I just had the displeasure of reading one of the most childish articles on personal finance I have ever read. It’s an article I wrote when I was aged 23.
OK, so I didn’t write it, but I probably had the same attitude to money as this young lady back then, and I know what happens when that attitude continues on as you get older. You get in huge debt believing that you will never get old and have plenty of time to make your first million.
As you are reading my site, and I’m sure you are interested in saving money, you are probably left baffled how such an article was published on a mainstream media site arguing against what is logical and reasonable.
On one hand, she is arguing that she has not saved a penny, but on the other has given no reasonable details of actually trying. The one feeble example given was not going on holiday for a year (or an academic year which is apparently 9 months). She attempts to compare a bus holiday to Butlins to going to Amsterdam or Lyon.
While describing her so called fruggal holiday to Amsterdam, she says she got 2 nights for £99. Yes well done great stuff. What about the flights, spending money and eating out (and well its Amsterdam right)? How can spending money to go on holiday be saving money compared to not going and not spending anything?
If you are in the habit of blowing £100 on a night out and eating out several times a week (she mentions running a failed nightclub business) you are not going to save much even if you go to Butlins. I know, I’ve done it (eating out I mean… I’ve never been to Butlins).
I find it particularly frustrating that she justifies having an overdraft because everyone has one. How can having an overdraft ever be justified as ok? I had an overdraft for many years and it NEVER felt fine. I hated paying the fee every month and being in debt to the bank. Being in debt NEVER felt fine to me so I struggle to see how anyone could honestly say they are fine with it.
I think this article is wholly irresponsible and should not be on such a site such as the BBC without a counter viewpoint. I do wonder if the BBC trying to condition young people to spend all their money by convincing them its ok to have zero savings and fall into debt?
I have had many times when I’ve had zero savings and been struggling to pay rent due to blowing all my money when I was in my early twenties. It never felt good! That’s why people say have some savings.
If you have read any of my other posts, you will know I had massive debt (£40k+) and it felt awful. Only once I grew up, stopped spending, and lost my FOMO did I start to feel secure about finances.
Her punchline is: “If I had listened to my bank manager my whole life, I’d be at zero balance in love, life and gallows humour”.
I find this a bizarre statement that tries to justify an immature attitude to life and money. Blame circumstances rather than yourself at your peril. I would be surprised if she has ever met a bank manager.
The biggest faux pas in this article is her attempt to compare saving money to domestic abuse which I cannot fathom the jump in logic there. Surely saving your own money will mean you are less likely to fall into domestic abuse as you will not be dependant on others and means you can leave the situation you are in.
Establishing frugal habits early on in life such as saving can only snowball later as you gain more income and can save more compared to your expenses. If you don’t get used to a fake Instagram luxury life that you can’t afford you won’t ever miss it. I wish I’d known about FIRE 10 years ago because if I had, I’d be retired by now!
Maybe I’m privileged right now but I worked hard to get where I am – hell i’ve documented part of it on this blog. It’s taken years and years to develop a career that is paid well and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I can tell you that since I adopted a FIRE mindset my life has improved vastly. My balance in love, life and gallows humour is infinitely higher than when I was in debt up to my eyeballs and living paycheck to paycheck.
The whole article reads like a petulant teenager carrying on because she doesn’t want to listen to the Frugal Elders preaching to her and that they know nothing about what living a life today is all about.
So she carried out an experiment by not going on holiday for 9 months. I feel sorry for her that she seemed incapable of finding things to do for free, eg go to museums, walks etc. By not even going on cheap bus rides or doing other inexpensive things, she got the wrong end of the stick, being frugal isn’t about keeping your spending to zero – it’s spending intentionally.
There will come a time, when in her 40s or 50s, this individual will realise that she has saved very little for her future and she will regret that she didn’t listen.
I do sort of understand where she’s coming from regarding the overdraft/debt – for a long time, I too thought it was ‘normal’ to be overdrawn all the time.
I agree with you, it is quite irresponsible and I hope there is a counter article.