A 28-year-old British woman claims she has banked nearly $60,000 — thanks to five clever tricks.
Matilda Littler has been financially savvy since she was a teenager, saving money from her minimum-wage jobs as a cafe dishwasher and a store assistant.
“When I was 16, I started making jewelry as a side business and sold this on Etsy, at vintage and Christmas markets, and sold in local shops in my area,” she told Jam Press.
“I put a lot of the profit from this into savings, and I was lucky that during this time I was living at home, and then at 18, I moved out of my parent’s home permanently.”
Littler said she had about $6,000 in savings when she started college, where she lived off her student financial package and worked at a tanning salon.
“When I graduated university, I really wanted to save for the future, like buying a house, as it seemed so out of reach, so I wanted to kickstart my savings journey,” she shared, noting she was earning an entry-level salary at 23 and saving nearly $1,000 a month.
“I started tracking my spending even more and updating my budget each month to see where I could cut costs,” she continued.
The project manager says that by the age of 26 she had saved nearly $50,000 and now, two years on, is about to hit the $60,000 mark.
Littler, who shares financial advice with her 12,000 Instagram followers, is revealing her tips to maximize savings.
Set an allowance
“I gave myself an allowance for spending after bills and, as my salary grew, I tried to keep my allowance the same — allowing for inflation,” Littler reasoned.
“It meant I didn’t become accustomed to another lifestyle, so that allowance still felt comfortable.”
Ignore trends and fads
“I don’t buy the latest tech,” Littler said.
“I have a Ford Fiesta from 2007, I purchased my iPhone outright and a lower model, so I’m not paying a contract, and this has saved me a lot of money.”
Get a side hustle
Littler’s side hustles have included testing websites and apps, participating in interviews, taking surveys, and selling her project management skills on the freelance services platform Fiverr.
Littler said she recently earned $60 from a 45-minute interview on her lunch break, emphasizing that those little efforts “add up.”
“First, do all you can with the money you have — create a budget, save where you can, and cut where you can as well,” she added.
“Once you’ve done this and you feel you’re saving as much as you can, look to increase your income whether it’s a new job or side hustles.”
Hunt for deals
Littler recommends scouting for deals before making purchases.
“Look for deals and do things cheaper — whether that’s activities, getting cash back on booking that holiday, or shopping non-branded food,” she advised.
Choose a bank wisely
Littler suggests shopping around for a bank to store savings. She said she opened a savings account four years ago and started investing in stocks in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
She claims she was able to save about $25,000 during lockdown, when she had a side business selling portable kanban boards, a project management tool.
She launched this venture with friends via Kickstarter, boasting sales of about $15,000 the first month.
“In a time like today, make sure your savings are sitting in a high-interest savings account,” she explained.
“Also, look at ways to utilize your money from [individual savings account] allowances and investing if you are wanting to save that money long term.”
