Revolting health problem infecting wild swimmers. I ended up in hospital from it... this is why you must NEVER put your head under the water now
'There's something wonderful about wild swimming – it's something I did as often as I could,' says the 48-year-old artist and river water safety campaigner.
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WE'VE all fantasized about retiring from work early - but for most of us it's more of a dream than a possibility. But you don't need a high-flying job or rich parents to make it happen. Maria Psarkis, 27, explains how she has built up £120,000 in saving and plans to retire at just 40. 6 6 6 Maria is just one of a new breed of SHINERs - Side Hustlers Habitually Investing - nurturing income and retiring early. It might not sound catchy - but this group of savvy savers use side hustles and multiple income streams to build their wealth - and avoid the traditional nine to five. In their case, it's their forties when they plan to stop working, or cut their workload to just a few hours a week. Maria explains: "I've upcycled, grafted, and used SEVEN side hustles to build £150k in savings, businesses and investments. "I don't and won't do nine to five. I'm creating my own 'side hustle retirement fund' and building investments by multitasking. "It's not about quitting forever. It's about freedom and being able to choose how and when I work." Maria is not alone. Around 14% of Gen Z - those born after 1996 - want to soft retire in their 40s and stop full-time work before they hit 50, according to a 2024 YouGov survey. But rather than dreaming of sitting on the beach or enjoying a round of golf, many younger people like Maria see soft retiring as a flexible lifestyle shift – not a full stop. They want to be their own bosses and do fewer hours, work remotely and use side hustles to give them financial freedom. Psychic's path to manifesting money and getting rich | Talking Money For Maria this means being a landlord, running a fashion business and working in hospitality, consultancy and content creation. Side hustle empire Maria started to build up her side hustle empire while she was in school and still lived with her parents. "I don't come from a rich family," she said. "When I was 17, I started working on Saturdays doing admin tasks. I tried to save 60% of my wages." When she turned 18, her gran also gave her £2,000, which, when added to her Saturday job and holiday work, brought her savings up to £7,000. After leaving school, Maria worked for twelve months as a waitress, doing event management, part-time modelling and social media marketing. "I am not the typical blonde-haired model," Maria explains. "Agents liked my dark hair, nose and what they called 'Arabic looks'. "I was living at home, so I could save almost 70% of what I earned. I used that year to develop multiple skills at entry-level positions." In 2017, Maria began her hospitality management and marketing degree at the University of Chester. On top of her classes, she also worked four or five shifts a week as a waitress or at hospitality events. "I budgeted £100 a week for travel and food and saved what I could," she said. "I was modelling for fashion students, did catalogue modelling, swimwear and clubwear for fashion companies, and was helping people market themselves on social media." As part of her degree, Maria won the Entrepreneurship in action competition with her business plan for a sustainable clubwear and Gen Z fashion brand. "The judges told me my idea could be launched on a budget and would work," she said. "It was the first time anyone had really praised my business nous and money-making ideas." During that time, Maria became obsessed with side hustles, spreading investment risk and saving. She explains: "I did go out, but limited my spending. "I had fun, but on a budget. I moved in with relatives in the second year to save even more money and cut my student loan liability." By this point, Maria's savings had reached £40,000, so she decided to start investing. But she ended up learning the hard way that investments can go wrong. She chose to try bitcoin trading and invested £7,000 - but soon lost it all. "I ended up being scammed. I was gutted," she said. "Meanwhile, two friends I'd loaned money to could not pay back the £300 I lent them. "Losing £7,300 was my financial rock bottom. I was furious with myself and that anger fuelled my plan to take control and aim to soft retire at 40. "It made me hungry to make sure I was financially protected, never suffered stupid exposure levels, and was always making, not losing, money." The situation made Maria even more focused on her finances. She decided to pay £4,500 upfront for her Master of Science in Management and Marketing to avoid having to pay interest on a student loan. She made extra cash to cover the costs by working as a waitress, events manager, model, travel agent and in social media marketing and advertising. Saved thousands She says: "I made back what I lost and added to my savings. "I had money in a savings account and was using an investment Isa. "I also regularly switched current accounts when offers came up on interest rates or cash bonuses." Maria also took out a credit card with a £2,000 limit to build up her credit score, but made sure to always pay off the balance in full. By 2022, she had amassed £70,000 in savings, including earnings from part-time work, interest from her Isa and side hustles. "I worked and saved hard for the money," she admits. "My financial rock bottom inspired me. I had the savings, but I still was not investment smart." Maria decided to move in with her grandmother in Manchester to save thousands of pounds in rent payments. She used £5,000 of her savings to launch her fashion brand, XX-Attire. The company initially offered clubwear and swimwear, but now sells work-friendly fashion to customers who want sustainable but edgy fashion. Maria said: "I did pop-up shops and catwalk shows in Manchester, London, Greece and Thailand. "I worked on the clothes myself, and the business is now making a profit. "I keep an eye on costs daily, develop only ranges I know will sell out using social media algorithms and client feedback. "I also make customised outfits which can earn me more than £500 per outfit." Property portfolio Maria also realised that the way to really put her money to work was to develop a property portfolio. Two years ago, she bought a two-bedroom house in Manchester for £89,000 and rented it out. She put down a deposit of £29,000 and took out a £60,000 mortgage over 20 years at a five-year fixed rate of 2.2%. Her monthly repayments were £309.25 and she earns £850 a month in rent. "I put that rent money into the mortgage each month and was always paying extra," she said. "I added a spare tenner or fiver weekly and it's cutting years and interest repayments off my mortgage." In total, Maria is able to overpay her mortgage by £61 a month. "This means I can pay off the mortgage four years early, save £3,789 in interest, and gain 48 months of financial freedom," she explains. "Each month, I try to add even more money. The snowball effect of doing this will have a real impact on soft retirement." Maria is also looking to buy a two-bedroom flat in Manchester this year, and plans to live in one of the bedrooms and rent out the other. She plans to put down a £30,000 deposit and take out a £40,000 mortgage. She explains: "Property is a solid investment, and not buying in London means I can get into the property market early, especially as my credit rating is excellent." Clutter into cash She also sells at least £3,000 of old clothes on Vinted or eBay each year, maximises club card points and swaps credit cards or utility suppliers when there's cash to be made or a cashback incentive. "I've made £2,000 doing that. I love charity shop buying and decorating. "I have a budget and stick to it, but if I can make money, even selling old books to a book-buying site, I'll do it. "People don't understand, Gen Z are not about one job, we're about multiple jobs or side hustles. "I earn money from my social media platforms, monetising them so instead of freebies, I get paid from the creators' fund or sponsored posts. "This can pull in £2,000 to £3,000 a month. I also earn a percentage from clients I've built social media content for, through their creators' fund payments." Maria has continued to run specialist hospitality events and says the skills she's learnt since she was 17 now help her to turn a profit. "I've also developed a new side hustle with my partner, who is a chef. "I help people to plan unusual date nights, hire someone to cook for them at home or use simple recipes to recreate restaurant-style food themselves. "It's a unique idea that adds another side hustle to my businesses." She also earns £200 a month by working as a travel agent. Meanwhile, she makes £400 a month from a photo studio that she leases and uses for photo shoots, makeovers and social media marketing. Maria saves a minimum of £1,000 or more a month. "I learnt to do my own accounting at university and have an accountant sign off on it," she said. "I also pay £200 a month into a self invested personal pension and top it up when I can." Maria's now on track to build an investment portfolio, including multiple side hustle businesses, Isas and her fashion brand, and expects to be worth more than half a million within five years. "I have fun. I go out. But I never miss an opportunity or let an idea slip away," she said. "Many people want to be different. They want a side hustle but are scared because the last generation told them nine to five jobs. 'I don't want a rocking chair in my forties. I plan to be soft retired, bossing it on a beach with a laptop." 6 6 Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@
