HOW much did you have in your piggy bank by 18? India Barrett has a whopping £12,000… and she hasn’t even left school yet.
She juggles her A-level studies alongside a busy job at a Thai restaurant and making money from TikTok posts. She earns anywhere between £1,800 to £3,500 a month – and instead of spending it on going out and clothes like any sixth former, she saves or invests nearly ALL of it.
“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,” India says.
India works four days a week at the restaurant, anywhere between 30 to 40 hours a week, and spends the remaining three days revising for her A-levels and going to her local sixth form college in Berkeley, Gloucestershire.
“I never really ever have a day off,” she says.
She earns £10.85 an hour – roughly £1,500 a month and £18,000 over the whole year.
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India also makes money from her TikTok account @indiadarcey, charging around £300 for a branded post.
Each month, she’ll earn anywhere between £300 to £2,000.
Her combined estimated earnings per year are £28,000, but this can vary.
But instead of blowing it all on holidays in Ibiza or fast cars, India has decided to grow her cash instead by investing it in the stock market or saving it.
“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,” she says.
How Olivia made £800 in five months… without lifting a finger
Each month, she puts aside £1,200, of which £600 goes into her savings account with Monzo, and another £600 into a stocks and shares Isa with Trading 212.
An Isa is a tax-free savings account where the interest you earn from your money, or profit made from investments, is tax-free.
You can put £20,000 a year into these accounts.
Even though India only started investing five months ago, she’s earned an impressive amount of money from investing into her Isa.
She currently has £5,000 in her Isa, and has made £800 from her investments.
She has £3,000 in her savings account with Monzo, which has an interest rate of 3.5%. She’s earned £80 of interest on her savings so far.
She also has £4,000 in a Lifetime ISA (LISA). This is a tax-free savings account designed for first-time buyers (or those retiring) – you can put £4,000 a year into the account.
These accounts are great for building up a deposit, because the government adds 25% on top of whatever you’ve saved in.
India has £4,000 in this account, so even if she doesn’t save a penny more, the government will add in an extra £1,000.
Budgeting is Olivia’s key to success
Olivia is able to save so much cash because she still lives with her parents. She only pays £250 a month to them.
She also says strict budgeting has also helped her save so much each month.
As soon as India’s pay check comes in at the end of the month, she puts aside the exact amount she needs for her food, her car, petrol and any other expenses.
She then gives herself £100 to spend on treats such as coffee, clothes and shoes, and puts the rest of her money in savings.
“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 is currently saving for a house deposit and has the ambitious goal of having £100,000 in investments by age 25.
She urges other young people to start saving as soon as they get a job, even if it is just £10 a month.
“I think as soon as you get a job, no matter what age you are, put a little bit away each month, because it all adds up,” she says.
How much does India save and invest per month?
HOW much India saves: £600
Of that £600, she puts…
– £600 into Monzo savings account with an interest rate of 3.5%
How much India invests: £600
Of that £600, she puts…
– £600 a stocks and shares ISA with Trading 212 (she invests into high performing stocks such as Alphabet, Apple, Tesla and S&P500)
Gains made from her investments so far = £800
Interest earned from her savings so far = £80
Separately, she also has a Lifetime ISA, which she has put a lump sum of £4,000 in, so that she will get the government bonus of 25%, adding £1,000 to her pot.
