It’s no surprise that a high-quality lifestyle in Vancouver — which consistently ranks among the most expensive cities in the world — often comes with a hefty price tag.

And with rate hikes on utilities, ferries, and other items beginning this week, it doesn’t seem like things will ease up soon.

But that doesn’t have to be the case, says one 20-something couple whose “life hack” approach to Vancouver has allowed them to live in trendy Gastown, vacation twice a year, spend less than $250 per month on groceries, and will help them enjoy early retirement sometime in their late 30s.

“To learn that you can live this amazing life, do all this stuff you want to do, to travel — but then to also retire in your 30s? It was life-changing,” said Stephanie Williams of the life she and boyfriend Celestian Rince have built.

Williams, 27, and Rince, 25, have been together for nearly five years and during that time they’ve been able enjoy everything they love, while still saving toward their goal of retiring on passive income (regular income that requires little maintainence, such as investments) by their late 30s.

It’s a lofty goal — especially in Vancouver — but Williams and Rince have optimized their spending and stretched every dollar.

“It applies to everything we do. It’s about lifestyle design,” explained Williams. “It is tricky getting the systems in place, but once it is, it’s easy to get going.”

Both Williams and Rince work and their combined income is about $54,000 a year.

They’ve agreed that home ownership and becoming parents don’t interest them, things that help shape their spending habits.

Williams and Rince both work downtown, and have chosen to live in a $732-per-month one-bedroom apartment in a Gastown housing co-op that allows them to rely on walking and cycling, instead of spending money on transit.

The couple don’t have cable, but do pay about $30 a month for Internet through a local company. Neither of them want smartphones, instead going with basic talk-and-text plans on what Williams jokes are “the dumbest phones on the market.”

Williams and Rince do their banking at institutions that don’t charge unnecessary fees, and are smart about using rewards credit cards and keeping their debt minimal.

The couple have also cut back almost entirely on eating at restaurants. Neither of them has ever made coffee a habit, and very rarely partake in alcoholic beverages.

They shop for groceries at several different markets, going to tried and true places where they know they can get the cheapest price for a specific item — and their monthly grocery budget totals about $230.

“People think, ‘Well, you must be eating nothing but rice and beans and ramen all day.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Rince said with a chuckle, citing the importance of meal planning.

To put their money where their mouths are, they tracked every cent that was spent in March. The result was a detailed breakdown of what meals they enjoyed, including dishes such as tofu-puff stir fry, curried chickpea pita wraps, shepherd’s pie, lasagna, calzones, and much more.