I couldn’t say I was surprised when my cousin finally passed away. He had lived life without much concern for what tomorrow would bring, and 53 years at that pace had finally caught up with him. His body had been relenting. His life in the fast lane left little room for the vagaries of day-to-day…
Tag: family
Introducing our writers
They are students, mothers, artists, job-seekers, office workers, political activists – everyday people facing everyday money challenges. Meet Mouthy Money’s new writers – they tell stories about their financial lives, dreams, successes and failures. And their words won’t just twang your heartstrings or make you clutch your sides with laughter – though they’ll certainly do…
The true cost to women of Russell Brand’s toxic masculinity
In his recent interview with the Sunday Times, Russell Brand explained why he was not a hands-on parent to his two baby daughters. “I’m sensitive and awake and aware,” he said, “so I have to dial a lot of shit down to go through normal life.” It’s an interesting feat of intellectual gymnastics. The inference that…
Confession: I made a public stand against regifting – but I didn’t quite tell the whole story
“If your Christmas spirit is on a par with Trump’s, you need to take a long hard look at yourself!” I declare on BBC Essex. I’ve been invited on to talk about regifting, after a revelation by Donald Trump Jr. that his father once regifted him the Christmas present he’d given him the year before.…
How to avoid a financial hangover this Christmas
With Christmas just around the corner, the season to be jolly is upon us. Whether you’re a festive fiend or little bit of a scrooge, there is no getting away from it… Christmas costs money. If you’re anything like me, you make your Christmas budget, and then promptly blow it. ‘It’s Christmas’, we say, ‘let’s…
My relationship breakdown and serious debt struggles: A cautionary tale
Stepping off the train at London’s Waterloo station, the stark reality of having nowhere to sleep that night caused a panic I could no longer bury. It was a Sunday evening in the summer of 1999 and I was 23. I’d slept at my Mum’s flat in Wiltshire while she was away that weekend (I…
How to keep financially afloat on maternity leave
Maternity leave is full of highs and lows. A beautiful baby of your very own and the joy of a new little family, coupled with sleepless nights, smelly nappies, and the one thing no-one ever seems to discuss – a drastic change in your financial situation! I had tried to prepare for most things having…
‘For richer and for poorer’. Are you financially compatible?
Chances are, you’ve had more than one squabble over ‘who spent what’ during your time together as a couple. I’ve had some humdingers! While I can’t recommend shouting matches as a way of invoking a healthier approach to communicating about money (or the lack of it), it helped us see where we were going wrong.…
Oh hey little one! Financially planning for a baby
It’s been a while since my last blog post, in what has been a rollercoaster few months. That rollercoaster is called The Baby, and sweet Phoebe arrived safely in March. And, as with any new baby, has created carnage and joy in equal measures! Money was high on my agenda early on in my pregnancy.…
A matter of life and death: Why we need to talk to our parents about their mortality now
Nobody wants to think about their parents dying. If you’ve been reasonably unscathed by life events by the time you reach 32 like I have – a world without the parental unit is quite frankly, unfathomable. My mum has always been a bit more blasé about it. She’d wander around the house pointing at pictures…