Blogger who gives millennials advice on how to save money defends splashing hers on ‘silly’ things

Blogger, 29, who gives millennials advice on how to save money defends splashing her cash on ‘silly’ things like a £150-a-month gym membership and £450 Dyson Airwrap, claiming finance shouldn’t be such a ‘judgey’ topic

  • Ellie Austin-Williams is popular online finance coach and blogger from Clapham 
  • She runs the This Girl Talks Money blog and works freelance in marketing 
  • The 29-year-old rents her London home and splashes out on items for herself

A millennial money blogger has defended splashing a ‘significant amount’ of cash on things other people would deem as ‘silly’, claiming spending shouldn’t be such a ‘super judgey topic’. 

Finance coach Ellie Austin-Williams, 29, rents her home in Clapham, south London and works freelance in marketing while running her popular This Girl Talks Money blog. 

It offers practical guides on topics such as staying social on a budget and paying off debt quickly and intends to make talking about finance ‘a little bit less heavy’. 

The blogger, who admitted spending £150-a-month on her gym membership and splashing out on a £450 Dyson Airwrap, said she is ‘upfront’ about her finances in an interview with The Sunday Times. 

She offers practical guides on topics such as staying social on a budget and paying off debt quickly and intends to make talking about finance 'a little bit less heavy'.

Finance coach Ellie Austin-Williams, 29, rents her home in Clapham, south London and works freelance in marketing while running her popular This Girl Talks Money blog

‘All I’m here to do is to open up the convo around this often super-judgey topic,’ said Ellie.  

‘I’ve always been upfront that I spend significant amounts of money on things some people would think are silly, like my gym.’

Ellie quit her job at a London law firm in 2018 and started working for a brand and marketing consultancy before founding This Girl Talks Money in May 2019. 

The blogger’s interest in finance began in her final year of Southampton University, where she studied Modern Languages before heading to law school to undergo her LPC. 

The blogger, who admitted spending £150-a-month on her gym membership and splashing out on a £450 Dyson Airwrap, said she is 'upfront' about her finances

The blogger, who admitted spending £150-a-month on her gym membership and splashing out on a £450 Dyson Airwrap, said she is ‘upfront’ about her finances

Concerned with her budgeting –  which Ellie says on her website saw her buy ‘more manicures than meals’ – her mother signed her up to the Money Saving Expert email list, which sparked her interest in finance. 

She told the publication that she saves around £250 a month and invests a portion of her cash using WealthSimple, an online investment management service geared at millennials. 

In March, Ellie launched the Money Unfiltered podcast with blogger Victoria Nabarro, which shares practical, everyday money advice. 

In their latest episode, the podcasters explore why some young people seem to have come out of the pandemic with more savings than ever, while others are struggling more than they were before lockdown. 

Other subjects explored in the podcast include how to best manage your money as a couple, the high price you pay for being young and single, and the difficulties faced by millennials and Gen-Z when it comes to buying a home. 

She told the publication that she saves around £250 a month and invests a portion of her cash using WealthSimple, an online investment management service geared at millennials

She told the publication that she saves around £250 a month and invests a portion of her cash using WealthSimple, an online investment management service geared at millennials 

Ellie, who often helps advise people on their financial woes on the FT’s Money Clinic podcast, recently wrote a blog busting common myths around finance – including that it’s rude to talk about money. 

She said that while it may be awkward to discuss money, being vocal about finances can help lead to increased salary transparency and improved visibility on what people should be paid for their work. 

The blogger advised her young readers that you don’t have to be wealthy to invest, suggesting putting away £10 or £20 per month with the help of FinTech companies which allow you to invest from your phone.   

She shared the importance of managing your money with her readers, insisting that a high salary doesn’t necessarily make you rich. 

‘Managing your money is fundamental to building your wealth and increasing your assets – you can have a super high earning job but if you spend as much as you earn, you’ll not have any wealth when you stop working’, wrote Ellie. 

‘Lifestyle inflation is real and it can creep up on you, so don’t be fooled into thinking income equals wealth alone.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk