Another Monday, Another Money Moment. This week is the turn of themoneyblogger.co.uk. The Money Blogger is a UK based blog for young business minded entrepreneurs. If you do a Google search for Personal Finance content, you will see a lot of it comes from the US - which is great, as we are here for the conversation opening up. But practically, the financial systems in the UK and the US work differently. Thus, The Money Blogger was born with a mission to help educate people on the better ways to save and invest money, as well as inspire and motivate people to take action, but all from a specifically UK point of view. In our interview, we speak about getting out of debt and investing early to name a few topics. Enjoy!
1. What is the mission of The Money Blogger?
The money blogger’s mission is to educate and inform people of the benefits of personal finance, investing and being open about money. Also, on a personal level it’s for me to stay accountable and keep my own goals on track.
2. If you were to tell us about one high and one low of your financial journey so far, what would they be?
I’m sure I have a few, but one that I think was most impactful was just after I graduated University. I was used to getting big influxes of money (Student Loan) and also going into my Student Overdraft(£3,000 limit). When I graduated and got my first job, I got a Credit Card and wasn’t very good at looking after my money coming in. I got into more debt. My student loan debt is £52,000 which is more now with interest on it but I wasn’t worried about that because I only paid a small percentage through my wages. I was in credit card debt (about £5,000) and also overdraft (£3,000). This was probably my lowest I’ve been in my financial journey. On the flip side, I realised that this wasn’t sustainable and I needed a change. I tightened up all my outgoings and was very stringent with my purchases. Through this I managed to pay off all my debt and start saving some real money.
3. What’s your first money memory?
I remember getting a weekly allowance of £5 and I used to save it up and get ‘something big’. I suppose I always liked saving and having a goal.
4. What is one thing you would tell your younger self about money?
Invest savings as early as possible. Don’t let it sit in the Bank not accruing interest. Get the money in a Lifetime ISA or in a Broad Market Index Firm for long term investing.
5. Tell us your favourite personal finance tip
I wrote a blog detailing all my favourite personal finance tips, you can find it here.
6. If you could do a TED Talk on the one money topic you were passionate about, what would it be and why?
I’m passionate about lots of things but I think one of my best attributes is having a positive mindset. If I were to ever do a TED talk I’d probably base it around mindset and personal growth.
7. Could you give us a day in the life of your typical spending?
I’m pretty strict on myself when it comes to not eating out and prepping meals.
Typically I would prepare meals for the day at home and make my coffee at home and take with me to work in a keep cup. I learnt to do this when I was full time working in my first role after University, I added up all my outgoings and was amazed by the £5-15 a day that I was spending on eating lunch out.
I do a big shop most Sundays that gets most of my meals for the week but I also do a couple of shops throughout when I fancy something different for dinner or need something else.
I’m human so I do sometimes buy things when I’m out and about but most of the time I’m pretty disciplined. I do allow myself to go out and get coffee when I’m meeting friends. I drink alcohol on occasions as I know this also adds up very quickly.
Thank you to themoneyblogger.co.uk for another great interview, look out for another one soon!
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