The Vault with Financielle - NYE Chaos: Confessions, Goals & What to Do Next With Your Money | The Vault Episode 97

Episode Date: December 31, 2025

Send us a textHappy new yeaaaaar! 🎆This week, we’re playing a NYE edition of “Jail or No Jail” with your money confessions 👀 Then we chat through our personal money goals, celebrate an amazing money win and jump into a listener dilemma:💸 “I’ve changed my financial life - now what?”Got a money win or (totally anonymous) dilemma? Share it via the Financielle app community or email [e-mail] 💌You’re not alone in figuring this stuff out. Get honest, helpful reads at financielle.com 💖💸Connect with our Partners*🫶 Get life insurance with our friends at Lifesearch. Speak to a female advisor here.🏡 Meet our Financielle approved Mortgage Brokers.💸 Get cashback that reduces your mortgage interest with Sprive (£5 extra for you using code: FINANC)*The above are tracked links, which tells our partners we sent you and may in future result in a payment or benefit to our site.The Vault is an entertaining yet thought provoking podcast that answers our community’s dilemmas and confessions surrounding women and money.Visit https://www.financielle.com to download our app.Watch the podcast on YouTube.Follow Financielle for more:▶︎ TikTok▶︎ InstagramAbout Financielle:Financielle is a female focussed finance app helping women to take back control of their money, ditch debt, increase savings and invest in their future.Recorded and Produced by Liverpool Podcast Studios▶︎ Web ▶︎ Instagram▶︎ LinkedIn

Welcome to The Vault with Finance Child. This is a safe space where we talk all things, life and money and no topics are off limits. Happy New Year's. Happy New Year. He's like, Happy New Year. Oh, what film is that on? Um, oh, it's going to. It's off, I know, I know.

It's sex in the city when he says, we're going to say happy. That's it. Oh my God, that's so funny. And then it's, um, Miranda and Steve. Yeah, it is. Well done. And Brody. Brady?

Brady. And then Carrie runs through the streets in a... In a pyjamas, in a fur coat and a hat. Heels. Like we all do. Like we all do? Yeah. Oh, I'm not a New Year's gal.

A Zin, let me explain further. I don't want to go out. No. We've talked about this on the pod before. Inny or Alty. Inny. I'm normally in Inny, but I will be outy. What are you doing?

What's changed? I'm going out with my brother, his fiancé. her sister, her boyfriend is like six of us Where are you going? Manchester. What? Yeah, I know.

Are you well? We're going along a pod. Oh, she's not happy about it. We won't go into it. I was like, you well? She was like, no. That is not like you. Have you done this kicking and screaming?

Are you quite excited that you're doing something different? No, I don't know. What time we go to bed? I don't know. Midnight? Well, it's after midnight. It's not, New Year's. Listen, I'm saying I'm saying to my brother's house.

but I've got no control. You have asking for his address and you get a new one if you want. You have free will, yeah. Oh God, in heaven. Oh, Lucy. Yeah. Keep me in your thoughts tonight. We can.

We can. We'll be asleep. I am shot. The fireworks don't even wake me up at midnight. They don't. I think we nailed the other year, went to bed at 10 o'clock. I have done that before. I have some questions.

Where actually are you going? Have you booked something? Are you doing a dinner? Yeah, we're going for a meal. Where? We're going out in Worstley first. Okay. And then we're going to.

To do what when you get there? Cue up at a club. Yay. Listen, no judgment turned on doing it. It's more we know this is not her thing. Yeah. If you need like a Batman exit, ring the bat phone.

I'll come and get you. She won't be awake. The thoughts there. St. Paul will come and get you. He's a good egg. I feel like even a room in a hotel would be better because you could leave if you need to leave. Yeah, that's true. You could have an emergency room.

No, because do you know what we're doing the next day on the year's day, playing paddle. Of course you are. We're doing like a family paddle tournament. All right. So that's really what she's going for. Yeah, that's why you're going. I feel like I'll meet at the paddle tournament. Yeah, that's like convinced me.

Yeah, okay. All right. I'll let you off. You have a great time. You will. Listen, we've done it. We just won't do it again. Lydia.

That couldn't be more of an in-y. Yeah. Absolutely inny. Yeah. What do you eat? Like cook or takeaway or just a regular night Maybe it's probably takeaway Yeah

Takeways love it don't they They've got to get in there And have a select few people Oh select Oh yeah she's going in by only Yeah Vetted approved people that would behave themselves Yeah you want to gauge how someone's going to be

For like midnight yeah And then out you go everyone Yeah then I get your coat Then you get a lot I get epe What does that mean It's just an embarrassing way We're saying sleepy

I get that as well I think you meant antsy like you're the only to leave oh I would be Dylan what are you doing in absolutely stay in oh you couldn't even let me finish and you were like in movies food what's going on yeah well we'll probably cook have a few drinks the dog has a thing about firework

oh I make sure that we're always oh that's very cute have you seen the dog music channels oh yeah oh yeah it's like we're a purean subscriber like the new is about you the dog like I quite like that Yeah, yeah, he didn't used to be though. Maybe I should get a dog as an excuse. I know, I was just thinking.

Things have got a better. You don't got a dog then. I feel like it was compulsory to go out. Yeah. Oh, God, yeah. For a while, but people are definitely settling into what they're like. Oh, it was Christmas Eve was a big night, wasn't it, in Wiggin when we were younger? Oh, no, Boxing night.

Boxing night. No, Christmas Eve was. Yeah. And then Boxing night was fancy dress. And everyone out, although the town's copied, but Wiggin have done it for years. Yeah, they have. Are the pictures on Wiggin today, which is like the local, newspaper online is the best form of entertainment.

Some really funny outfits. People go all out. They used to, I don't know if it's as a lot of everything. It was lazy. It was like leather pants. And just like stripy top. Yeah. And then a mask and black gloves.

I was a too lazy. We were comfortable. We had a great time. We were warm. I also went out on boxing night. In Wigan. No. Oh, you're going out?

Oh, you went boxing night as well this year? Yeah. Oh my God. Lucy must be exhausted. I am. Then I'm going to hibernate 2026. Okay, what's new. Whatever you're doing tonight, enjoy

news resolutions, ish, think of me. We got fireworks last year, do you remember? Oh, that's good. Well, Neil would be thrilled. Neil bought fireworks and literally was like, I don't know how much it was, so it was like £5,200 and he was like,

right, everyone, outside, it might have been the year before, oh my God. I think it was the year before. And you literally remember, he lit it, and he just went, phew, phew. Literally set in fire to money. That was it. And I was like,

When's the proper one's going to come? And he was like, I think that was it. I was like, no, surely not. Stay back because more might come. Stay back. Literally. Tumbleweed. Pugh.

Okay. If you're stuck in consumer debt, listen to this. One financial user said budgeting the financial way helped her clear over two and a half thousand pounds worth of debt and finally feeling control of her money. If you're ready to do the same, download the financial. app and join our community today. It's time for New Year's Eve rendition of jail or no jail.

Yay! The game is back. Okay, quick fire this week. I'm telling myself, January me will deal with all of my money problems. I mean, you've kind of got no choice, but you're in jail. Someone would have sent this a couple weeks ago, maybe. Jail, you're in jail. You have to face up to them now. Yeah. It's like when a diet starts on a Monday. yeah we've all done it but it doesn't help the worst thing though is when like you've kibashed it on a Tuesday so then you've got five days of recklessness and then on Monday I'll be good and you put yourself further back but yeah like you can't be good on a Monday got to be good every day I bet this person's going out tonight as well yeah

out out she's an outie I'm in 2k debt but just signed up to an expensive gym with a January deal you're going to jail if you're I don't mind people I don't mind people sign up to an expensive gym. I don't mind people sign up to expensive gym, but if you've, we tell everyone to, if you're on a debt free journey, you're pulling your expenses on all, this is just because Laura's a gym bunny. I like going to the gym as well, but there's no way I'm going to in the way of my financial wellness. Like, you can go for a run, it's free. You can use YouTube, it's free. There's a time and a place where you have got to. Okay, okay, I'm back on jail. Oh, sorry.

You wouldn't go shopping at M&S. It's because of the deal, and so we can convince ourselves of anything. So it would be relative. And there's different. levels of gym. So there's like, you know, if people are paying like in their budget and you will 10 pound for Netflix, 10 pound for Spotify, which I approve of on a debt-free journey if it stops you from going to the movies or stops you from going out. If that's like your entertainment, fine. But you are right. You can do free fitness. But some people just don't or struggle to. And so, yeah, no, I'm going to stick with jail. I think you're right. I think it was I was hudwinked by the deal because you're in two grand's worth of debt. But if you are aggressively

paying it off and it fits into your budget. We've always said that the budget is the key. If you can pay off that debt an aggressive rate and still have that gym membership, maybe. But two-gans not a lot. So get the deal, forget the deal. Get the debt off the table gone. And then go treat yourself. Because otherwise it's then, oh, I've got this holiday because it was a great deal. Oh, I've got this because it's a great deal. Actually, it's because I'm a gym money. Everything's a great deal. Side note. I'm leaving my old people's gym. Oh yeah, go on. It's got too trendy for her.

It's gone too cool. Music has been turned up. The lights are probably turned down. Yeah, it's all painted black. They've got loads of ski ergs. It's turning into a high rocks gym, which cool, but I don't want. That's all I signed up for. That's a good for you.

They've raised the price to nearly 80 pounds a month. So I'm joining in a JD gym. Yeah, well, JD is very much similar, but without the price. But like 30 pounds a month. So we figured out that Lucy was. effective of paying 80 pounds a month for a sauna. Yeah, because that's what keeps me there, really. So.

This is great maths that you did together. We could probably buy ourselves a sauna. Honestly, I'm tempted at this rate. For 80 a month. Well, listen, if you switch out for JD, you could get a sauna. Let's model it. We'll all be around.

Oh my God. Is that my New Year's goal, buy a sauna? Maybe. Or convince my landlord to buy a sauna. In the corner. Listen, does J.D. one, no. No. No. But I can buy a membership that gets me access to all of them and there's one like a 30 minute driveway that does have a sauna. So if I'm like Sunday morning, I want a sauna.

Desperous. I'm going to drive. Yeah. So that's my problem solved. I approve. No jail. You know, Lucy's not in jail. He's not in jail. I buy a new year outfit every year that I only wear once. Do you know why I'm also for the environment? Yeah, true. Just so you know Lucy had no jail up and now I've said about the environment she's... She's an equal warrior all of a sudden It really irks me

and you know what's really bad as well I don't quite like personalised gifts Oh okay So like I've got a woody There's not, there's only one Woody There's only one Woody There's not many other kids I can gift Woody things to Like Ali's, if I get anything with Woody on

Ali's not going to get it And then the next child that Ali donates something to You're not going to get it. It stops with that person Like you can't donate like a Lydia cup to the charity shop I mean you can but how many people are going to pick it up like how many people I just I really don't like the personalised stuff one hit wonders the big thing with New Year's similar to Christmas really is

we get carried away in the moment Holly always says this we're not the main character so we had our squad night out with all our friends and I wanted to get something new for it but I didn't put the effort in to look up front and I was running out of time I think I was like traveling it was a crazy week

busy November and then I was like oh my God it's on Saturday and this was like Thursday and I just looked in my wardrobe and saw a dress that Holly had given me that she'd worn for the same night out two years prior

but people didn't realize everyone's like you look amazing this dress is amazing I was like it's Holly's and no one no offense Holly will remember that Holly wore it two years prior when you message me up do you mind if I was like no give it me as well. It wasn't like, because I have, I'm prone to sometimes keeping hold of some of her outfits. I actually wore, do you want to wear that jumpsuit? And I'm, mom was like,

that's nice jumpsuit. I was like, thanks. And Holly went, that's my. I was like, no, it's not. And in my head, I'd had had it that long that it had turned into mine. It's a place suit. I've got it. I wore it on this holiday. But, um, I nearly got carried away, but there was the outfit. I loved it. It looked nice. People complimented me on it. Got all, you know, all the big tics about being the main character. He's quite a dressy one as well. And it's not something that we would wear every week. I've literally just given me a year ago. I've still never wore it before.

It's a velvet black dress. Like, we don't, we're in it, we don't go out. But after the night had finished, or once you've been there half an hour, and everyone said, oh, you look nice. The dopamine's gone. You don't talk about what you're wearing. It's done.

And so to pick a dress that, like, if I'd have been and bought that, I wouldn't wear it next year because I wore it last year. Our friend Sarah was in this beautiful brown dress. She knows her dresses, so she's very, very good at them. Nice open back, nice high open back.

And I was like, you're going to wear that once a month. Like it was it was appropriate for multiple uses it just looked amazing colour of the season that wasn't a one hit one and that I don't mind buying you

for new occasions but like nailing it to wear to buy a new year's outfit in this day and age at our age particularly so we don't go do anything else would be a bit random because it's also like an out there outfit

so we're the face of generation Glittery, like sequin annoys me and it's because I've worked in Bay and I know how bad it is for the environment so I'm quite anti-sequin So like when sequins come in every single Christmas I get a bit stressed because I'm like It's so bad for the environment, sequins like to make them To recycle them like it's the dress horrendous basically

It's like a worst fabric you could possibly have And I'm not like this eco warrior I don't want people think I am But I do carry a lot of guilt of looking in my wardrobe going Will I wear that again? Probably not Like I just don't do that anymore I wore a black knitted dress that I've had 10 years

Oh more 15 years old maybe But it's a classic And I think buying I think it's a lavish palace Yeah When they first came out Yeah I know

I've still got a blazer from them Like buying key pieces That you can re-wear And re-imagined It means you're not in jail But buying a New Year's outfit Just for New Year's even Never wearing out loud

Like we've become accustomed To that being the norm Like it's the BAFSA That's what I mean like with the main character in our life. What a shame. But send us a picture of what you look like. I still look at you on Instagram and like you post.

I paused my money goals for November and December. I needed the cash. So I wrote a blog about this. Didn't weigh the pausing your money goals for Christmas and are you allowed? I think if you're late to the Fan and Shell party and you didn't know that Christmas was coming, which you do. No, if you're late to the financial party and you're just like, this will be a way to keep my head above water

and me not go into debt you're not going to jail but if you've been part of this community for a long time you know Christmas is coming we talk about Christmas sinking funds all the time you've just put your head in the sand

and not prepared so then you are in jail so I'm a bit of both it depends on your situation but just to be financial lazy and not get your shit together all year and then just go it's fine I'll just not contribute to my pension in November and December

or I'll just not in or I'll not add to my emergency fund because you want to fund Christmas, your new Christmas was coming. We say it every year, Christmas is on the same day every single year. It will be super easy actually to like, you know, we, I've done some content recently and we've been sharing it and stuff, but the excess, your excess in November and excess in December, it would be really easy to just wind it down to zero and put it in the consumption pile. That's what I'm being honest, like the fun pile. And if it's the difference between you having a really bare bones stretched and not a pleasant time. And do you know what? I've worked hard all year. I've smashed my

debt. I've done my goals. I just need a bit of a reset and a bit of a pause. And I would just want to spend this month. Next month it's like, okay. But I'd love a scenario where you still can do both. I want your budget to feel bougie and feel fun and feel like there's enough in it. But then there's still somebody going to investments somebody going to savings whatever you're up to um i would be really sad like if someone was on quite a big debt-free journey had done so well and then blew like way more money than they would normally so it's all about balance because we can convince ourselves of anything so yeah not in jail um but being well aware that don't do extra damage don't run up extra debt spend what's in the budget and make sure that then you know you've had that treat

in January, February and March, we're leaning into it and getting straight back on it. Yay. Okay. I want to just take a moment now and go through all of our 2026 money goals. We know I'm buying a sauna. But next winter. Have you got a 20? Can we start with you?

I want to know. Stocks in chairs, I say. Okay. It's kind of all that could, like, I don't have any big goal. I'm still on my, like, not bothered about buying a house. Yeah, good. But putting money away away. for eventually, obviously, like, I probably will.

But it's not, like, you're not like hyper-focused on it. No, no, no. But. Yeah, it's pretty simple on this year. Yeah. Well, sometimes these things are too exciting and too big and too, like, I think women do it more than men as well. I think we're obsessed with it.

I need to go, what's going to working towards. And I don't think influences help that necessarily. I think you, I've done ununlocked on this, so I'm not going to go into, mine, you can go listen to that because I'm going to it quite detail. and I get I'm just started talking to myself and at some point I was like someone should shut me up like what am I saying because it was like a bit philosophical and stuff but I was talking about building the lifestyle that I want so my goal is to have that lifestyle and then how can I make that happen and the biggest takeaway from me from that session because it was like a bit of self therapy was show me a budget I'll show you a goal and so there's one thing saying I would love to save a house deposit this year because homeownership is a big goal. for me. It's my first home or I've moved home after a divorce and I want to buy again. Let's say that's your goal. And it's the lifestyle they want really. It's, I want to be in my own home that I own this year or next year. Show me a budget then. And we'll come on to that.

And that's what I'll talk about in the Unlocked when I'm talking about my goals. It's your budget is the key to unlocking that goal happening. So you can't, and this is you losing it. You can't say stocks and shares is my goal. Fine. But then your. budget not have a line in it that is sending money to the stocks and shares I said and I think that's where some people like don't connect the two it's okay to have a soft and gentle in the background goal that you don't want to hyper focus on because like some of this is boring like we want to be living our life we don't want to be sad about our goal go go go go go but at the same time you can't say something and then it not be in the budget and I want to travel show me show me the

budget where is it in the budget so presumably in your budget in the excess bit it's that's what the line's there for and I actually think this is a you guys weren't like this one but I actually want to travel like not go on holiday as much why I just this is really like a knowing thing to say but I just love being at home and have realized that like I do love going on holding like I feel like we went away quite a lot this year and like did loads of little trips and I'm just like when I get home I'm like oh I'm so happy to be home obviously I love it and I'm like I just like having a long stretch at home so I'm just going to like stick to a nice summer holiday yeah maybe do like a couple of nights yeah in a winter holiday in like February

but you like being at home I think that just shows you like it's so individual like I would look at that and be like oh my god like I my things travel yeah and I but I but it's also a different type of travel holidays like some people are like because I need to see culture and I need to see things in two places. Like my, I'm like you, I like being at home. But because I work from home and Carl works from home and the home for me is also sometimes associated with activity and a bit of chaos.

And like stuffed like a job list that what we do, so when we go to Portugal in the summer, we're doing 17 nights in Portugal next year next summer in an apartment where Carl, I've got the whole time off. But I'm working a few of the days, but not a lot. But we've just moved our home. Yeah. If you think about it,

we're not going off to, we're not going sight of seeing, we're not like we've got, we've got a routine, we've got Wi-Fi, we've got, um, local supermarket,

we've got a base, we've got a pool, we've got places for naps, we've got Netflix. Yeah. And we take our home there. So I think it's all depends on in that year what you're chasing. And for some people,

the travel is because, like when I say travel, I actually mean sunshine. Yeah, yeah. I don't necessarily mean like, I want to hit all these countries, whereas I've got a friend.

Different environment. He goes to, His goal is to, his list is his goal. He wants to go to every country in the world. Joe, he's doing like over 100. Like, he's absolutely smashing it. So that's his goal. So his budget will build up a sinking fund that leads to traveling a lot.

And that's what he wants to do. So I love that your goal is to, your budget will take you on the trips that you want to do. I think that's what I would prefer. I think like, yeah, you've just summarized that really well. That's what I would prefer as a holiday, like, going for like two, three weeks and just like settling somewhere. When you did Malta last year Yeah that was really fun Then we just worked from Malta for the week

And we didn't see much of Malta We were just like in a different environment No pressure to like go and do this And then on the weekend like we went to a nice beach club and stuff Like it was really nice But it wasn't intense Yeah it wasn't intense It wasn't like

Or on a city break we need to cram this and cram this in And then also my pet hate about city breaks Is that you're like Oh yeah we'll get a nice late flight home on the Sunday And then you sit around all Sunday You're waiting Yeah to go home Yeah, this year, me and Alex were like,

the day we fly home from any holiday, we're getting a morning flight. We're done mentally. That's so true. We've done it like five times this year. I'm like, why have we done this? Because you think you're getting the best out of it. It's actually just wasted.

I did that on girls, it's always like girls trips and you're like walking around with your suitcase. I've done it. I've even like going home from like Edinburgh and stuff and we're like walking around with the case. I said Instagram at the moment there's like a big sporting event in Australia and lots of people were from the UK are flying out there and one of the girls,

Gabby put on a story, flying via China because Lauren wanted to save 10p. Yeah. This has gone by a doer, like much more nice than they're like stood in China going a really long way. It's like, yeah, yeah, I love that. But yeah, your goal, that's all right.

Yeah. Maybe just figured out more while like refining it. Yeah. And not just being like, yeah, we'll go there, yeah, we'll go there just for the sake of it. Because I feel like that's what we've done this year. Okay. And then with the investing, it's going to be like you said, you at some point

I want to buy. So for you like it's not, it's not diverting money away from a future house deposit goal. you accept that when things are invested, the capital can go up as well as down, there's risk with it, but there's also upside. And it grows tax-free. So you will be, that your access is going towards something that's actively growing your net worth. And at some point, you can use that if you wish to. You've chosen not to do a lisa. I just, I don't know, I kind of like the excitement of a stock and chairs. No, but you can have a lice. You can have a stockton shares, Lyser and the government give you an extra grand. You put four in it. They put a grand in it. I know I've just got like a resistance for some reason. I don't know why I've just got like. No, it's because it locked away.

Yeah. It's been too long term like I don't want it. It's locked away for a house or for retirement, which I get. That's all right. Yeah. And I'm hoping that we're delaying it that much that like we'll look back and be like for a say, let's say it's in like a couple of years. We'll be like we've got what we wanted out of the last few years that we can forego a couple of grand.

A couple of grand. Exactly. There you go. So I think that's the mindset that we're in. Like it. Right. Excellent. So I asked Neil what I was.

Oh, God. Because you gave us homework before this. I was like, what are our 2026 goals? New windows. Which is such, we were laughing about it before, such a game show response. Like when you get, like, you've won 20,000 pounds. Jim, what you're going to do? New windows.

But I kind of get the sentiment. So we laugh about it all the time. I've spoke about on here. We have the ugly house on the street. And for a long time, it doesn't hit the spot for me. The location does, but... Huge garden. Yeah, we've toyed with moving and it's just so expensive.

Someone did a really good run down the other day of like, if you want to buy this type of house, you're going to pay this. It's on stamp juice, you're going to pay this. And I was just like, no, I'm not doing it. And we've got a really good mortgage rate still. We're really fortunate and it runs out. Do you know what mortgage rate you've got? I think it's like 1.19.

1.9. She's on. And Neil every time says, we should have done 10 year. I told you we should have done 10 year because they could have done it at this time. But who would have known what happened? So that is like, all these things are just messing with us to be like not do that. And then we looked at,

okay, if we stay, let's look at an extension. And then even then I'm so against an extension now because of the mortgage rates and like there's just, and it's so expensive to get any sort of labor done now and materials and everything's just exploded since COVID. So I'm just like I would like to invest in the house that we've got. Yeah.

But with an eye on paying our mortgage off as well. So like starting that journey and being serious about it. I think we've spoken about it a bit last year. We mentioned, oh, we'll strive and that will help like knocking a bit off the mortgage, but actually getting intentional. You're locking in. Yeah. We kind of want to lock in and come up with some sort of plan to overpay by a certain amount a year.

Because I don't think we've done that. We've just kind of gone, oh, we'd like to overpay the mortgage. It needs to be in the budget. It needs to be in the budget. So we've upped our mortgage payments every month. So we overpay our mortgage now. That's cool. We did that.

We did that like, probably, we've probably done it for about six months now. But I'm like, oh, no, what are the numbers? How much should we? over a pay in a year and what will that get us to. But also improve our house as we're going as well. So then I'm like, but I'm going around in circles, but I think it'll add value to the house. Yeah. And I want to enjoy my house more and I don't want to have the itch of should we move. Cheaper than moving. And getting an extension, I can prove on what we've already got. So windows will be in it, a new door. Like, there's just little bits that we can do. And we've spent

a bit money on the house this year and I enjoy being in it so much more. Yeah. It looks amazing. I think that there's a new budget needs to show it, doesn't it? So the house Renault sinking fund, which is windows and or door and or whatever, needs to be punchy enough and then you'll balance that out with something in your excess, which is you're already overpaying your mortgage, but are you going to get more serious about it? Because you're both still doing pension, that's happening in the background anyway. So pension, I think was probably my goal last year and we've been so intentional with that. Like I shared with Laura how much I overpay on my pension. I think she was shocked at how much she, because she's so far behind.

Yeah, yeah. So we were, as a family, we were like, it is in our interest. us together, Neil and I, that I have a good pension. Like, it's not for me personally. It's not my personal bill. It's a family like investment type thing. That's what we've seen it as. So we've put, we've literally plowed into that and that will still remain like we don't need to change that. But we also went into, you know, both opened a Lysa last year. We said that we wanted to do that. We've done that. So I feel like 2025 was really successful for us financially. And I think, yeah, being mortgage free, I see the freedom that it brings. Like in my parents, they are recently mortgage free.

I just think I and friends are as well that are, you know, quite young still. And it kind of makes me go, that just when I look at my budget, the fixed expenses, that mortgage just takes up. And we don't even have a huge mortgage either, but to just free that up, that financial resilience that we've talked about in other episodes is very attractive to me. And I think not having a mortgage payment gives a lot of financial resilience. Love it. I didn't know it yet.

Because it's your house in your village where you want to live. I don't think many people are at age of even thinking about that. Not everyone that even owns a house. house you're like it is tough so like I like that and I feel like um it's something that you've just talked about doing all these things that just become became part of your budget you just get used to them so many people overthink don't they do it into lyso or doing into a pension but once you've done it you know I mean like I overthought the lisa front and the invest the ices and the investment front you can make it so passive like I've just

it's rolling off the tongue for me as though it's the most natural thing in the world don't get me wrong it wasn't only I was talking about every single week going just do it out debit. Just see it as a family bill, you know, all those things. I want to see a percentage net worth increase while I look at that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And tracking my net worth is part of my goal as well. I'm not, I'm not as I'd like to be. So I get like a random way, like a massive optics. I'm not done it like for two months. Whereas like for the last few months we have done it and it's nice to see and it gives you a bit of a buzz. And you can see how your investments are doing.

If you don't want to check in with your investments, check on your net worth. And then I looked at my pension and like Laura said, I went, oh my God, my pension is thrown. The market did really, I was like, have you churn your pension recently? What I would say as well, for people who maybe need to find Shell and you've just started your net worth, you can go back a little bit with most finance platforms. So you can look at what was my, what would my mortgage balance have been at this date? What would, not on all of them, but what would pensions have been? So if you wanted a little bit of a squiggle, you can do that.

We're talking a lot. Lydia. Sorry, everyone. Lydia. You're up. I'm doing the private pension thing. Fabra. Your own top. So, to be clear, everyone.

at home you have one through work and that's like your auto enrollment one so Finchelle and you and the government all put a little bit in every month and you are going to do a private one yeah I can't stop talking about it to my friends oh my God you know they give you free money I want old lady me to be very happy

yeah yeah think of all the hobbies and time I know exactly well listen and the gyms are going up the old lady gyms you can have to get it in your in your budget Yeah. But, and, you know, 57 will be the next new age that people can access their private pensions. And it'll probably be higher for us, yes. But that is so young. It's not, when we say old lady, like, no. Also, you'll be able to bask in the enjoyment of it, probably or hopefully in your 50s, if not early 60s, which is so young nowadays. And you are well and you can take advantage of, you know, travel and all the hobbies like we've talked about and stuff. I just, I feel like we've just been so. hard done to the way that pensions have been positioned to us forever. Literally. We spoke to a really cool company. They didn't we?

And they were talking about the three stages of people that they're trying to help with pensions. And weirdly, the young person dynamic is really interesting. They're trying to get people because you're not necessarily auto-enrolled, are you between the ages of like 18 and... Because the auto-involment rules are connected to like how much you earn. Whether it's part-time.

Like if you earn less than 10 grand, it's new auto-enrolled. And so you might have like multiple part-time jobs, lots of students do. because like the irony is that between 18 and 24 like you can put a tiny amount in and it can literally turn into millions because of compound interest like play around with any investment calculator if you've got a kid coming up to 18, 19, 20, talk to them about this, send them one of our investing episodes like where we've gone into detail on it. But you just need to put some little into it for it to really perform. I was earning a fortune at night. Like for the relative I was working part time. I was always taking overtime on. I just, I'm so for sure. And I think she gave us a figure of like, it could be like 45 grand in your pension or something. And I was like, if only I'd known. Yeah. That's why I had known to do. But to normalise it and to have conversations to see you friends Lydia and be like, so this is what I'm doing. You should all do it as well. What was your, the reaction when you share it with people? Well, I found out my self-employed friend doesn't have a pension. Yeah. I was just about to say the biggest conversation that to have in our friendship groups and to anyone listening is the self-employed. kind of sector of our community like the amount how many people five million don't have one no there's five million self-employed people but so many of them don't have a pension um on the unlocked i've done recently i'd say tell a funny story about the son of a bank robber which is true so you have to

go about i'm not going to tell you about she's direct we're all like settling in there no you all have to listen to it but it's connected to pensions and money and stuff um but so the person that told me that is self-employed but then he's got a few houses here and there and this guy has done all right but has never had a pension and most people just don't and so it's I think what you can demonstrate is I do have a private I'm going to be my goal for the new year I'm going to put money into it it's not my work one so it's nothing to do with being employed it is just I've opened an account which is very much like a bank account and we just crack on and make regular payments to it or we make ad hoc payments to it but either way we get a free

money in it when we do. So that's such a cool one to do because you're young to do it because you've got other options and other things that you can be doing. Yeah. I'm doing stocks and shares as well. Fabty. Amazing. God, we're good, aren't we? We are. We are. Right. I've got a really good community in this week. Someone in our community basically did a rapt of their year. So they wrapped. No, like a Spotify rap. Oh my God. There's like a voice note. I was like, yes. This is so excited. exciting. If you could wrap it, that would be... Oh, I've done that. I've done that. I know what you mean now. You mean like a Spotify wrapped and a financial wrap. That's still live on YouTube. Like a sum up of the year.

Yes. Okay. Okay. What a year has been for me getting my money shit together and it has been helped by you lovely ladies so much. 2025 has given me the feeling of absolute mortification of sharing my poor finances for completing on an application form. the knowledge gained from reading the playbook and listening through almost all of your previous podcasts a fully paid off overdraft as well as paying off three quarters of my credit card I'm hoping to have this fully paid off before my February payday so that I can use my access in the way I want to rather than debt repayments no more pay in three debt since July

sinking funds which have allowed me to have a slightly leaner Christmas than usual but I'll go into the new year with no financial hangover a minimum emergency fund that has come about accidentally through joining the Monzo Penny Savings Club. I'm not sure what I plan to do of this money, but now it's part of the start of my emergency fund and I intend to grow it after I've made my last debt payment. A 42.7% increase in my net worth since I started tracking in June, helped by returning a huge amount of holiday clothes bought using pay in three that I took away with me but couldn't wear knowing that I was paying off debt. Love that. And the belief that I can do this. I've learned where I've made past

mistakes and now I understand where I made them. I would love to say that my debt came from bougie holidays, but it came from having my credit card linked to my Tesco home delivery account and having no budget in mind for the weekly shop. I've forgiven my past self and looking forward to feeling financially well in 26. What a win. That's a journey. I'm exhausted for her. Like, wow, achieve so much. I think that we've talked about paying three a couple of times, like buying our pay later was just such a horrendous product that I still just cannot and never will get on board with because we see the fallout of it. I love that she didn't wear the clothes. I know. I know. I know. I can't. Yeah. I can like pitch them in the ward.

But also that like, um, that 42.7% increasing net worth since June, um, you know, people that know percentages means if it was a small amount like maybe it's fairly easy to do who knows like that's a big percentage and i sometimes think like what if it wasn't for her seeing fan and her connecting with financial like what if she hadn't done that work could be a 40% decrease it could be in the negative it could be approaching this this Christmas that she's just been through like what would that have been like a bigger mountain to climb in the new year um which i just i always believe any mountain we can climb like how big you make it but but that is graft, to do that, to get out the overdraft

and to pay off three quarters of a credit card and to have started her 2020, what year, six, sinking funds. Game changing. Game changing for how you feel. Yeah, I would like some more, even though we're going to be in the new year, I would like some more than 25 rapts from everyone. Yeah, that would be good. Like a little more and down of what the year look like.

Yeah. I do, yeah, just like, what is it, the vault at fanashel.com, email in. Yeah. So it's just like, we read them, like, we're here for it. If you want to journal to yourself and feel like you're doing Dear Diary, Dear Fanonchelle, do dear Fanonchelle and tell us about it a year because not only does it absolutely make our day, which is a massive selfish reason, but if we shared it, then you just don't know how it's going to impact someone else because what I want is someone to have listened to her community

win and go, that's me now, I'm here, but in the summer, I'm going to, like, you could see, you could feel in the words, like how proud she is and how excited, how resilient, how confident about money she is. And the bigger thing she'd forgiven her past self, like, is what it is, fine, but I'm just looking forward now, I'm not looking back. If you'd like to tell us, you'll win, head to the community in the app or email it to the vault at financial.com. Okay.

Final dilemma of 2025. Oh, my God. It's a good one. Did you know that? over a third of women in the UK have no protection in place compared to just 16% of men. We've partnered with Life Search so you can chat to an advisor for free and get the cover that you deserve. Head to financial.com for slash protection to get your free quote today. I've changed my financial life, what now? To the wonderful financial team, I hope you are doing well

and thank you so much for all the work you do to help us girlies around the world make our financial lives easier to navigate. I wanted to get in touch to ask for some advice or hints about what I need to do next in my life. I'm a woman living in my late 20s. I'm a woman in my late 20s living in Scotland. For context, four years ago, I was finishing university and stuck working a very low paid job in retail. I was borrowing money from friends and family, eventually repaying them just to eat and cover my daily needs. Then in 2022, I was offered a job in a completely new career, working self-employed in tourism. Suddenly, I went from earning less than 10k a year to almost 20k. This year, I've broken 40k and now have more than 60k spread across

savings, fixed-term bonds, stocks and shares, Isis, and current accounts. This is a huge change from where I've been for most of my life, coming from a low-income, single-parent household living on the breadline, to now being in such a fortunate position. I have never been good with budgeting. I make up for it by being naturally frugal and avoiding large purchases. I rarely travel. My monthly outgoings are about £200 on rent as I live with my partner who owns the house, £150 on groceries, probably less, £70 on my phone bill and other subscriptions, and £60 on fuel. I also put £500 a month into a private pension, which is topped up by the government, and I've been slowly combining old pensions from previous employers. My question is, what do I do now? I've never had this level of

money in the bank before, and I'm wondering what sensible next steps I should take to prepare for my future. I don't have solid goals such as buying a house, as I always assumed I'd rent for the rest of my life. I don't have any plans to get married anytime soon either. I'd love to go travelling, but I can't see myself spending all of my savings on it. I'm not planning to squander away the cash, but having it sitting there makes me feel like I ought to be doing something with it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. Wow. He's been on a journey, hasn't she? She has had a glow up. She has had a glow up.

But I sometimes worry about the language she uses in that she said I'm naturally frugal. I feel like maybe the could. Yeah, there could be a point in her life whereby she's a bit too frugal and needs to live a life a little bit more. Like she's said about, doesn't really want to buy a house, it's not on the roadmap, she's not bothered about it. She doesn't really want to get married because that is sometimes a life goal for people and it can be quite expensive. to something that she can prepare and save for but she said she wants to travel and I think it would be really nice

and no one's saying she has to spend all of the money that she's got saved up but wouldn't it be nice to model like what type of holiday do you want where do you want to go are you a city break gal could you do a couple of city breaks throughout the year and they don't have to be expensive like you can flex your budget up and down as much as you want and let me tell you if you don't have children you don't have to travel

in some holidays you can get a good deal there is such a thing out there and you seem like you've got so much covered and you're like what now what's next and you've not got a big goal and that's fine but I do like could you up this food budget can we go out for dinner like life is for living and I just worry that when you come from a place of not having very much you then even when money comes your way you might still continue to live your life as though you don't have much um whereas her fortunes she said but you've done the

work he's not landed on your lap like you've done all the hard work to kind of get into a good financial position I would like you to live your life a little bit more loose. loosen those reins a little bit. And you can budget for it. You don't have to then lose control and spend impulsively. Like we've got so many people in the community that like you like to spend on good food, don't you? That's your bit of your budget that you allow yourself to spend on. Like Lydia likes to spend on hobbies and horse riding and traveling. Do, like, I'd like to see her invest in her passions a little bit more. Yeah. And I feel like it's helpful to like bring it back to the playbook. So we'll run through the playbook. And

she is not in survive because she's not in consumer debt. And she's, She'll have at least a mini emergency fund because she's got £60,000 set aside. So then if we think she is she in build. And I think she is in build a little bit. And I'll tell you why. She has a large emergency fund. And what I would say is it 60, that is chunky. Was it a 60K emergency fund?

She's got, she's sat on 60K. She's got 60K spread around. Spread around. Stocks and chairs is. So it's like how is that. That's like an emergency fund. As long as it's not in pension, it's accessible. So she's got 60 across, like I think, say, being stocks and shares ices.

bonds and stuff. And so for me, that needs to be a concrete calculation. What does she need genuinely in her bank account or so my book that's accessible? That gives her comfort that if she needs to leave this relationship, if she needs to leave a job, if she gets pull it, all these other things, what does she? And let's pretend that's 50. I'm going to go big. Like if she is someone that does worry and wants that security and wants that bit, then make sure that's in places that she can get access to that's still growing. Great. So then she doesn't want to buy a home yet. And she sounds very similar to you there, Lucy, which is it doesn't sound like it's on her list too. And if she did want to, she's got 50, which was a big emergency fund, but she could start that process and build up.

But if it's not in the foreseeable, which it doesn't sound like it is, then that's okay as well. I always say to people, if you're not buying a home, and I say to this to Lydia and Lucy both quite a lot, is if you're not buying home immediately and making sure your money's growing, you don't, have to buy a home. There's no rules about it. But you shouldn't spend everything you have as well. You should make it go in the background because people that do have a home are benefiting from potential increases in property prices. Make sure your money's growing at the same time. Then you're fine. So the next bit of build is big life goals. And this is where the travel comes back in. We, the ultimate is having a budget that can make all these things happen without the plan going off course. So if you, what this, what she needs, I mean,

I think is a lofty travel sinking fund, but proving that you still have access at the end. So you're not touching your 50. And I've talked about the 50 intention, because I also think you could scrape some of that. Like there's an element of this where is, if it's 65, but if it's 50, then what do you want to do with that 10 is something to think about? It's proving to her that sometimes you don't need the 60. You actually need less than that. But even if she wants to get too much protection almost, isn't it?

It's kind of not then doing, it's in fixed term bonds and stuff. is in stocks and shares ices so it is growing. What is it for and what you're doing it for? You need to name it and that's what I think the emergency fund is very powerful to name. But then if we come down when you're at big life goals, the idea of big life goals and build before you jump to grow is, I have been intense, I have been frugal, I have sacrificed, I have directed money towards these things. I need to loosen up a little bit. I need to make sure that I am living my life as well as looking after financial goals. And so you can, and we are proof of it, and I think if she did the maths, it should be the same.

having bougie sinking fund and still having excess and that's the balance what goes wrong is when people go into build and they go oh like fine and they spend everything and there's nothing left over to put towards your goals so instead you have the sinking fund item and you pick start small like pick five grand a year for two of you to go travelling i know just paying for yourself potentially but smallish but small on a relatively monthly goal amount put five six hundred pound a month deciding to travel and make sure that there's still an excess because that excess should be doing 500 into a pension, private pension, because she's talked about. And it might continue to go into other things that then grow, but it's not class as emergency fund. It's classed as like, you know,

assets. And I think that is a way of proving to her that nothing derails goals and financial jumps forward don't stall because you're traveling or because you're eating out a little bit more. So I think that's the key. And we've talked about protections as well as a way of not having such big lavish emergencies. So if you're a self-employed person, you can look at criticalness cover income protection for just for protecting against, because I think she's worried that something bad's going to happen. I don't know if that's in her past and she's learning from experience. So she's overly protecting herself. But because she's not got a mortgage to pay for and she's not got these dependents and her emergency phone is so big because she's like

something's going to go wrong so I need to kind of prepare and she's never had this amount of money before but you can for a small contribution a month get some sort of income protection so that you can reduce then that emergency fund down a little bit I'm not saying go and spend it on traveling but that big thing of like oh I'm going to use all my money for traveling I don't want to do that you don't have to no but you've got a sufficient emergency you have to model it what are you comfortable with what's your number that you can sleep at night knowing that you've got that should anything go wrong and then the rest should be deployed into things that grow and enjoying your life. I just worry that she's just, she sounds to me, I'm naturally frugal.

You've got permission. You've got permission. Going out for dinner with your partner. Yeah. I think it, I think it is. And ultimately, we've talked about this before. Grow can be boring, right? And so what's hard is like, so some of her money's in bonds and some of it's in socks and shares. So she's, she's, she's in Grow. I just feel she needs to go back a little bit and define, this is my emergency fund. And I think she needs to define fun money in that budget, including travelling and seeing the world, you know, doing whatever she wants to do. Grow can be boring. So the way that you need to find a way to gamify grow.

So it might be like maxing out a lifetime. Yeah, what's the goal? Yeah, rather than just continuously paying it. Do you want to do it more quickly? Do you want to fill it in the first half of the year? Like, do you then have a treat at the end of that? Like she needs to artificially create dopamine hits because you get used to it. But it does feel little boring sometimes to just automate investments.

but truthfully, that is the way that, especially as women, we can free our minds up to do creative things and travel and cook well and visit nice places. Give. Like giving can be a big thing. Is there a giving goal for you that is giving back to a community, giving back to a family member, doing nice things. You need to gamify the dopamine because I think her squirreling away has been that, like building up this pot and grow isn't like that. It's just automations and sending stuff around. So you have to have fun with the middle bit. We're not Wolf of Wall Street girls like you are a little bit but we're very much into the automation and passive just because our lives are so busy outside of that. So for her I'd like to invest in

herself a little bit more. Yeah. I'm excited for her. I am. I need an update on this. We're going to go for dinner. We're going to go on holiday. Yeah. Share it with us. What dressing gown are you going to buy? What butter dish are you getting into? How many dress and gowns are you going bike. Do you know what? I got out of the shower this morning and was like, I do need that toweling one. We talked about it a few episodes ago now. The white company one. I want the toweling one to put on the minute I get out of the shower because I get cold. Yes. And then I've got my rosy one from M&S that would then warm me up. And then that could go on the heated towel rack, the towel in one. Like I need to rotate them. So yeah, I need to, I'll report

back on it. But when we talk about goals, bring it back to the budget. So listen to the episode that I did where I share mine in much more detail than that. And I'm quite frank with it. but I do talk about the budget is the key. So don't come at us in November with like, I really wanted to save a house deposit, but it just didn't happen. It'll happen if it's in the budget. Yeah, if it's a line in the budget,

you've got no option. Yeah, because I always say, Netflix get paid. Yeah. They get paid and council tax get paid and the bank gets paid. You should get paid. Yep. Mic drop.

Happy year. 10. No. Oh, we should have done that. We did, our friends do a little fake one, don't they so the kids don't have to

go to bed at midnight at like 10 o'clock they do a fake New Year's. I need a fake New Year's. I need a fake New Year's. Manchester, can you just bring New Year's forward?

Pick a time zone and be like Cologne's nice. Yeah. Let's do their New Year's when Ariel was over and she came and joined us from

from Australia and where she lives on the Gold Coast on the Sunshine Coast. Oh yeah. I can't remember. Oh, and have you listened to this.

I'm sorry I forgot on where she said you lived. You drive 20 minutes and you're in New South Wales on their time zone and so they do two years. Yeah. Literally like over the border. Imagine that. That's cool. Oh my God. About Europe, I bet there's a few places in Europe that do that. They're felt too sophisticated. I bet they're not even celebrating New Year's. They're like, oh, we're going to bed. Yeah. But pick time, bring it forward. Yeah. But happy new year, everyone. And we'll see you in 2026 for the next episode. Oh my God. Exciting. Okay. That's all for this episode. The Volt is now closed. And just a quick disclaimer. The Volt is just a chat around life for many topics.

We're not giving financial advice. Thank you.