When The Penny Drops

Ignore my mistake in saying brought instead of bought pls🫣 I’m not ashamed to admit that I haven’t always got ‘being frugal’ right❌ I’ve definitely crossed over into cheaping out and paying the price in other ways🥲
1. Buying things just because they were cheap💄 - I used to get so tempted by a good bargain that I’d forget the purpose of why I needed something. For example, buying a shimmer powder instead of a setting powder left me with no option but to go powderless for longer and eventually buy a dupe because I’d wasted money on the wrong product!
2. Buying Advanced Singles for the most random time 🚝 - I used to think that waiting a bit longer to save money made sense, but in hindsight I probably spent all the money I saved and more waiting around and buying coffee or lunch to hang around!
3. Buying the cheapest option without understanding why it was so cheap✈️ - when I flew Wizz Air, I felt sick paying £65 for a bag I’d already paid for🤢 whilst I know it was deliberately unclear from the airline, it was my responsibility to check properly and a lesson learned for sure

I have a fair few more but this is a good reminder that normal for other people may not be required for you 🤷‍♀️

1. A chemical peel/microneedling - I have quite a lot of acne scarring but I’m comfortable with using makeup to cover this 💄 Settling my skin to the point where I’m not constantly getting breakouts has been a journey so I’m taking clear skin as a win and avoiding the risk on disruption to my skin barrier before my big day!
2. A hen do abroad 🪩 - I’m having a 1 day hen in England and I’m absolutely buzzing for it! I’m fortunate to be having a summer wedding so the weather should be good and I get to celebrate with each of my favourite people 🏆
3. Professional laser hair removal - my sister has been lending me her Phillips Lumea and the results are really impressive! So I don’t need to go to a salon to get the treatment done - at home is effective and convenient enough for me 💜
4. Regular manicures - I do a lot with my hands so getting regular nails is usually a bit inconvenient for me. My last set was for my engagement and my next one will be the wedding or the hen 💅 this works for me and actually makes it more something I look forward to
5. Hair extensions - I’ve been growing my hair for a year now and the progress has been good! 👱‍♀️ so I’m not getting any extensions, just using my natural hair for the wedding

Number 3 never would have been something I thought mattered long-term but in the end it mattered so much🙌🏽

Finance makes things sound more complicated that they really are🙄 It’s part of why the smartest ways to grow wealth have felt behind smoke and mirrors - but this simple tip has helped me to understand and simplify things to make them memorable🧠 Let me know if anything has helped you to do the same!

A potential £66 annual saving, has anyone made the switch?💳

As a 20 year old, Moneybox gave me something that a cheaper platform couldn’t ↔️🏆
I’m on Trading 212 now. But Moneybox is the reason I actually became an investor🤷‍♀️
1. Moneybox had a UI that made my money make sense🔢
I could see exactly what was mine, what were gains, and what I was losing to fees in real time.
2. Moneybox simplified investment choices so I could actually act✨
Cautious, Balanced or Adventurous. That’s it. I knew I had time on my side so I picked adventurous and got on with it.
3. Habits + education built in 🎓
It defaulted me into a direct debit so I was dollar cost averaging before I even knew what that meant. And I learned time-weighted returns and how to save my deposit in a clever way.
Yes, the fees were 0.45%. Not the cheapest. But Moneybox set me up so well that 4 years later I transferred 70% to with confidence. The other 30% in actively managed funds? I had to sell as they don’t transfer. So keep that in mind before you go all in on managed funds 👀

If you’re an aspiring investor who keeps saying “I don’t know where to start”, stop looking for the cheapest platform and find the one that’ll actually get you moving🤍

3 more beauty branded to unbranded swaps which have officially converted me↔️🏆
1. La Vida Caribeña body moisturiser🧴 I do love my Sol de Janeiro I got gifted for my birthday and would’ve considered buying it again. Until I realised the dupe contains the same gurana extract and performs identically, in fact I actually prefer the yoghurty finish over the chemical note of the original! It hydrates beautifully and costs £2 from Savers instead of £48
2. Home Bargains scrunchies✨ - anyone who cares about their hair knows good scrunchies are essential! But they’ve become increasingly expensive so I’ve tried loads of own brands and found them to be as good as the originals! I particularly love Home Bargains as their scrunchies feel silky, grip perfectly, and last just as long. I haven’t bought Kitsch since discovering these ones (and at £1.99 for 6, I take as many my hands can hold until the till😂)
3. Revamp air styler💇🏽‍♀️ - Honestly, no one tells you that airstyler curl hold depends on your hair type, not just the tool. The Revamp however is amazing, it performs every bit as well ell as the Dyson and actually has a twist function Dyson doesn’t, plus more versatile attachments—so I’m happily saving £279 now💪🏽
What branded to unbranded beauty swaps have you made, which have impressed you?💕

3 more beauty branded to unbranded swaps which have officially converted me↔️🏆
1. La Vida Caribeña body moisturiser🧴 I do love my Sol de Janeiro I got gifted for my birthday and would’ve considered buying it again. Until I realised the dupe contains the same gurana extract and performs identically, in fact I actually prefer the yoghurty finish over the chemical note of the original! It hydrates beautifully and costs £2 from Savers instead of £48.
2. Home Bargains scrunchies✨ - anyone who cares about their hair knows good scrunchies are essential! But they’ve become increasingly expensive so I’ve tried loads of own brands and found them to be as good as the originals! I particularly love Home Bargains as their scrunchies feel silky, grip perfectly, and last just as long. I haven’t bought Kitsch since discovering these ones (and at £1.99 for 6, I take as many my hands can hold until the till😂)
3. Revamp air styler💇🏽‍♀️ - Honestly, no one tells you that airstyler curl hold depends on your hair type, not just the tool. The Revamp however is amazing, it performs every bit as well ell as the Dyson and actually has a twist function Dyson doesn’t, plus more versatile attachments—so I’m happily saving £279 now💪🏽
What branded to unbranded beauty swaps have you made, which have impressed you?💕

5 ways to actually stop spending so much money 💸 We’re all guilty of giving into temptation, but these tips really help me!
1️⃣ Leave the house with a snack or a drink. It removes the first temptation and if you end up out for dinner anyway, it tides you over until then.
2️⃣ Remove Apple Pay from your phone. Or keep 1 card with an emergency £20-£50 on it. The extra friction is genuinely enough to make you pause and realise you don’t actually need it right now.
3️⃣ Refuse to buy a second of anything. Two mascaras on the go is a luxury you don’t need. Make it a rule and watch how quickly it sticks.
4️⃣ Spend more time off your phone. A walk, a series, a conversation - none of those are serving you ads or making you feel like you’re missing out.
5️⃣ Tell the people closest to you that you’re saving. They want to spend time with you. If they know, they’ll suggest alternatives that still work you don’t have to choose between your friendships and your goals

3 tax code mistakes which could be costing you every month 💸🧾
And reminder, your tax code is YOUR responsibility. Not your employer’s. So make sure it’s right!
1. Emergency tax code 🚨 if your code ends in M1, W1 or X, you’re on an emergency code. This usually happens after a job change. It means you could be paying way more tax than you should be
2. Unpaid savings interest tax 💰 if you earn interest outside of a Cash ISA and you’ve exceeded your Personal Savings Allowance, HMRC can see it (yes, really). They’ll quietly reduce your tax code from 1257L to recoup the tax without making it obvious
3. Taxable benefits tax 🏥do you have a company car? Private medical? These are taxable and your employer submits a P11D listing your benefits. But if there’s an error on it, you could be paying tax on benefits you’re not even receiving so it’s worth checking for accuracy!

Have you ever checked your tax code?