MANALI, July 5 — A corporate couple who moved from the city to this Himalayan hill town for remote work says they accidentally started saving more than Rs 30,000 every month.
Anjali and Naman, who document their life on Instagram under the handle @anjali.aur.naman, never set out to cut costs. They wanted a slower pace. They wanted to keep their corporate jobs, but experience what they call “slow travel” from a mountain home.
“We didn’t choose remote work to spend less; we chose it to live differently. The saving was just a bonus,” Anjali said in a now-viral video.
The human side of this story is what has resonated. For many families tethered to urban jobs, the idea of relocating feels like a fantasy. This couple proved it doesn’t have to be.
Their biggest savings came from housing. Rent dropped from Rs 45,000 in the city to Rs 28,000 in Manali. That alone saved Rs 17,000 a month. Working remotely also killed daily commuting costs — another Rs 3,000 gone from the monthly budget.
Then there were the small things that added up. Office dinners, coffee runs, and snack breaks. Those routine urban habits shaved off roughly Rs 7,500 every month after the move.
Behind the breakthrough? A change in lifestyle they hadn’t fully anticipated. While living in the city, the couple regularly spent between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 each month on weekend getaways — just to escape the noise. In Manali, surrounded by mountains, they no longer felt the need to run away.
“We accidentally started saving over Rs 30,000 every month without even trying,” Anjali said.
The video has struck a chord online. It’s not just about the money. It’s about what this means for people who feel trapped between a paycheck and a pace of life they didn’t choose.
For this couple, the numbers tell one story. The choice to live differently tells another. And for those watching from cubicles and city apartments, the question lingers: what would you trade for a quieter life?
