In this edition of Her Money Diaries, we meet Annemarie, who is trying to save for a house
In this month’s Her Money Diaries, we’re taking a look at Annemarie from Leitrim’s real-life relationship with money. The 29-year-old marketing professional has revealed that her biggest financial goal is to save for a house, but joked that it feels almost delusional with the ongoing housing crisis in Ireland.
As many young professionals are all too aware of, saving for a house in Ireland at the moment feels near impossible at the moment, but many of us continue to do so with the hope of things getting better in a couple of years.
Like Annemarie, who has €9,000 in savings, saving for your deposit feels like the biggest financial hurdle, especially when you’re on a lower salary.
Annemarie is not currently in a relationship, which means she is saving her deposit on her own, which is no easy financial goal to have, but one she hopes will be worth it.
She told Her.ie that she has no current loans or any debt, and her current monthly expenses sit at €800. She also allocates €400 per month for fun monthly expenses because we still need to enjoy our lives, even if we’re saving for our future homes.
“My biggest financial goal is to save for a house; the delusion,” she shared.
When it comes to Annemarie’s weekly expenses, she tries to be responsible, but often overspends on things like food and skincare, which many of us are guilty of.
“I’m pretty disciplined, and I try not to make random supermarket trips, as I end up spending more money. On the weekends, there tends to be more random coffees, etc.”
One thing Annemarie was happy to spend money on was Soul Space by Miriam Hussey, as it’s been really insightful.
As someone who has been financially independent since 21, Annemarie says there’s one piece of financial advice her mum shared with her that she follows to this day.
She shared, “My mom always taught us to save before buying.”
Speaking about her current financial situation, Annemarie said that the motto, “Sit on a purchase for 24h hours,” has helped, but she would like to see an increase in her salary.
“It’s fine, but I would like to save more. With AI and all the job sector problems, I don’t know how I can increase my salary. I feel like the last few years have been so stagnant,” she confessed.
When it comes to her biggest money mistake, Annemarie admitted she feels like getting an arts degree was her biggest financial error.
One thing she hopes will continue to improve her financial habits is always thinking if something will improve her life before purchasing.
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