Lauren Johnston, 42, was in and out of debt for 20 years before turning her finances around
A resourceful woman stashes away £150 monthly to maintain her “f*** you fund” – ensuring she has emergency savings should she wish to leave her job or relocate.
Lauren Johnston, 42, hasn’t always been financially savvy and accumulated £20,000 in debt by the end of her university course due to readily available credit cards during her first year as a student. The holiday let manager and TikTok money influencer spent two decades cycling through debt, eventually clearing it by reducing expenditure and repaying it gradually through monthly instalments.
Following an unexpected pregnancy at 38, she determined to build an emergency fund – providing finances for unforeseen circumstances. She began putting aside £150 monthly until reaching a £5,000 reserve – keeping the funds in a high-interest savings account.
Lauren withdrew £1,000 from the pot when she left her job that “wasn’t serving her” – and £3,000 to assist with relocating to a new property. She’ll replenish it through monthly contributions, ensuring she maintains £5,000 available for any emergency.
Lauren, from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, explained: “I couldn’t imagine life without this fund; it makes unpredictable situations much less complicated. At least half the UK could say that they would be in debt if they had to pay a month of rent upfront – so it just goes to show – if you start this fund you won’t have that issue.”
Lauren fell into debt following university and acknowledged she grew up lacking understanding of financial management.
She said: “My credit card bills were so bad that when I left university the bank banned me from the account and put me on a loan instead. I never learned about money – my father was arrested for gambling when I was young and our house was repossessed because of the debt we were in.
“The first thing I did when I left home was dive into debt – I wasn’t privileged enough to have that knowledge about finances. I got out of my debt by simply cutting down on everything – only having the essentials – but I also sell things on Etsy on the side, have my TikTok and my full-time job.”
Lauren began her ‘f*** you fund’ at the age of 38, finding herself single and unexpectedly pregnant in April 2021, while still battling debt.
She said: “I found myself in this really low moment – a month before my son was born I was moved into emergency housing by the council – a single mum with post-natal depression. Having children is expensive, especially when unprepared, in debt, or raising them alone.
“On my maternity leave, I just kept reading and reading all these finance books and self-help books, I was so interested in it all and started posting about finance as I learnt, a lot of people related to me. I started with as much as I could put in, until that was £150, and then I just kept growing it.”
Lauren’s most significant use of her fund came in January 2026, when she was finally able to relocate herself and her son from a council flat into private accommodation. The move required £3,000 from her emergency fund to cover removals, deposits and new purchases for their home.
Lauren typically transfers £150 a month into her fund until it reaches her target of £5,000, kept in a high-interest savings account. Once it hits her goal, her savings are directed towards other accounts, including her pension. She has even set up her four-year-old son with his own savings accounts, so he can develop an understanding of finances as he grows up.
Lauren said: “My boy – he loves to be outside, and my emergency housing had no garden, it made things very difficult. Now I have a house with a huge garden, and I love watching him run around.
“I have made sure to open him a young person’s pension and ISA – he has had these since a baby. When anyone gives him birthday money I split them between the two.”
Lauren also used £1,000 from her ‘f*** you fund’ to escape a job she felt wasn’t serving her.
She said: “I have complex PTSD and autism, so sometimes I struggle in an office environment. I was struggling there and needed to change jobs. The fund allowed me to hand in my notice without fear and work on getting a job lined up – which I managed to do pretty fast.”
Lauren recommended that when building a ‘f*** you’ fund, the typical individual would require three to six months’ worth of expenses set aside. She also believes the best secret in finding the money to save is to budget every month.
She explained: “Saving up depends on your own expenses, so it’s more of a proportion thing, but there are ways you can find this money. People think budgets are restrictive, but I think they help allow yourself to spend money on things that have value to you, rather than random things.
“A budget shows you where money leaks are – so for example – spending on coffee or random snacks. People also have no clue how many things they are subscribed to – if you look at what is being taken out of your bank each month, you will be surprised. At first this may feel like cutting back, but soon you’ll look back and see it was actually overspending.”
Lauren also advocates regularly reviewing bank interest rates and comparing suppliers for household bills.
She added: “It is important to constantly renegotiate your bills to check you are paying the lowest possible. My savings account, for example, that changes quite frequently because I am constantly finding better deals for interest elsewhere. I also have signed onto a cashback scheme where I get 1% back every time I spend.”
Despite Lauren’s income varying due to her online work, she deposits £150 into the account until reaching £5,000. She explained: “I have a financial meeting with myself at the end of the month to check expenses and work out how much I will put in my fund. I don’t get stressed about finance any more – I have to say it was the best thing I ever did, it turned my life around, and now I can teach my son to do the same.”
Lauren’s top tips
– Set aside three to six months’ worth of expenses in your emergency fund
– Draw up a monthly budget
– Review your bank statements for any unrecognised subscriptions
– Keep an eye out for competitive bank interest rates
– Continuously renegotiate your bills to make sure you’re securing the best deal
– Look into cashback schemes as a way to save
– Hold a personal financial review at the end of each month to assess your outgoings and determine how much to contribute to your fund
– Shop around for savings accounts offering the most attractive interest rates
