A savvy woman puts £150 a month aside to keep her “f*** you fund” topped up – so she has emergency cash if she wants to quit her job or move house.
Lauren Johnston, 42, hasn’t always been good with money and found herself in £20,000 debt at the end of her degree due to easy access to credit cards in her first year as a student.
The holiday let manager and TikTok money influencer was in and out of debt for 20 years and cleared it by cutting spending and paid it back slowly in monthly charges.
After finding herself unexpectedly pregnant at 38, she decided to start saving for an emergency fund pot – so she had money for unpredictable situations.
She started setting aside £150 a month until she reached a £5,000 pot – keeping the money in a high-interest savings account.
Lauren used £1,000 of the pot when she quit her job that “wasn’t serving her” – and £3,000 to help with a move to a new home.
She will top it back up with monthly payments, so she always has £5,000 there for any emergency.
Lauren, from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, said: “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 got into debt after university and said she grew up not understanding money 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 first started her ‘f*** you fund’ at 38.
She found herself single and unexpectedly pregnant in April 2021, when she was still in 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 memorable of her fund use came this year in January 2026, when she was finally able to move her and her son from a council flat into private accommodation.
The move used £3,000 of her emergency fund to help with movers, deposits and new buys for their home.
Lauren usually transfers £150 a month into her fund until it reaches her target of £5,000.
It is kept in a high-interest savings account.
Once it reaches her target, her savings go towards other accounts such as her pension.
She has even started her four-year-old son savings accounts of his own, so that he can learn about finances as he grows.
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 persons 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 her ‘f*** you fund’ to get out of 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 suggested that when making a ‘f*** you’ fund, the average person would need three to six months of expenses saved up.
She also believes the best secret in finding the money to save is to budget every month.
She said: “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 believes people should regularly check bank interest offers and compare providers for their bills.
She said: “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.” While Lauren’s income may fluctuate due to her online work, she pays £150 into the account until she reaches £5,000.
She said: “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 tips The fund needs three to six months of expenses saved up Budget every month Check your bank statements for unknown subscriptions Regularly check bank interest offers Constantly renegotiate your bills to ensure you are paying the lowest possible Consider using cashback schemes Have a financial meeting with yourself at the end of the month to check expenses and work out how much to put in your fund Shop around for savings accounts with good interest rates
emergency fund, £150 a month, debt payoff, job without fear, savings account, budgeting tips, cashback scheme