One of our community members started saving with €1,000 and a goal that felt out of reach. A year and a half later, she’d hit €10,000, built entirely around a strict budget, a few smart rules and a lot of consistency. Here’s how she did it.
Tell us a little bit about your money journey, where were you before you started saving?
I started working as a dishwasher at a local hotel at 15 and have worked ever since. I always had a little put aside in the credit union but blew through my savings in my first year of university enjoying myself, and ended up taking on two jobs to keep myself going until Covid came along.
During Covid I gradually built up a buffer of €1,000, mainly to stop myself worrying about what I’d do in an emergency. I was also lucky that my parents covered my college fees and accommodation, so I only needed to earn enough for food, travel and spending. A scholarship for my masters meant I graduated with no debt.
When I got my first full time job, I was living in a capital city with rent eating up about half my salary each month. I was worried about what would happen if I was made redundant or became ill and couldn’t cover it. That’s when I set my mind to saving €10,000, enough to cover any eventuality. It’s also just good to know it’s there if I ever need to leave a situation quickly, or if something goes very wrong and I need the money to fix it. I have younger siblings and a partner too, and it comforts me to know that if they ever needed help, I’d be able to offer it.
How did you actually do it?
I already had €1,000 saved, so when January 2025 came around and I knew I’d get a tax rebate, I put all of it straight into savings — which brought me up to €2,500. From there, I set myself a monthly savings target of between €500 and €800 depending on the month, and automated €500 to go into an interest-bearing account rather than leaving it in the credit union with no interest.
In quieter months when I knew my expenses would be lower, I made them €800 months and always moved the money into savings first so it wasn’t sitting in my current account waiting to be spent.
For food, I went through my Tesco app to calculate what I actually spent each week and built my budget around that, with an extra €20 for anything unexpected. I don’t have a car and work from home, so I calculated my average monthly travel costs, added enough for a taxi on a night out, and that became my travel budget.
Spending was my biggest challenge. I love books, knitting and cocktails on nights out — all of which can get expensive fast. So I made myself some rules. I’m only allowed to buy new books once a month after book club, given I already have a full shelf at home mostly unread. I borrow from the library and listen to audiobooks while I knit. For knitting, I plan projects around people’s birthdays and only buy what I need for specific things. And cocktails are for special occasions — most of the time a gin and tonic does the job just as well.
For subscriptions, I set calendar reminders and if I’m not absolutely in love with something a week before it renews, it goes. There’s usually a free version available anyway.
Was there a moment it felt impossible?
About six months in it started to feel like I’d set myself too high a target. I could see the amount climbing but it didn’t feel like it was rising fast enough.
What kept me going was reminding myself how much more relaxed I already felt. I’d had a bad experience in a previous rental with mice — genuinely my worst nightmare — and at the time I didn’t have enough money to leave and stay somewhere else while it was sorted. Knowing I’d never be stuck in that situation again was a big motivator. Whatever happens, I know I can leave if I need to.
What role did Financielle play?
On the advice of The Vault, I set up pockets on Revolut for food, bills, travel, spending and subscriptions so I could see exactly what I had left each week. I also set up separate sinking funds for holidays and gifts to keep myself on track.
Now you’ve hit €10k, what’s next?
My next goal is to save enough for a second hand car, and then onto saving for a house.
What would you say to someone who feels like this is completely out of reach?
Take it day by day and put in what you can. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else online – no one has had your exact circumstances or experiences, so everyone will be at a different stage with different priorities.
And no matter how small the amount, it’s worth saving. Every little really does help.
This content is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. If you need advice tailored to your personal circumstances, please speak to an authorised financial adviser.