Hi! Can you introduce yourself?

Hello there! My name is Emilie, I'm from the South West of England and recently took a huge career change from West End & Touring Theatre to working in Local Government, taking a £26,000 pay cut, which really made me look at my financial health and mindset.

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What personality type did you get? Did you find the results to be accurate? ‍

The Optimizer - this was scarily accurate! I'm a calm, detail driven risk-taker!

What inspired you to start? For completely new readers, what is the “tl;dr” of your brand? What kind of content have you created, so the readers have an idea of what to expect!

I first started my personal finance account as a way to keep myself accountable while paying off my credit card debt, I then realised I was having a lot of questions about basic personal finance issues so shifted my presence to be focused on education, but in a somewhat fun way. Millennial Saves is aimed at millennial women wanting to learn about personal finance and better their money mindset.

What is your relationship with personal finance? - If applicable, how has that defined your current pursuits? What changes have you made that have helped? How has it changed over time?

I grew up poor, so the idea of having money has always been an aspiration for me and I ended up chasing a high paying career. After five years I realised that having money meant nothing if you couldn't hold it. I had a huge career change to allow myself room to breathe, going from a 50hr week to a 30hr week. £26,000pa seems like a lot of money to loose, but I now have more money in my bank than when I was in a high earning position.

Taking the jump pushed me to look at my money mindset, and now I'm focused on building wealth, not looking wealthy.

What are some things that worked for you for maintaining balance and managing your spending?

I like to plan my purchases, if theres something I need, I will save up for it, and if it's something I want, I'll leave it for a few days and if I still want it, I'll save up for this too. I use a sinking fund called 'Treat yo Self' which I try to keep at around £200 for these kinds of things so I never have to take emotional spends out of my monthly budget.

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What’s the worst money advice you’ve ever received?‍

Don't worry about pensions until you're older!

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What do you most enjoy spending on? Or any guilty pleasure you can share. 

I LOVE craft beer. My favourite brewery is Tiny Rebel based in Wales. If any local pub gets some in I will go and buy it. My partner and I have a weekend away booked to Cardiff just to go to their brewery!

How often do you check your finances?

Daily. I'm obsessed. I like to see every inward and outward payment come in to confirm it's happened on time. But I've always been like this, even when my accounts were in the minus!

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What’s your stack?

I currently bank with NatWest (Current Account, Savings, ISAs & Credit Card). I've had my account open since I was 13 and I'm a creature of habit. I know I could get better rates elsewhere but it feels like home. I do outsource some of my savings to higher interest accounts, for example I have my Lifetime ISA with Moneybox and my Stocks & Shares ISA with Trading212.

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For someone who is starting completely new to personal finance, how would they get started? What specific tips would you have for newbies?

Know that whatever your position is, it's okay. It will get better. You're at the start of a lifelong journey, you don't have to be perfect right away. Make mistakes. Learn from them.

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Follow Emilie on Instagram