Housing costs: Rent is £300 each. We live in a flat owned by my partner’s parents and pay heavily subsidised rent. I’m grateful for this every day, they are very generous people.
Loan payments: About £2,000 on an interest-free credit card. I need to find out when the interest-free period ends and figure out whether to start making larger monthly payments (currently £18.42 a month) or whether to pay it off in full from savings.
Savings?: I have a fairly large amount in savings across two banks and three accounts due to inheritance. I also have £3,400 in a separate account for when I go on maternity leave for the SMP/unpaid portion. I’m hoping to have around £4,000-£5,000 when I do go on leave. I also have £346 in a Monzo pot for cat food and vet bills, £62.56 in a Monzo round up pot, £206.96 in a Plum account.
Pension? Yes, I have the standard salary sacrifice pension. I pay 10% (I will reduce this to the minimum when I go on mat leave) and my employer pays the minimum of 3%. Currently, there is £18,000 in it, which does worry me a bit.
Utilities: My half of everything is £50-£75 gas/electric, £22.52 water, £100.50 council tax, £10 internet, approx £6 on washing & dishwasher tablets, £9 contents insurance.
All other monthly payments: £51.32 phone, £180 therapy, £17.34 income protection, £3 Cats protection donation and £8 Shelter donation. Subscriptions: All these I pay for myself: £17.99 Netflix, £8.99 Prime, £4.99 Medium, £2.99 Apple storage, £19.99 Ancestry.com.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, I have an undergraduate degree in Fashion Design which helped me get my first job in and move to London. I did this in the country my family was living in at the time where university fees are completely free plus you get a small amount towards living costs from the government for studying (amazing, I know). It was quite a materials-heavy course, however, so I took out a small student loan of around £8,000 which I have paid off in full. About four years ago I decided I wanted a career switch to UX Design/Product Design and did a 10-month bootcamp to get my foot in the door and learn the basics. This cost around £5,000 and I paid for this with a personal loan which I’ve also paid off since.
