.” At the tire shop, they were told they needed two new tires. “Each one was $300,” she said. “Plus tax. And there goes our savings.”
They made a conscious decision to pay in cash rather than return to high-interest credit cards. It was the right financial choice, but an emotionally frustrating one. “You’d think savings is for fun things, like trips,” Carla said. “Not something you need, like tires.” Many SaverLife members acknowledge the challenges that come with owning a car. We found that 54% of SaverLife members experienced a large expense from a major vehicle repair or replacement that year.*
Those moments are why Carla plans the way she does. In her early twenties, she learned how quickly debt can pile up when credit feels easy and life doesn’t go as planned. Now, she’s determined not to repeat that cycle—even when it means sacrifice.
Retirement, for Carla, isn’t about stopping work altogether. It’s about having time back. Time to cook real meals. Time to take care of her health. Time to rest without worrying about falling behind. It’s also about security — because she’s helping support her dad, who is nearing retirement age himself and struggling under the weight of rising costs. “It’s not like he’s spending money on luxuries,” she said. “It’s just basic necessities.”
Some days, Carla looks at her savings and feels proud. Other days, she wonders if it would be enough if she lost her job. “What if it took me six months to find another one?” she asked. “Do I really have six months’ worth of expenses? It feels like I don’t.”
Still, she keeps saving. She keeps planning. She keeps choosing the long view in a world that keeps demanding the short term. Carla knows retirement isn’t guaranteed—but every dollar she sets aside is her way of insisting on a future that isn’t defined by emergencies alone.
*(Survey data were collected online by SaverLife from over 1,400 of its member panelists in June 2025. Member panelists are SaverLife members who have agreed to participate in SaverLife research and were provided a financial incentive to participate in our research and storytelling efforts.)