OUR STORIES
Awkward, tricky… talking about money isn’t every woman’s favourite thing to do. But by sharing we can learn. We realise that we are not alone. Maybe it’s a bit of advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself? Or just a bit of wisdom you’d like to pass on.
Interested in sharing your story to help encourage others to Get Financially Fit? Drop it into the form at the bottom of this page!
MISBAH, BUSINESS OWNER
I TOOK CONTROL OF MY BUSINESS FINANCES – NOW I’M URGING MY DAUGHTER TO SAVE
In the past Misbah was someone who preferred spreading buttercream to pouring over spreadsheets, but recently things have changed. Inspired by her mum’s amazing cooking, the Sheffield-based mum...
TONI, LIVERPOOL
I STARTED TALKING HONESTLY ABOUT MONEY – NOW I’M EARNING MORE
Toni natters to people all day long about anything and everything – relationships, work, family, love… as a hairdresser, she says nothing is off limits. Except one topic: money. “People don’t really like to talk about money,” she says...
HUSNARA, SHEFFIELD
I’M LOOKING AT THE BEST WAYS TO INVEST MY OWN MONEY LONG TERM
Husnara, or Hus, as she’s known to friends, has always been good with money. When she first chatted to Kate Thornton in 2020, she told us that she’s been budgeting and saving from an early age and had bought her own...
RACHEL, LIVERPOOL
I’M FINANCIALLY FITTER – CREATING MONEY GOALS FOR MYSELF
Rachel says she wanted to be a hairdresser from a young age. She knew it was a career that was never going to make her rich, but she also knew it was a job that would make her happy. But parenthood and adult responsibilities have made her realise that while money isn't...
KATH, PROGRAM DIRECTOR
GETTING INTO DEBT AND LEARNING HOW TO GET OUT OF IT TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT HOW MONEY CAN WORK FOR YOU – AND AGAINST YOU
As a 50-year old with teenagers, I’ve been thinking about how I talk about money and how I want my daughters to feel about money as they grow older and become independent...
KAY, COPYWRITER
I DON’T WANT TO DIE AND LEAVE A FINANCIAL MESS FOR MY KIDS TO SORT OUT, LIKE MY MUM DID
Growing up my sisters and I were taught not to live beyond our means. Credit was not a thing in our house: if you didn’t have the money, you went without. But budgeting was simpler in those days: my dad was...
ALISON, DIRECTOR
CREATING A SAFETY NET GIVES ME THE FREEDOM TO ENJOY LIFE
One thing I’ve learned over my life, is that everyone has a very personal relationship with money. Maybe that’s an odd thing to say, the idea of having a relationship with something so functional...
MARTHA, RESEARCH MANAGER
IF WE WANT OUR FUTURE TO BE IN OUR HANDS, WE’VE GOT TO KNOW
HOW AND WHEN TO GRAB IT
I am a planner and always have been. Planning helps me feel in control, and feeling like my own success is in my hands, gives me comfort. When I became aware of the financial inequality that exists, and in particular...
NILZA, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
BY MAKING SMALL CHOICES AND TAKING LITTLE STEPS, I KNOW THAT I’M HEADING TOWARDS A MORE FINANCIALLY FIT NILZA IN THE FUTURE.
Being raised by a single mother as the eldest daughter of a conservative Catholic family, I learnt very early on about the importance of saving money, being frugal and avoiding any unnecessary spending...
CHIARA, CITIZENS ADVISER
16 YEAR OLD ME LEARNT QUICKLY THAT YOU NEED NOT BE FRIGHTENED OF CHANGE. WHAT SHE DIDN'T REALISE WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FINANCIAL SECURE
Life can begin again at any age you want it to. I’ve reinvented myself a number of times – law student, commercial banker, investment banker, primary school teacher, school librarian, GCSE English tutor, money adviser...
