She's On The Money - MONEY DIARIES: Managing Money With ADHD & Anxiety

Episode Date: November 5, 2023

This week's gorgeous money diarist grew up feeling anxious about money. After her mum was in a financial pickle, she handed down some not so great money habits. Throw in ADHD and impulsive purchases, this money diarist has been working hard to change her money story, and she will teach you a superannuation hack which may change how your retire. Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, my name is Natasha Nabanunga-Bamblett. I'm a proud Yorta Yorta, Kernai, Wolperi and Awadjeri woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on Awadjeri country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through. As this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow. Let's get into it. She's on the money.

She's on the money. Hello and welcome to She's On The Money, the podcast for millennials who want financial freedom. Welcome back to another one of our Money Diary episodes where I get the absolute privilege of sitting down and talking to one of our incredible She's On The Money community members all about their money story. Let's jump straight into it because I got a message this week and it sounded a lot like this. Hi team, I'm 22 and have ADHD. I have a lot of anxiety around money and I believe it's because of the way my mum spoke about money as she was unfortunately put in a financial pickle after she split from my dad. I would love to talk about how ADHD and how you grew

up around money affects you. I also worked in superannuation for nearly four years and recently quit due to my mental health to embark on a new journey, which has also affected me financially. Money Daris, welcome to the show. Hi. Oh my gosh. I am very excited to speak to someone who also has ADHD. I feel like we're basically going to have some very fun, similar anecdotes. But let's jump straight into the questions because I'm excited for this one. As always, at the start of every episode, I ask this question. So I'm dying to hear your answer. Money Doris, what grade would you give

your money habits if I asked you to give them a grade from A through to F? I did think a lot about this. I'm going to give myself about a C plus. A C plus. All right. We can talk about that one later. But now my favourite question. Manidharas, can you tell me a little bit more about your money story? Yes. So I was diagnosed with ADHD in December last year. So it hasn't even been 12 months yet. My whole life is making so much more sense now. But when I was nine, my parents split up. So as part of that, my mum purchased my dad out of our house. Queen behaviour, get it mum Yep, my parents have two very, very different outlooks on money I guess you'd say

Mum has definitely been more conservative, trying to save where she can, she's still paying off the house Whereas dad is someone that just spends it willy-nilly and doesn't really save or anything like that So yeah, two complete polar opposites And I think, especially with interest rates and stuff rising at the moment, mum can be a bit stressed about the mortgage payments. For good reason. It is very stressful. Oh, yeah.

Especially when she's got me and my younger brother that live at home. So, like, we do help out where we can. But yeah, she sometimes will project that stress onto us, which, you know, completely understandable. she's just venting but it does sort of give me a bit of anxiety. Creates tension for sure. Yeah. For sure and then you probably end up in silly arguments over not what you're actually talking about. Yep. Relatable. Yeah that as I mentioned in my entry I've worked in superannuation for nearly four years so I quit in August and I was working full-time so I was working in the

contact centers across a few of the different superannuation funds. So I've got quite a lot of knowledge on superannuation. So I started there just before I turned 19. Oh, very cool. So yeah, got on it really early. Obviously, side note, I always promote the contact centers at superannuation funds because I'm like, guys, if you don't know about super, call the contact center because you're already paying the fees for it. It is free. How many people were calling you and being like, I don't really know much about super. Did you get to have these awesome conversations with people where they went away and went, oh my gosh, it makes so much more sense now? Yeah. So I started off on the phones because I started just before COVID hit. So it was really

interesting seeing the difference before and after COVID, especially with people withdrawing their 10,000 tax-free. Ah, yeah. You would have gone through so much of that. Yeah. And the investments dropping and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, it was really busy at that time. But yeah, I noticed like afterwards as well, people came to us with questions and had a better understanding of their super, which was really good. But it was also really good because I became a trainer and a coach and then I became a team leader within the contact center. So yeah, it was really nice. And I was training people that didn't know much about their super and then they could share what they had learned as well, which was really nice.

Oh, how cool. I love it. So tell me a bit more, obviously, you've just quit your role in a contact center for superannuation after four years. What do you currently do for work and how much money do you earn? So I'm currently a studio coordinator at a Pilates studio. Oh, very cool. Yeah. And I'm actually studying my certificate in Pilates. So I finished that in a couple of weeks. Oh, exciting. That is a very big pivot, isn't it? Yeah. So I'm currently earning about $30 an hour during the week. And then I get weekend rates, which is about 35 an hour. And I do between 20 to 25 hours a week. Like my pay will kind of fluctuate each fortnight, but it's definitely a big drop because when I was working full-time, I was on 75,000, including super, but we're making

it work. So what planning did you do before leaving? So obviously you left because of your mental health, as mentioned in your submission, which I think is so important. And I'm really proud of you for making that decision because it can be something that so many people just stick to irrespective of whether it's the best decision or not. So how did you make that decision and what kind of like budgeting or planning did you do for this move? Look, honestly, it wasn't the way that I would have liked it to have gone because I do my Pilates course one weekend a month. So the plan was originally just to be sort of doing that and then I would quit once I'd finished my course. and from about February to August I was working at the Pilates studio as well as working

that full-time job so I was working heaps yeah was pretty much just trying to put away any money that I could smart I also had a bunch of annual leave so I didn't take any unless I had to for uni like a uni exam or something and then yeah I pretty much just got my lump sum from that when I left, because when I did leave, it was sort of, I just had had enough and I just couldn't hold on anymore. So I gave it six weeks notice, which was more than what I had to. That's very kind of you. Yeah. Especially when you're like, I'm already overwhelmed, but I'm still trying to do the

right thing. Yeah, exactly. So I gave six weeks notice. And so I pretty much had six weeks to sort my stuff out. and I've pretty much used up all of the money that I did have but we're making it work. My partner, he's really good with his money so he's very generous and helps me out when I need it, which is really nice. That's very kind. Yeah, I'm very lucky.

I'm just so pervy. Like it's not she's on the money if I'm not grilling you about your financial circumstances, is it? I'm like, what's that mean? How does that work? It's like questions that I feel like I can only ask on the podcast. Oh, of course. Whereas like, you know, if you and I met in public, I'd be like, oh, you're a Pilates instructor.

That's nice. How much money do you earn? So inappropriate, Victoria. But what happens once you finish your training and you become like a fully qualified Pilates instructor? What does your annual salary look like then? So it kind of depends on how many classes you teach. So I'm not 100% sure of what the earning is at my studio. I have a rough idea. It's normally anywhere between like $45 and $55 per class. When I was looking it up, you can earn anywhere between like $45 and I think $110 per class. So yeah. And then obviously it depends on how many classes you're teaching. So I've already put my name down for a bunch of covers in December and January, which is really good because this year I'm not going away. So I'm just going to teach

a heap and save as much as I can. Yeah. Yeah. Smart. Yeah, so that's pretty much the goal. And then it'll just depend on how many classes I'm teaching. And how far forward are we thinking with this? Like, I feel like this is a career that I feel like I have a lot of friends who have gone into being Pilates instructors and they're like, I'm going to spend a few years just doing, you know, casual classes and then I want my own studio. Is this something that you've thought about or is this something you're like, Victoria,

you are getting way ahead of yourself here? No, I have thought about it. I was like, I feel like you sound very intelligent. I feel like you've got a game plan here. Thank you. Yeah. So I'm actually studying at uni to be a dietitian is the goal. Oh, how fun. Yes. I'm studying a Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in Nutrition and Exercise Science. And then I'll have to go on to do my Master's in Dietetics. Long-term goal is to open my own

business. So no one steals my idea. I'll keep it nice and short and sweet. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, don't tell me. I'm in though. Like I know you're based near me. So like let me know when it opens. And I'm also bringing back business Bible content for you. so we can like build your business together. We love it. Yeah. It's just going to be like a health center is pretty much the goal. Oh, fun. I love this. I was like, I feel like she's got bigger plans with this. Yeah. So hopefully part of it is that it'll have, you know, a gym and then a Pilates studio as part of it as well. I mean, I love it. I'm so excited for this. I'm so glad I asked. All right. Back to the structured questions, my friend. I want to know, what is your

big money goal? What are you currently working towards? Currently, it's just making sure that I can pay for what I need to pay for. But, you know, as I do start teaching more and all of that kind of stuff, I think it's just like having a savings slash an emergency fund. I did sort of have that and then I've had to use it, but that's what it's there for. So just rebuilding that back up. Now, how, I guess that leans into something, you know, you saying like, I'm just really trying to make sure that I can pay for what I need. And that makes a lot of sense at this point in time, because obviously there's a number of like, I guess, financial stresses going from earning $75,000 down to, you know, $30 for about 20 to 25 hours a week, which makes sense, right?

But as a fellow NeuroSpicy gal, I don't think historically when my salary has decreased, I've been, oh, okay, I'm just going to make sure that I can pay for what I can pay for. what I did was bury my head in the sand and pretend it wasn't a problem. And that's how I ended up in such significant financial debt. So what does that look like for you? Is there something where, you know, you mentioned that you were diagnosed in December last year. Is this medication driven? Is this therapy driven? Is this how you've always been? Because I'm like, that's not neurotypical behavior. Yeah, no. So I am on medication. Stunning. Same. Otherwise I wouldn't be a functioning member of society.

oh me too I would be laying in bed asleep all day yeah it's good isn't it it's avoidant yep but I think too I do work with a psychologist who also has ADHD so that's been really good but I think also I also do have anxiety so it's sort of like depends on the day like are we going to be ADHD today or are we going to be anxiety today and sometimes you're both and it's really fun because I also have diagnosed anxiety, depression and ADHD, which is just like a really big ball of fun and medications, but sometimes they like work against each other. So how do you track towards these big money goals when clearly there's, you know, a lot in the background working against you, if we could say it that way? So for me, I'm religiously checking my bank accounts

and my calendars, seeing what I've got coming up, what I need to pay for. And it's really just a ball of anxiety of me trying to sort it out so I don't get to an appointment. And I'm like, oops, sorry, you've already serviced me, but I can't afford it. So yeah, I do try where I can to plan ahead. And sometimes that does mean, you know, moving an appointment a couple of days till after my payday. Yeah. So my partner sometimes helps me out. So in that circumstance, I'll, you know just ask him for a little bit of a loan and then I'll pay him back when I get my next pay so to be honest I just yoloed it all the way to debt so hearing that I think I'm just like hold up hold up hold up you said you're a c-plus and now your c-plus is starting to fall apart here

so I'm just like okay we're probably gonna have a little bit of an argument at the end of this episode but that's okay we haven't got around to my impulse buying oh that's okay that's so fine but the fact that you're so measured in going, look, I actually just make sure at this point in time that I can pay for what I need to. And then the next step is an emergency fund. Like, girl, you've got your head screwed on. And I feel like that is a very good position to be in. Thank you. You mentioned impulse spending. I need to go to a break, but I really want to hear about that. So let's get the break over with and then we can jump straight in. Don't go anywhere, guys.

all right money diarist we are back and i want to ask you straight off the bat do you have any investments if so what are they so i do have my super i looked it up the other day and it's about 25.5 000 hey that's pretty good for your age you're only 22 yeah so i do make an effort to put $50 in every month I've been doing that since pretty much I started working yeah and you did that what just before you turned 19 yeah queen yeah you're gonna be like rich rich I love this well the goal is to just be that grandma that can just pay for everything and that's what I want to be too like I want to be rich nana yeah like 10 out of 10 yeah I try and put $50 in there a month. And that's above and beyond your compulsory super contribution? Yeah. So that's

on top of it. So that is a personal contribution. Love. And then I wasn't claiming the tax. I was about to say, are you keeping track of that for your accountant? I'm my own accountant. But you can be your own accountant when you do your tax returns. Yeah. So I don't do the claiming the personal contributions tax because I'm at the threshold where I can get the government co-contribution. Oh, you're smart, smart. And if I claim that section 290, I'm not eligible for the government co-contribution. Okay. So you're going to have to break that down because a few people listening are going to be like, Victoria, what is she talking about? Tell me a bit more about what happens with the government co-contribution and how that works

and why it cancels that tax only because I know you know. Yeah. So with the government co-contribution depending on your income if you voluntarily put in a thousand dollars you can get up to five hundred dollars back you don't necessarily have to put in a thousand dollars it's just they'll only match up to a thousand dollars you've got to be earning under a certain amount and then there's different brackets under that amount as to how much they'll co-contribute yeah so yeah you can't be claiming the tax back on that and then get the government co-contribution So, yeah, if you've been putting money in your super once you do your tax return, if you're eligible, they'll just automatically put it in your account. Money win.

And that's basically 50% back. And if you're on a normal, quote, marginal tax rate, that's 32.5%. That's an instant money win. Yeah. How good is that? I'm obsessed. You're teaching my community and they're going to go away and just be richer because of you. Money win.

We love that. I am obsessed, especially because obviously a lot of people in our community are like, V, I just don't have the funds to contribute more to superannuation. I feel like sometimes $50 can be really reasonable. Like it can be a really reasonable amount to contribute to super. You are actually having an impact and look, you can get some cash back as well. And I feel like people need to know this stuff because otherwise you don't have as much motivation to do it. exactly and look I've even just said to friends like even if you can just do five dollars which is you know less than a cup of coffee still gonna get two dollars fifty back exactly yeah if you can

just do that because it's also compounding interest so whatever interest it makes that gets reinvested and it just goes around in this big circle so obsessed obsessed all right next question is my friend do you have any debts if so what are they so I do have 3.1 thousand in personal loans through family. And then I do have my HECS debt, which is about 7.4 thousand at the moment. But I have already started to pay some of that off because I was earning over the threshold when I was working full time. Oh, very cool. So talk to me more about these 3.1 thousand dollars in personal loans. What were they for? How did you, I guess, accrue them and what's your plan for them? So pretty much my old laptop decided to just about catch on fire the day of my uni exam.

Oh no, it's always that way, isn't it? Yeah. And I do uni online, so I really needed my laptop. Yeah. And I didn't have the money sitting in my bank account for a new MacBook Air. Most of us don't, so that's very relatable. Yeah. So I got lent some money to go and buy a new one the same day as my exam and it was very stressful. And then there was just some other loans. I think I can't remember off the top of my head what it was for, but the plan is pretty much once I'm earning that bit more money is just to make monthly payments. Yeah. Nice. I like that. To be honest, when you said, oh, I have a personal loan, I was like, oh, okay. Is this where we're going

to start talking about your impulse spending, but that actually just sounds like an essential cost that you didn't really have any choice in. Yes. Let's talk about your impulse spending, my friend. That's not a structured question, but I want to know more about it. What does that look like for you and how now you've been diagnosed? Does that make a bit more sense? Yes. So I'm really bad, especially at Kmart. I would go to the shops for one thing I would walk around and buy lots of stuff you know that's Kmart strategy right like they're not silly they know how that works I know but I'd start why do you think they put the checkout in the middle of the store so you have to boil from one side of the

store for one thing to the other side and by the time you get back you have an arm full of stuff you wish you picked up a basket I know my problem is that mine's in a shopping center like my local one. So I'll start at Kmart. So is mine. It's a slippery slope. Yeah. I will just pick up things and I'm like, oh yeah, I totally need this. And I really don't. But you convince yourself you do. So it must be kind of valid. Yeah. Well, the amount of books I have that I haven't read. Oh yeah. You need to go on a book ban. I've put myself on a book ban and I'm not allowed any new books until I read at least five of the ones I already have. And like, that's not even me saying I need to read all the books I have. I told myself five and I still haven't done it.

Yeah, I've just started to try to like take photos of the ones I see now that I like. Yeah, put a folder on your phone and be like, you can have these later. I've got a folder of all the books I want. There's like over 200 books in there. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And you're not even going to read 200 books in a year. So like, I think that's a smart thing to just have a folder and be like, these are on my wish list.

Yeah. I sometimes have to go to Officeworks for work to print stuff. That's a dangerous game as well. What are you buying at Officeworks? All the pens and the highlighters and the sticky notes. Same. I feel like you're keeping West Farmers in business because the people who own Kmart also own Officeworks. And so like you're in a very committed relationship with them. Makes sense. I think for me, like a lot of it too, is I convince myself that it will help with my anxiety or my ADHD and then it just sits there and I don't use it.

Yeah. See, I used to do exactly the same thing. I'm like, do you know what? If I get a whole new pencil case I get some new highlighters I'm going to be so much more organized at uni because I'm going to be able to take the most elite notes and then I'd play on my phone the whole lecture so yeah exactly it so now I'm pretty much go when I don't have a lot of time to walk around I pretty much only have the time to go in get what I need and then leave smart I try not to go to the shopping center unless I really have to and if I do have to I will take my partner with me because he can control it yeah he's very much like if I find something I like and I'm like oh I really like this and he's like okay well are you actually going to use it and I'm like no but that's not the

point yeah so he knows me very well and he's like no it's like not that expensive like you know you'll probably use it a lot like it's fine you can buy it so yeah that's quite helpful I feel like this is where my tip of putting 24 hours between you and your spending really comes in And I feel like you're already halfway there with your folder for books and your wish list. It's like in the future, maybe we can take a whole heap of photos of all the other stuff that you want and go, you know what? I do really want this. I'll make a point of coming back tomorrow if I still want it.

And if you're anything like me, you forgot you took the photo and you've just forgotten the whole thing the next day. Yeah. I normally even try and leave maybe like two weeks in between. I have not that level of self-control. So that's impressive. It's either I'm buying it right then and there, or I'm sitting on it and thinking about it for ages. So yeah, but also my partner doesn't like going to the shops. He absolutely hates shopping.

So if I have to go and get something, he's someone that will just complain the whole time. Kind of helpful for getting out of the shops quickly though. Exactly. So that's why I take him with me. It's kind of like going shopping with a toddler. Like they just get sick of it after 10 minutes. Yep. So I get what I need and then we have to leave because otherwise he's complaining and I get annoyed. Just to like loop this back, your impulse spending hasn't contributed to your personal debt. It's obviously kind of probably stopping you from building up an emergency fund and being exactly where you want to be. But you seem incredibly self-aware of what is going on

and what that actually looks like. But you're also in a position where you've dropped down your income significantly. So talk to me about, I guess, the impact of your impulse spending. is it just frustrating is it something that's actually holding you back or is it something that you're like no this is like for me just like another mental load or what does that look like I think it's definitely more of a mental load but I think also at the moment because I actually don't really have the money to go and do shopping and do that impulse spending it hasn't been as bad as of late because for me it's like the things that I actually need to pay for you know if that's just my psychologist appointment or whatever to me that's more important than you know whatever

I'm about to pick up at the shop so I just keep in like trying to remind myself of that but yeah when I was working full-time it was a real issue and I would go to Kmart and I would spend like $300 in one go yeah then you're like where did this all go the week after because you forgot what you bought yeah I've been really bad recently with buying new like doona covers and sheets oh But if you have a good looking bed, do you like want to make it? That's the theory. Never works out. Have you ever been like, wow, I thought Victoria would help me and instead she's just enabling

me? Yeah. My bed is currently not made. Oh, mine is never made. Don't worry. Because we have this rule in our house that it's like last out has to make the bed. And so that in theory makes a lot of sense. But I'm always the last out.

I'm not making the bed. Are you joking? I love that. Absolutely not. So that's probably a reflection of who I am as a person. Next question, Money Diarist. I want to know, what's your best money habit? I would say putting that $50 each month into my super.

But also I do sort of try and look at my yearly expenses. I mean, the fortnightly and weekly ones are a bit different, but definitely there's like ones that come up every, you know, three to 12 months. So I can sort of try and put a portion away each pay so that when it comes up, it's not a massive bill. You are so calculated with this. I love it. This is not neuro spicy behavior. It's the anxiety in me. Yeah. Okay. All right. So they're kind of like working together. Cause so yeah, if it pops up, then I'm probably going to have a panic attack

cause I'm like, I don't know how I'm going to pay for this. Yeah, that's fair. The thing is that I will sit and plan it all out, but I'm not necessarily someone that then will follow through with it. Yeah, fair. So I make myself feel good by planning it out, but not so good is not following through. Totally understand that. All right. Next question. I feel like we know what you're going to say, but I'm going to ask anyway, what do you think is your worst money habit? Yeah. The impulse shopping. Yep. Fair. Saw that coming a mile off my friend. But yeah, as I said, like with the income at the moment, it's been a bit different, but yeah, when I was working full time, I would always just spend money and then I'd be like,

oh, just worry about it later. And then later would come and it would never end well. So. no but I feel like you've learned a lot like I feel like you are relatively self-reflective especially for the situation you're in like when you wrote in and said look I really want to talk about you know ADHD and what that means because obviously ADHD is really significant and does really impact your money story I fully was like okay cool she's gonna come and potentially have some personal debt obviously she's just quit her job and I made a lot of assumptions about the money story that I was diving into and I feel like you've really impressed me you're like no to know, like I'm really managing my impulse spending. I have this really good folder on my

phone that's meaning that I'm not impulse spending on books as much. Like I even try to put two weeks between my spending. Like I can't even do that, babe. Like that's impressive. You have some really clear money goals. Like you've already told me, look, I want to start my own business at some point. Do you think that you are potentially putting a lot of pressure on yourself when it comes to finances and what you're trying to achieve and in the timeframe, given your income? yeah I would say so you're like yeah yeah no and it comes back to as well you know the difference between mum and dad and their view on money and then how that's sort of come out in me but yeah I think I do put a lot of pressure on myself especially when all you're hearing all

the time is oh you know like you're not really going to be able to afford a house and all this stuff and it's like I'll make it work like I know I'll be able to you still get stressed about it and you still put all this pressure on yourself, especially being, you know, 22. I don't know when I'm going to be able to afford to buy a house. But you're also only 22. Like you're still a baby. You're still at uni. The fact that you've already basically had a whole career in superannuation and now you're running, you know, you're a studio coordinator. You're about to step into being a full-time Pilates instructor. I feel like you have so much ahead of yourself. And when I look at this situation, I go, you're putting so much pressure on yourself, even though you're killing

it at the moment. Like even the idea that your big money goal, when I asked about it, wasn't like, oh, I want to buy a house or I want to do this thing that kind of is a little bit unobtainable at this point. You were really realistic about that. You were like, actually, my big money goal at the moment is paying for what I need to pay for and making sure I've got the money and I really want to build an emergency fund. And I'm like, slay, that's exactly where you need to be. yeah I think for me it's just been such a difference earning so much for my age of course and then like moving into this but at the same time like my mental health has been so much better I was about to say how's your mental health it's a lot better because where I was working

like 55 hours a week plus uni plus my Pilates course plus trying to like see my friends and all this kind of stuff and it just wasn't obtainable at all and I was just consistently anxious so yeah I think I knew when I first started that job it wasn't a forever job for me yeah I had the Pilates job and I was like you know what I live at home still like now I just need to start taking care of myself and just focus on moving on and into what I actually want to do so yeah it's definitely been a lot better that makes me so happy like I'm so proud of you that you made those decisions but also you've just got this air of reflection about you that most 22 year olds don't have let's be honest like at 22 I was in a mountain of debt pretending it

didn't exist like partying until the sun came up like it was a lot at 22 and I just go wow like you have so much ahead of you the fact that you're already thinking about superannuation you have a really good super fund. You're making additional contributions. You're aware of what that means. You're like, you know, leveraging your government co-contribution, like everything just makes sense here. And I can just see such a bright financial future. It makes me so happy, even though I guess you overlay it with going, well, V, I'm still really stressed about it. I still struggle with ADHD. I'm still anxious. Like all of those things, they make sense, but I just feel like there's a lot of pressure you're putting on yourself, which is very ADHD of you. Yeah, I was going to say.

Like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to be the best of the best. But at the same time, I'm like, do you think that your friends look at you and go, wow, money diarist really has her stuff together? That's a really good question that I don't know if I can answer. No, we know they do. We know your friends are looking at you going, money diarist has got it together. They don't see this side of you, do they? They don't see you going, oh, my impulse spending's out of control and I'm really stressed about this that the other they're probably looking at you going holy moly she had this really cool job she's now stepped more into Pilates like she's following her dreams like if you were my friend I'd be like she's living her best life and I'm

envious of that yeah no one knows who you are so it's fine you can have a few tickets on yourself here no one's gonna be like oh my gosh I can't believe xyz said that because they don't know who you are I know I think that I do question myself a lot and I'm very lucky that like I can be so open with my partner. Yeah. That's what you need. And I mean, sometimes, you know, he's very lucky with his finances. He doesn't really have to pay for anything and he still lives at home with his parents and, you know, him and his investing is crazy. So you're going to be a rich couple. That's the goal. I love it. Yeah. But he's very good in reminding me and like bringing me back down, you know, grounding me and saying like, you know, you've done this for this reason.

it's just short-term and I just need to keep telling myself like it's short-term pain long-term gain yeah all right I have two more questions for you yes so the first question I want to ask is actually around ADHD when you were diagnosed last December what was the thing that finally made the most sense I think the not being able to like stay focused on a task I would get distracted so easily and then I remember the first day I took my medication and I sat in front of my computer and worked for 11 hours straight and I was so focused. Isn't it crazy? It's actually insane. I'm not saying this because, oh my gosh, medication is great. But like, it's kind of like, because you have ADHD, you already are quite intelligent and you already are like wanting

to do that 11 hours of work, right? You just don't have the ability to. And the second you're given the ability to do that, you're like, holy moly, I can smash a whole day out. Like that's literally me. And it's wild that you then do it. And then you've just got to make sure that once you do start medication, you're caring about your wellbeing and making sure you're still going to Pilates and still eating lunch. Because once you get that focus, it's kind of like gifted back to you in a way. You're like, oh, this is all I care about now, which is not good sometimes as well. Yeah. I think like even the hyper-focus around things that you're actually really passionate about like the things that I just did not care for I would leave to the last minute and

I would only smash it out when it became like they absolutely had to do it but I could sit there and hyper focus on something that I was really enjoying and sit there for like five hours yeah and it would be confusing because you're like why can't I just do the exact same thing with my uni assignment that's due that would take a lot of pressure off me am I going to do that absolutely not why would I do that yep that's pretty much it I don't know if you know this but you know that voice in your head that's like talking to you all the time yeah that's not a thing for normal people and that I know blew my mind I sounded insane when I was like yeah yeah but the voice in your head that doesn't stop you know that one that like distracts you they're like

Victoria are you all right and I'm like yeah don't you all have that voice in your head my partner will be laying there I'm like what are you thinking about he's like nothing I'm like how are you thinking about nothing how do you think about nothing it's insane I think that can put a lot of pressure on yourself as well because that's going all the time no I totally get that and it's conflicting with what you know so yeah it's trying to tell you something different to what you know and then that can get really confusing and stressful as well no I totally agree all right last question I've got for you at the start of this episode you graded yourself a c-plus we have now had a really beautiful conversation I feel like I've learned so much

about you but I want to know after this conversation and like a little bit of self-reflection Do you think you're still a C plus? If so, why? If not, what do you think your grade is? I think I'm going to give myself a B plus. All right. That feels like a good upgrade. Yeah.

There's still room for improvement. But yeah, I think that I was not giving myself credit where credit was due. Exactly. I feel like you're putting so much pressure on yourself. Tell me what it would take to get from a B plus to an A plus. Like, what is that journey looking like? I think just having that financial freedom of it not being a stress. So having that emergency fund, having that savings and not needing to watch every dollar go in and out of my account.

How good is that? Because you're on the track to doing exactly that. Like you don't even need to make behavioral change. You already told me that was your big money goal. And with you, you know, about to graduate from your Pilates course, you're going to be like a full proper Pilates instructor. I'm so excited for this for you. Thank you. I'm excited as well. Oh my gosh, Marnie Dyrist, I'm so sorry, but this is all we have time for today.

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you. Thank you so much for sharing so much about yourself and your journey with our community. I know they are all so incredibly grateful. Thanks for having me. Of course. the advice shared on she's on the money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances she's on the money exists purely for educational purposes and

should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision if you do choose to buy a financial product read the pds tmd and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN 321 649 27708 AFSL 451 289.