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The Sun
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
I'm 27 with £120k in savings – but I don't work 9-5 and I'll even retire at 40… anyone can do it
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@
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Shoppers dashing to TK Maxx after spotting Le Creuset crockery for bargain price
SHOPPERS are dashing to TK Maxx to pick up Le Creuset crockery for bargain prices. The retailer is selling cheap mugs, oven and baking dishes from the upmarket brand - and savvy savers can't get enough. TikTok account Fraser_Reno recently posted a video about the stoneware on sale at a branch in Salford, captioned "run, don't walk to TK Maxx". The post has notched up over 7,000 likes and dozens of comments from shoppers amazed at the finds. One commented: "I'll pay you to ship a set of the mugs to (me) plsss." Another said: "Omg need." A third added: "Omg yessss." Shoppers who can't make it to the Salford branch can pick up the stoneware off the TK Maxx website. Just make sure you factor in delivery costs. Standard delivery is £4.99 with baskets worth over £100 having this fee waived. Next day delivery is £6.99 or click and collect is £1.99 (free for orders over £50). Shoppers can buy a 24x19cm stoneware oven dish for £19.99 instead of a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of £48. A 200ml cappuccino mug is £7.99 instead of an RRP of £16 and a 10.5x9cm mug is £9.99 instead of £23. Savvy savers can also get a 24cm classic oven dish for £16.99 instead of a RRP of £38 and a 18x12cm baking dish for £12.99 instead of £37. Shopping discounts - How to make savings and find the best bargains The full list of Le Creuset items can be found via this link - and typing "Le Creuset" into the search bar. Just remember, you should always be shopping around before buying a product like this. Use websites like PriceSpy, Price Runner and Idealo to compare online prices on thousands of products. Or, you can use the Google Shopping/Product tab to quickly scan prices across the internet. We checked out how other retailers' prices compared to TK Maxx's on some of the same Le Creuset crockery. All the items we could find on sale at other retailers were cheapest at TK Maxx. We couldn't find the 200ml cappuccino mug cheaper than £7.99 anywhere else, nor the 24x19cm stoneware oven dish for less than £19.99. In other news, a shopping expert revealed four tricks TK Maxx uses to get you to spend more - and how to avoid them. Another revealed the best day of the week to visit your nearest store to get bargains from as little as £1. How to bag a bargain SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain… Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with. Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks. Sales are when you can pick up a real steal. Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on. Sign up to mailing lists and you'll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use and are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer. Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping. Bargain hunters can also use B&M's scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out. And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you'll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester Credit Union polls Bury shoppers on spending and saving
A poll by Manchester Credit Union identified 51 per cent of respondents as "big spenders" instead of "savvy savers." The MCU gathered responses during three days at Mill Gate Shopping Centre last week. With the help of the MCU's bee mascot, the team asked shoppers whether they considered themselves one of Bury's "biggest spenders" or "savviest savers." In a close result, 51 per cent identified as big spenders. Mandy Wilcock, chief executive of Manchester Credit Union, said: "It's been a brilliant few days, really engaging with local people about money matters in a fun way. "While the big spenders won the vote, it was a close contest, and we spoke to many shoppers with a real passion for saving, too. "On a more serious note, it's important we improve financial literacy in adults and children across the UK. "As a lender with a long history of providing affordable financial services to the people of Bury and Greater Manchester, we're keen to invest in the local community and give them the knowledge to make good financial decisions. "Getting people thinking about their families' needs and financial habits, and encouraging them to prepare for a rainy day, is all part of that." A spokesperson explained: "Unlike a bank, a credit union exists solely for the benefit of its members. "Without shareholders, all profits are returned to members as dividends on their savings and used to improve member services and the local community." Ms Wilcock added: "Our family loan members have an average £111 in their savings account, and many of them are saving for the very first time. "This is a great example of how we're building financial resilience and helping our members get ahead." READ MORE: Wood Street Chippy: Permission granted for 3-bedsit conversion GM to get £2.5bn transport boost- including new Metrolink stops 108 Bury taxi drivers could face ban after not responding to e mails The visit to Mill Gate Shopping Centre was part of MCU's wider community outreach, which includes the Bee Smart with Money roadshow for primary schools across Greater Manchester. The roadshow involves a "fairy tale with a financial twist" designed to improve children's financial literacy. Butterstile Primary School in Prestwich was the latest school to take part in the roadshow.
