It all started with a summer project when he was 12 and "super into the game Minecraft," Guo tells CNBC Make It.
He recently moved from Southern California to Bali, Indonesia, where he splits a villa with friends and spends his free time surfing.
The expense is well worth it for high-quality food, Guo says: "One of the best parts about Bali is how clean and healthy the food is.
"Most of my expenses go towards food, but if I do spend money, it's typically towards gifts for family or my girlfriend."
As far as what he doesn't spend on, "I absolutely refuse to spend money on things that depreciate in value," like luxury goods, Guo says.
Persons:
Steven Guo's, Guo, Steven Guo, Roth, frugally, China who's, We're
Organizations:
CNBC, University of California, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Transportation
Locations:
Southern California, Bali, Ruda Putra, Indonesia, Irvine, U.S, Philippines, UK, India, California, Canggu, Portugal, Australia, Hawaii, China, Canada