Growing up, My father spoilt me and was there for scary injections, examinations and held my hand before auditions or a big speech. I didn’t have to worry about much because every time I was afraid, someone would show up for solidarity and support.

I started to venture out on my own with my first internship at 18 and slowly, with time, I started to make a little bit of money on writing gigs. The money wasn’t great but I ended up spending it on restaurants, plane tickets and the odd time to shop. It wasn’t until I went through a personal setback at 24, I realised that I needed to take better care of my finances in order to feel comfortable and lead the life that I have always wanted to lead.

I started to save up a little bit, month by month. Putting money aside for a rainy day didn’t come naturally to me at first and I have to admit that it was quite the effort, initially. I had a good hard look at my expenses and started to omit the frivolous ones and started to save money for experiences like travel and my yoga membership and less on coffees and shopping with friends. I realised that even investments are a little bit like taking care of your body. You inculcate in yourself good habits and do things with diligence and consistency to achieve the best results for yourself (as explained in this video below.)

Financial independence and stability have always been important to me, now more than ever, because I realised that we take too much for granted and we have to prepare for unprecedented circumstances. I am almost 30 now and I encourage every woman to start saving. Even a little bit goes a long way. I cannot tell you how much more confident I am since I started saving and investing. I was very apprehensive about this domain because I didn’t understand enough, but I realised that it is definitely worth looking into and I feel so much better after learning about it.

Investing in your future is the best thing you can do. I am now able to book a flight to anyplace in the world without having to worry about repaying anyone or taking a loan. It has made me value my work a lot more and I am more mature about what I spend money on now. The freedom I feel after starting to invest is indescribable and I highly recommend it to everyone. Remember, no two people are the same. You know yourself best so go ahead and get into it. Also, every little bit counts. I find planning ahead of time and putting aside money at the beginning of the month might be more prudent because I can forget about it later. It might seem scary and tedious at first but you can always ask a professional to help you through it. You’ve read what I had to say and I hope you, too, are going to start your journey to #bemoneyconfident.