{"id":996,"date":"2025-05-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/?p=996"},"modified":"2025-05-28T20:29:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T20:29:04","slug":"im-a-40-year-old-divorcee-this-is-exactly-what-i-spend-in-a-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/im-a-40-year-old-divorcee-this-is-exactly-what-i-spend-in-a-month\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a 40-year-old divorcee \u2014 this is exactly what I spend in a month"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_248624483-20a7.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23114407\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Ana Clarke shares what she&#8217;s doing to achieve the comfortable life she dreams of. (Picture: Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"metro-article-audio-player\" data-vars-type=\"article-audio-player\">\n<div class=\"metro-article-audio-player-play-row\">\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"metro-article-audio-player-play-button\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<title>Listen to article<\/title>\t\t\t\t\t<span>Listen to article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-container\"><img class=\"sponsor-image\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro\/includes\/site-blocks\/article-audio\/assets\/powered-by.png\" alt=\"Powered by\" data-rewritten=\"false\" \/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"audio-controls hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t<audio class=\"audio-element\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ElevenLabs_2025-05-19T14_15_58_Axell-British-YouTube-Personality-_pvc_sp100_s50_sb75_se30_b_m2-3c2d.mp3\" controls id=\"audio-683771f482729\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tYour browser does not support the audio element.<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/audio>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Welcome back to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/me-and-my-money\/\">Me and My Money<\/a>,&nbsp;<strong>Metro\u2019s<\/strong>&nbsp;series taking a peek into the nation\u2019s wallets and bank accounts.<\/p>\n<p>This week we meet <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/instaaclarke\">Ana Clarke<\/a>, a 40-year-old business strategist and translator, who lives with her nine-year-old son and two dogs in a rental property in Kent. She currently doesn&#8217;t pay rent monthly &#8211; because she chose to pay the landlord for 12 months upfront. <\/p>\n<p>Ana says she&#8217;d like to inspire more women to become financially independent and money savvy, having reshaped her finances and career plans after finalising a recent <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/divorce\/\">divorce<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here, she explains what she does with her money.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell us about yourself and your finances?<\/h2>\n<p>I got my divorce finalised in October and I\u2019ve had to budget and manage the settlement to make sure I have a roof over\u2028our head for myself, my son and my two dogs. We are living in a three-bedroom, modern house in a village near Tunbridge Wells. It works really well for us as it\u2019s near my son\u2019s school and we feel very well-connected to everything.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m originally from Romania and moved to the UK 16 years ago. I\u2019m a translator for the NHS, social services and police through an agency. I sit in on meetings for people where English is not a person\u2019s first language, making sure they\u2019ve understood everything. I currently interpret in Romanian as well as German, Spanish, French and Italian.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside my translation work, I am also building a business. Because my family live abroad, I can\u2019t rely on them to help with childcare, so I\u2019d like to build something that will work around my child and provide us with a comfortable life, long-term.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player \" data-track-module=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"vjs-video-container vjs-fixed vjs-responsive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;VideoObject&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Metro.co.uk&#8221;,&#8221;duration&#8221;:&#8221;T30S&#8221;,&#8221;thumbnailUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/05\/19\/16\/98535393-0-image-a-3_1747669105214.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;uploadDate&#8221;:&#8221;2025-05-19T16:09:35+0100&#8243;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Deadlines move fast. 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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(&#8216;metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded&#8217;, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === &#8216;undefined&#8217; || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === &#8216;undefined&#8217; || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === &#8216;undefined&#8217;) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(&#8216;.metro-video-player&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(&#8216;.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(&#8216;metro-video-player&#8211;related-videos-loaded&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I used some of the divorce settlement to invest in a franchise called TBSC (The Business Success Company), selling business courses in matters such as finance, HR and strategy. I paid \u00a310,000 upfront and I now pay a monthly fee of \u00a3300 for my company, Lifezone Training, to be part of TBSC.<\/p>\n<p>A typical day for me involves taking my son to school, and then coming back home to work on the franchise. This means taking phone calls as they come, while doing outreach to potential clients and leads. I may also be doing some translation work, sitting in on online meetings. <\/p>\n<p>I try to finish by the time my son finishes school. Then we walk the dogs, do homework and when he goes to bed, I may pick up work again. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do you tend to spend on?<\/h2>\n<p>I get Child Benefit of about \u00a3100 a month. My food bill is around \u00a3400 a month, which is perhaps on the higher end and seems to go mostly on packed lunches! In general though I am careful with food spending. <\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t have takeaways or eat out much and I shop at the local market for fruit and vegetables. I pack coffee flasks and packed lunches when we go for days out and I batch cook \u2013 my son loves to help me. Because I work from home I\u2019ve time to prepare meals in the day and I save on commuting costs.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not paying pet insurance. I paid it for years but when one of my dogs needed treatment they didn\u2019t pay out and I had to pay thousands of pounds. I now set aside \u00a3100 a month to cover any future treatment that\u2019s needed. <\/p>\n<p>Because I recently moved house, I\u2019ve had to buy a lot of new things for the home and have put this on a credit card that I\u2019m paying off at around \u00a3100 a month.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d like to go on holiday this year so am setting aside \u00a3400 a month. I\u2019m planning to go to Morocco in the summer with my son and Lapland in the winter. <\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tAna&#039;s money diary: Salary around \u00a33,000pcm\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_247870342-6bbf-e1747662274363.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23114443\" alt=\"Ana Clarke for me and my money\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>(Picture: Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monthly breakdown of spending<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rent: (per month, paid in advance for the year) \u00a32,050<\/p>\n<p>Council tax: \u00a3297<\/p>\n<p>Energy: \u00a3274<\/p>\n<p>Water: \u00a334<\/p>\n<p>Home contents insurance: \u00a38.99<\/p>\n<p>TOTAL: \u00a3613.99<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other payments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Car insurance and finance: \u00a3238.92<\/p>\n<p>TV licence: \u00a314.54<\/p>\n<p>Mobile: \u00a311<\/p>\n<p>Business \u2028insurance: \u00a321.25<\/p>\n<p><strong>Essentials <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Food: \u00a3400<\/p>\n<p>Fuel: \u00a375<\/p>\n<p>Credit card payments: \u00a3100<\/p>\n<p>TOTAL: \u00a3575<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extra<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Activities\t\u00a334.99<\/p>\n<p>Pet pot\t\u00a3100<\/p>\n<p>Holiday pot \u00a3400<\/p>\n<p>TOTAL: \u00a3534.99<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s left: \u00a3990.31<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell us about your early relationship with money<\/h2>\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019ve always been good at managing money. I used to be very scared to look at my bank account, always worrying that I wasn\u2019t making enough. But now I\u2019m more relaxed about my financial situation, knowing I have the power to earn more.<\/p>\n<p>I paid the first year\u2019s rent for my home upfront, out of my settlement, so at the moment rent is not coming out of my monthly budget and I don\u2019t have to worry about that. <\/p>\n<p>It takes the pressure off earning a high income for now, although I\u2019d like to aim for an income of more than \u00a3200,000 a yearin a few years\u2019 time. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you have any investments?<\/h2>\n<p>I used to have shares but I sold them during the divorce. I would like to get into investments again. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d also like to pay into a private pension again. I used to have a workplace pension before I became self-employed in 2022, but have never started one up. I have always made sure to pay National Insurance though, to make sure that I\u2019ll qualify for the state pension.<\/p>\n<p>My goal is to live a comfortable life, which involves holidays, a nice car and a really nice house. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not sure whether I want to get back on the property ladder again. With renting, I like the fact I don\u2019t have to worry about maintenance. <\/p>\n<p>I also like having the flexibility of being able to move if I want. I have a house in Romania that\u2019s paid off, so I do have some property assets.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d also like to continue building my business and inspire more women to become financially independent and money savvy no matter the circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ana Clarke shares what she&#8217;s doing to achieve the comfortable life she dreams of. (Picture: Supplied) Listen to article Listen to article Your browser does not support the audio element. Welcome back to&nbsp;Me and My Money,&nbsp;Metro\u2019s&nbsp;series taking a peek into the nation\u2019s wallets and bank accounts. This week we meet Ana Clarke, a 40-year-old business [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=996"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1001,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996\/revisions\/1001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}