“Are you lazy, stingy or poor?”
This is how Hillevi Arkel starts her clips on Instagram and Tiktok.
The 27-year-old entrepreneur, who found success on social media under the slogan “Food for 100 kronor,” is one of Sweden’s most influential financial professionals, according to the Media Academy’s latest power barometer. She takes first place in the “Woman” and “Save” categories and is one of the ten most powerful across platforms.
– It becomes kind of unreal. “Here I am little, making food for a hundred crowns in my kitchen, and suddenly I can reach as many as some of Sweden’s biggest companies,” she says.
Hillevi, who grew up in Helsingborg, currently lives on the Gold Coast in Australia. It is one of the stops on the world tour that has been the destination of their savings for many years.
– My goal was to show that the money saved can lead to something bigger. I shared my dream of traveling the world, which I was now able to achieve.
It all started in 2022. High inflation had paralyzed the country and rising food prices were on everyone’s lips. To make ends meet, Hillevi Arkel, who was studying civil engineering at the time, began posting recipes for dishes under a hundred crowns on Tiktok.
– I could save for myself and share it with my followers. It became an instant recognition factor, she says.
A viral clip in October of the same year got the ball rolling, and now she has been working exclusively with her social media since fall 2024.
Hillevi Arkel is the only one on the top list of the media academy, which puts so much focus on food. She shares everyday recipes on Instagram and Tiktok, and on her YouTube channel she challenges well-known food and financial profiles to cook for under a hundred crowns.
Still, food was never her main focus, she says.
– My fundamental interest has always been economics. I have a master’s degree in industrial economics and love finding solutions to save money. Even though the food is what you see and hear, for me it’s always the savings that matter most.
Facts.How to save money on food – the best tips from Hillevi Arkel
1. Check the special prices and discounted items at the supermarket, buy lots of what’s cheap and freeze it. Most things can be frozen – including foods like butter and milk.
2. Take inventory of your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry each week and plan your purchases accordingly. Then you can use what you have at home without anything going to waste.
3. Buy what’s in season.
A growing trend in Financial social media accounts are accounts that teach and sell courses, promising quick money and financial freedom. They promote a lifestyle characterized by luxury and flair – something that stands in sharp contrast to the everyday and savings-oriented content of Hillevi Arkel.
– Saving on groceries is so concrete and simple that everyone can understand it. Saving should be fun, creative and easy. Then we can save the most money.
She emphasizes that her goal has always been to inspire smarter choices – not to tell anyone how to live their life.
– There are many people on social media who want to control you and influence what you do, but I think it is very important to find your own will. My recipes may inspire you to get where you want to go, but I don’t care what that is.
Do you feel like you have power?
– I have the power to share my knowledge. How you receive it is up to the person watching the video. Do I want to save the recipe? Do I like what I see? But in the end, I think I make an impact in a way that makes a difference.
Read more:
From politicians to “good influencers” – they are the most powerful on social media
Social media posts can be taken into account when looking for a job – or so you should think
