Florida influencer promotes saving over spending on social media

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

As social media pushes constant buying, Gulf Coast influencer Lydia Cantin is encouraging people to spend less, save more, and think long-term.

Lydia Cantin, a 24-year-old FGCU graduate, loves all things numbers.

"I just love the world of finance and business, so I finally started social media to talk about it," Cantin said.

What began as a passion project quickly turned into a viral TikTok page.

"Money Moves with Lydia" has more than 75,000 followers, with some of the most viral videos centering around a growing trend known as under-consumption. The concept is simple: buy less, save more.

"I think that's really refreshing and a change for someone to be talking about social media, how they're actually, like, not buying more things, they're buying less of things," Cantin said.

After overspending during the holidays, Cantin challenged herself to a "no-buy quarter," cutting out food delivery, new clothes, and impulse online purchases.

The challenge also revealed something deeper: how emotions can drive spending.

"When I'm stressed about things, I definitely notice that I get a dopamine rush when I like spending money," Cantin said. "I used to be addicted to spending money, and now I totally shifted my mindset and to be addicted to saving money."

Cantin hopes this mindset will help her achieve her biggest financial goal — homeownership.

FGCU psychology professor Todd McElroy said rewarding behaviors like saving bring a sense of fulfillment, but too much can be harmful.

"If you're saving 50% of your income, unless you're making a very high income, you're not going to be able to socialize," McElroy said.

FGCU finance professor Ron Mushock said the risk is worth the reward.

"I still say shoot for the 20%, and then you have to make some sacrifices, right?" Mushock said.

He said saving early is essential in building compound interest.

"What compound interest is, is the interest on interest on interest," Mushock said. "You take a typical student that graduates from FGCU with a degree in finance. They could make, you know, $75,000 a year, and if they were to able to save 20% of that in there for 401(k) program, that could accrue to a nest egg of $8 million by the time they retire at age 65."

Through brand partnerships and millions of views, Cantin said the most rewarding part is hearing how her content helps people take control of their finances.

"I've been loving it ever since, and I've really seen the impact of people, whether it is their first $1,000 or investing their first $100," Cantin said.

She advises that you don’t need to make drastic cuts to see real change — just start small, track your spending, and stay consistent. Cantin believes those small shifts can add up, turning smart choices today into long-term security tomorrow.

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