A woman who went from being homeless to having £25,000 in her bank to put toward her first home has shared how she turned her life around.
Abby Dunsmure, 26, and her husband Stuart, 25, moved into a “dirty” council flat after a period of homelessness and spent six years turning it into a dream home.
But the pair now have their hearts set on buying their first home - and have saved up £25,000 in just 13 months toward their goal.
Abby, who regularly updates her Instagram and TikTok followers on her savings journey, explained how they’ve had "no spend" months to help boost their money.
A “no spend” month is where you only pay for your bills and essentials like travel and food - you avoid luxuries like new clothes and holidays.
Abby and Stuart also both took on extra overtime at work, whereas the pair were relying solely on one salary before they ramped up their savings.
Speaking on TikTok, she said: “This month we actually hit £25,000 in savings. This has taken us 13 months to save and we are both over the moon.
“A lot has actually gone wrong in that time. We’ve had a few different job changes and we have sacrificed a lot. We have done a lot of overtime but we have both managed to hit our target.
“For reference, we both work in the care sector. I currently work in a care home. I do 12 hour shifts and I have just finished working 14 days straight. We are both taking part in a no spend year - this is a great way to save quite a bit of money.
“In this month we’ve been able to save £1,800.”
Have you managed to buy your first home and want to share how you did it? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
When it comes to buying a new home, Abby explained they would prefer to buy outright in case they are made redundant from work again.
She has previously explained how the couple want to save £90,000 over three years to buy their dream home.
Abby and Stuart also have no car, debts and they don’t drink or smoke.
She said: "Me and my husband aren't wanting to get a mortgage - we want to cash buy a house which is why it's taking so long.
"We're looking to buy an ex-council property. Council properties are much better standard than new builds. You get much bigger gardens."
When they first moved into their flat they had no furniture, other than a bed, and could not even afford a fridge without taking out a payday loan.
They redecorated their flat by shopping in TK Maxx and Dunelm, and saved up to purchase more expensive furniture such as a new coffee table.
