Magda Olchawska

From an early age, I was programmed to believe that, for a woman to be taken seriously, she needed to look as good as possible. The message was very clear to me: whether or not a woman planned to be in the public eye, most of her focus should be on her looks. In short,…

For years, I nurtured the belief that whatever I earn must be spent. In my naivety, I never thought I should have invested the surplus, rather than spending it the moment it hit my bank account. I often wondered what I would buy with the extra money coming my way. For years, I also thought…

I’ve been thinking about the little purchases we make regularly that quietly drain our finances. This is the list I came up with; if you have anything to add, please share. Cheap, mostly plastic, Christmas ornaments. This stuff drives me crazy because it usually breaks the moment you open a box or try to hang…

Whatever the banks or financial advisors tell you regarding accumulating debts, consumer debt has never been your friend. I would go as far as saying that personal debt is your mortal enemy that threatens to suck the happiness out of your life. In our culture of instant gratification, it’s easy to overspend and indulge in…

People often say that a cup of coffee costs only £3 and that’s nothing. Well, £0 is nothing, so let’s assume that £3 isn’t a massive amount of money If you buy one cup of coffee every day (including the weekends), you will end up spending £21 a week, which equals £1,095 a year, and…

I watched “The Minimalists” documentary years ago, and then I read Mr Money Moustache’s blog furiously in 2019. But it wasn’t until the national lockdown that I noticed a massive shift in my consciousness. In all honesty, I would never want to go back to the mindset I had pre-lockdown. When you start changing habits and shifting outdated…

Recently, I read that women in my generation will never earn as much as our fathers did; even though we are much better educated, we will still struggle financially. After taking some time to carefully analyse my girlfriend’s and my finances, I had to agree with that statement. We were all very well educated and…,…

For years, I didn’t really know where my money was going. Each month, I was surprised to find I had nothing left in my bank account by the end of the month. I worked just to spend, which made me feel helpless. To control my spending, I decided to run a monthly budget, which revealed…

…not working or not having to work for the rest of your life. Many people who are fortunate enough to become financially independent early in life choose to work, basing their decisions on what they want and what’s right for them rather than prioritising financial security alone. That’s what financial independence is all about: having…