A SUPER-saver who held down eight jobs at university and was branded a ‘tightwad’ by friends has had the last laugh – because she’s paid off her mortgage in just two years.
Penny pincher Emma Jackson, 27, shunned student nights out and instead of getting into debt, started saving for a deposit for a mortgage.
During her four years studying sports development, Emma worked as a lifeguard, a babysitter, a personal trainer, sold gym membership, was a football coach at two different clubs, primary school PE trainer, and summer camp support worker.
She rarely went on a night out, took her own green tea bags to cafes, bought second-hand clothes, had a minimal wardrobe of jeans and t-shirts and entered as many competitions as she could find.
The NHS worker from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, still never misses an opportunity to save by getting free food through apps and using internet cashback sites.
She finally paid off her final £30,000 of her £80,000 mortgage on her one-bed flat in Sheffield last month and toasted her success with girlfriend, nurse Hannah Bruce, 30, after buying a cheap bottle of plonk.
Emma told how she put in a real effort to save when she went to university at 18 to study for four years by staying at home with her parents.
“My friends would laugh at me for being a cheapskate but I made it my mission to save up for a mortgage while I was there,” she said.
Along with her many jobs, she would also indulge in “side hustles” doing surveys for £10 a pop and taking up offers from credit cards or bank-switching to cash in on their new customer offers.
She also scours social media for around half an hour every night filling in forms for competitions and has so far won holidays, make-up, a smartphone and health equipment.
Emma said: “Although university might seem an odd time to save it was actually perfect as I had no responsibilities.
“People ask me why I bother with some things when I’m only earning £10 here and there but I think that if you save up the little bits, the big pot will take care of itself.
”And if you’re doing this consistently it soon adds up.”
She managed to put down a 45% deposit on a £80,000 one-bed flat in Sheffield now worth £96,000, thanks to her £36,000 savings.
She bought her property in April 2019 and was paying the standard £200 a month payments along with 10% of the balance that she was allowed to overpay a year.
The rest of her money she put into a savings account and waited until the term of her mortgage was up before paying it all off in one big payment.
Emma was taught her saving skills thanks to thrifty parents, who had to survive on a single income when her dad worked as a factory engineer and her mum was formerly a stay-at-home mum.
She said after putting money aside to pay her mortgage off early she was left £400 a month to live on.
“If I had money left at the end of the month it would go into my savings,” she said.
“It isn’t easy, I worked really hard to save for what I wanted, it does take sacrifice but it is worth it to get what you want. It is possible.”
Emma, who now runs money blog Bee Money Savvy to share her tips and wins, said: “You could say I’m addicted to saving, I do get a buzz when I save money or get something for free.
”A friend worked out I could be a millionaire by the time I’m 40 if I keep going but I don’t want that for myself.
“It’s more important to me to be happy and never have to work in a job I don’t like.”
