<prompt> Human: Hey there,Im 27 and live in New York City. I graduated with a degree in Computer Science in late 2014 and have been working as a Software Engineer in NYC since April 2015.My salaries have been as follows:-2015: 70k year-2016: 75k year-2017: 84k year left job in June - 140k yearwhich I think is a pretty decent salary for my ageexperience, however I feel like Im not saving as much as I cancould be, but Im living fairly cheaply given the HCOL area. I need very close proximity to my employer because Im frequently on call and so this has me living in the city proper also if I lived outside the city I would need to invest in either a vehicle or recurring monthly commuter trainbus passes in addition to my subway metrocard.My savings are:- 27k in savings account emergency fund general savings- 13k in IRA rolled over from old 401k- 14k in 401k no employer matching unfortunatelytotal savings: 54kRecurring monthly expenses are as follows:- rent: 1830mo for a shitty 1-bedroom apartment- cell phone: 65mo- internet: 125mo- student loans: 650mo- metrocard: 89mo- groceries for 2 a cat: 400mo- lunch at work 15day, 300moburn rate: 3460moAfter taxessaving accounts, my take home this year is 6,500mo. Of course prior to 2018 it was considerably less than that.My problem is ... I feel like my overall savings should be much higher than it is -- seeing people on here much younger than me with 100k saved. Ive been making conscious effort to save but looking for where I can improve. I save a little over 50, which seems pretty good, so I dont get how people with smaller salaries and saving rates are so farther than me, haha.I could probably make and bring lunch to work, but my job is quite demanding usually out of the house at 7am and not home until 8 or 9pm and I usually dont have the energy to cook something fancy so lots of eating out for lunch at work. My girlfriend and I will make dinner about 23rds of nights and order out or go to a restaurant the other 13 -- this sounds like a lot and I suppose it is, but if you saw a NYC apartment kitchen youd understand that cooking much more than noodles in them is a frustrating experience and you have no storage for pots pans or any necessary equipment.Aside from the above, I rarely spend money.. We rarely go out to eat well order cheap chinese delivery or something. Never go to the bars, dont drink or smoke. I havent bought new clothes in over 2 years. Occasional splurge on a new video game or book but we live pretty simple.My girlfriend lost her job earlier this year so Ive been supporting the both of us, and just generally looking for tips on where I can improve and save away more. Aside from my IRA and 401k I exceed the income limit for a Roth sadly, any recommendations on saving vehicles? How can I get compounding interest to work for me?Thanks!  <response>: Compounding interest will come in time. One thing Ive always gone by is to pay yourself first, take whatever you want to save and set it aside ASAP, automatically if possible, then live on the rest. This means you need to decide how much you want to save though. As for saving more, dont nickel and dime yourself to death if youre not into it, I love going out to eat when I go to work and when factoring in the time to shop, prep, and do dishes, its almost more of a wash for someone working longer hours. Edit: also, its not worth comparing your savings to what other people have-youre doing great, and depending on your loans already seem to have more wealth than many in your age bracket. 