Hi! Could you introduce yourself?

My name is Kia and I am a Personal Finance creator, public speaker and presenter. I have a personal finance platform called Pennies To Pounds and a Social Media Talent Agency called Bleuprint Agency. I keep myself very busy!

‍

What personality type did you get? Did you find the results to be accurate?

I took the quiz and I got the artist! I think it’s very much me as I’m someone who isn’t overly fussed with spending money and I’m quite savvy whenever I’m out. Who knew a quiz could know me so well!‍

What inspired you to start a social media presence about personal finance? For completely new readers, what is the “tl;dr” of your brand? ‍

I’ve always had a passion for finances and my parents played a huge role in that interest. As I got to university and moved away from home, I realised how little I’d been taught about personal finances throughout education. I started off by educating my peers then moved to socials channels where things took off on Twitter.

‍‍

What is your relationship with personal finance? What changes have you made that have helped? How has it changed over time? ‍

I definitely have a strong love for personal finance and I’m always amending my own methods to make sure it fits my lifestyle. I used to be a ‘set and go’ type of person with regards to automating savings but now I’m more hands on. The reason being, one month I can have more money left over so I can save more whereas another month that might have to be decreased. This has really helped me to be adaptive and keep my personal finances personal to my financial situation in that moment.

‍

‍What are some things that worked for you for maintaining balance and managing your spending?

• Setting up ‘spending’ budgets allowed me to enjoy myself when out with friends, without feeling guilty for overspending.
• Taking part in savings challenges helped me to put away money and it seeming fun while doing so. Even better when you do it alongside someone else!
  

‍

Is there any financial goal you are working towards right now? What steps are you taking to achieve that goal?

The next big financial milestone I’m currently working towards is saving up my house deposit for my first house. It’s something I really want to achieve in my life and I’m definitely working hard to reach it.

‍

What do you most enjoy spending on? Or any guilty pleasure you can share!?‍

My biggest guilty pleasure spending has to be food! I am such a foodie that I’ll literally spend any amount on good food!

‍

How have you been spending your time through the pandemic? How does it feel to be on the cusp of normalcy?

‍I’ve used this pandemic period to learn new skills and enforce a lot more ‘me’ time. When you’re in a regular, fast paced life, you can often forget to prioritise yourself. I took that time to remember that looking after myself is important! I’m very happy to see things gradually returning to a new normal.

‍

‍How often do you check your finances?

‍As often as I check social media. Okay, not that often. But definitely at least once a day.

‍

‍For someone who is starting completely new to personal finance, how would they get started? What specific tips would you have for newbies?  

• Start saving, regardless of the amount
• Start learning financial literacy whether it is through books, podcasts, newsletters etc
• As soon as you’re able to, open and contribute to a pension fund. Trust me, your future self will thank you for it!
  

‍

What's your stack? (Accounts, credit cards, apps or other tools)

Here’s my go-to:

• Saving - Plum
• Budgeting - Emma
• Investing - Freetrade
• Cashback - Quidco or TopCashback

Follow Kia on Instagram: @penniestopoundspod