In our How I Manage My Money series we aim to find out how people in the UK are spending, saving and investing money to meet their costs and achieve their goals.
This week we speak to Courtney Summer, 29, who lives in Southampton with her parents and works as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. Courtney has been made redundant twice and had to give up a rental flat she’d put a deposit on after losing a job. She would like to earn £60,000 a year and has recently set up a private pension after her father told her he regretted not starting one.
Monthly budget
My monthly income: Before tax, the income from my work as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer is approximately £2,200 per month.
My monthly outgoings: I’m not paying for accommodation or utility bills at present. Groceries, £250; Adobe Illustrator, £30; web hosting, £14; trains and buses, £100; mobile phone, £20; Apple Music, £11; iCloud storage, £9; eating out and takeaways, maximum £50. I’ve just started paying £60 a month into a self-invested personal pension (Sipp). I try to add £100 to £500 to my cash savings account when I can.
