Lockdown your finances
Starting 2021 without a full-time job or regular income and finding myself back in my bedroom shielding didn’t seem the best start to the year. I love being around people, and the start of the year loomed with worries about my career and money. As well as the global pandemic having a tight grip on London.
However, I had an amazing start to the year. I was invited to BBC Radio 5 Live with Laura Whitmore to discuss personal finances, which is quite an important topic right now! I have also spent some time on my blog, speaking to friends, writing, and hanging out at Clubhouse.
BBC Radio 5 Live with Laura Whitmore
After New Year, I was asked back on to BBC Radio 5 Live with Laura Whitmore to discuss how we will deal with our pandemic finances. I was excited to be back talking to Laura, who is always so positive and supportive.
January is a perfect time to discuss finances when most people are broke after Christmas and New Year. I wanted to be sensitive to people who are on furlough, have lost their jobs and are worried about money. Don’t get me wrong. Some people have managed to save this year under lockdown. Earning without the daily commuting, lattes, and drinking with colleagues has meant some people have managed to save. However, for many other people, the start of 2021 is challenging.
It’s time to lockdown your finances under lockdown.
My key tip: Don’t Spend On Unnecessary Items.
Don’t get me wrong. We need to keep spending on essentials. Also, as discussed on the show with TV Presenter and Author Radzi, the economy needs consumers to spend to keep going. However, my advice is to stop spending and start saving. If you need to spend on essentials, choose to support local supermarkets and your friends’ businesses and only buy those items you need.
This is the time to sit tight, just for a short while.
You can read my top tips on how to manage your lockdown finances best and also choose one of my 5 cashless savings challenges to do this year.
Death to 2020: Netflix
‘A year whose story couldn’t be told until now because it was still happening. From the creators of Black Mirror comes Death to 2020 – a Netflix Comedy Event.’
A must-see on Netflix. An amazing parody of events throughout 2020.
Scarily true. A brilliant watch.
My Top 3 Lockdown Diaries Tips:
1. SIT TIGHT – IT’S NOT FOREVER
2021 stretches out before us, and again, the year starts with me living out of my bedroom, once again shielding. Many of us are frustrated, bored and missing loved ones and friends.
Sit tight around now. It’s not forever.
2. KEEP HEALTHY THROUGHOUT JANUARY
I am trying Veganuary and Dry January this month, which hasn’t been as easy as I thought! As it’s important to stay healthy during lockdown, I have given up alcohol. Not easy for me, but even more so under lockdown. I have had one cheat day, but I am going strong otherwise. Introducing more plant-based meals into my diet is also a good thing!
3. DON’T OVERDOSE ON THE NEWS
I have been glued to the news ever since the New Year. I have been watching the recent events in America, which have been very sad as well as shocking. Watching the numbers rise in London, where COVID-19 looks like it has an iron grip on the capital. It has been frightening, and I can’t even leave the house anymore. As much as it’s important to keep up-to-date with the news, then it is also important to protect your mental health.
That concludes my NEW Lockdown Diaries series!
