India Barrett, 18, from Gloucestershire, has built up £12,000 in savings and investments whilst studying for her A-Levels
An 18 year old still in full-time education has revealed how she manages to save thousands of pounds with a rule she uses every month. India Barrett, 18, has always had a passion for saving and taught herself to invest through YouTube videos after being inspired by her business studies lessons.
The sixth form student from Berkeley, Gloucestershire, had already accumulated a nest egg earmarked for investments before she was even legally allowed to invest. While juggling revision for her A Levels, India clocks up 40 hours of work each week, alongside earning money through TikTok.
She’s managed to accumulate £12,000 in savings and investments – and puts it all down to the same money rule she applies each month with the money she has left over after essentials. She said: “I’ve always been very money driven, and when I started studying business in college, it just made me really want to save lots of money.
“I’m in college three days a week, and work in a Thai restaurant four days a week, I don’t really ever have a day off. As soon as my pay check comes in, I budget everything I need for the month, and put the rest in savings.
“I invest around £600 a month, and put about the same amount in my savings. I think as soon as you get a job, no matter what age you are, put a little bit away each month, even if it’s just £10, because it all adds up.
“I was interested in investing before I turned 18, so before I could even legally invest, I was putting away money each month so that the day I did turn 18, I could just put it all straight into investing. If I didn’t budget, I would just go completely AWOL with my money and would just keep tapping my card.
“The fact that I can budget into each pot every single month really helps.” India has always been sensible with her finances, beginning to save from the moment she started working at 16.
She also set money aside for investments, ensuring that when she turned 18 and could legally invest, she already had a nest egg ready to go. Around five months ago, she decided to get deadly serious about saving and taught herself the ins and outs of investing and how to make the most of her money.
India is currently studying business at college and credits her lessons with inspiring her to become financially savvy. She began watching YouTube and TikTok tutorials on investing, while trying out different saving methods and learning through experience.
“I lost a bit of money at the start, because I didn’t really know what I was investing in, and just sort of winged it,” she said. “Then I started researching what stocks I was investing in to, and that made me more confident.”
India works almost all the time
India is in full-time education but also grafts 40 hours a week at a Thai restaurant, earning £10.85 an hour and £18,000 a year. On top of this, she earns money through her TikTok account @indiadarcey, charging roughly £300 for a branded post.
She rakes in up to £2,000 a month from TikTok, putting her yearly earnings at around £28,000. As soon as India’s wages arrive at the end of the month, she sets aside the precise amount required for her food, car, petrol and any other outgoings.
She also contributes £250 monthly to her parents for rent. She then allocates herself £100 to spend on treats such as coffee, clothes and shoes, and deposits the remainder of her money into savings.
India deposits around £600 into her savings account, and £600 into her Trading 212 Stocks and Shares ISA every month, which represents around 60% of her monthly earnings. She currently holds £5,000 in an investment account, £4,000 in a Lifetime ISA (LISA) and £3,000 in an emergency fund.
India is currently saving towards a house deposit and has set herself the ambitious target of having £100,000 in investments by age 25. Alongside her savings accounts, India possesses four credit cards and five debit cards, and makes use of all of them, as they each offer her different perks.
“When I went to Paris I got £100 off my flight because I used Avios points that I got with my American Express card,” she said. She is encouraging other young people to begin saving as soon as they secure employment, even if it’s just £10 a month.
