Welcome to our new money section! You may already know Refinery29’s Money Diaries… this is our own version of it! We’ve put together a few questions to understand what women are doing with their money. Let’s break the taboo and talk more about finances!

It’s short, snappy, fun and anonymous.

Marketing Consultant. London. 33. Three of us.

Financial goals:

Short term (1-5 years): Buy a house

Medium term (5-10 years): Buy a buy to let

Long term (10 years +): Second home in Somerset

Best buy ever: All the travelling I did before I had my son, so valuable

Worst buy ever: Cars always depreciate but absolutely love having great cars

Things you spend the most money on: Rent, holidays, school fees, clothing, beauty and alternative therapies

Salary / Income: £120k

Net worth (what you own vs what you owe, or your assets minus your debts): £800k

Any side hustles: N/A

Savings: Pension, regular savings for my son, school fees a year in advance, ISAs, pensions. Large capital reserves for house purchase

Home: Renting is a pisstake £2.5k a month for a family home in zone 2 need to buy 5 years ago…

Debt: Car finance and 0% credit cards burdening some business costs that will be paid off with mortgage

Investing: Managing all the family ISAs and SIPPs in HL. Have legacy stakeholder pension too. If I go back onto PAYE would investigate any work saving schemes too

Pension: Yes £450 per month into moderately managed SIPP

Insurances: Yes lots of life cover for my little boy and CIC in trust to my partner to avoid it going into my estate

What is money for you? Survival, independence, mind and my son’s future. I don’t want him growing up being told he can’t have things/we can’t afford it like I was

What is financial independence for you? Not being dependent on my partner again ever because the set up for maternity/mothers in this country is a disgrace. Going to get a job with paid maternity for the next babies as working with a tiny baby is horrendous.

🙋🙋 Please help us break the taboo and participate here 🙋🙋