{"id":371929,"date":"2026-03-07T01:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T01:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/371929\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T01:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T01:38:16","slug":"woman-uses-simple-rules-to-pay-off-mortgage-in-two-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/371929\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman uses ‘simple rules’ to pay off mortgage in two years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emma, from Sheffield, has explained the methods she uses to save money – and make money<\/p>\n

Neil Shaw<\/strong> Assistant Editor<\/p>\n

08:23, 06 Mar 2026Updated 11:21, 06 Mar 2026<\/p>\n

\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma grew up watching her parents budget carefully<\/p>\n

A woman who used simple rules and side hustles to pay off her mortgage in two years says she plans to retire in her 50s. Emma Jackson says she saves money through little habits like taking two-minute showers and only using the dishwasher once a week.<\/p>\n

Emma, 32, from Sheffield, says she gets her money-saving mindset from her parents. Her dad worked in a factory and her mum had a number of different jobs, so there wasn\u2019t much cash spare growing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt taught us how to save, and my brother is very similar to me,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were very aware that our parents didn’t have a lot of money. My dad would work extra shifts at the weekend and my mum had a big budget spreadsheet. I would sit there and watch her fill it in.<\/p>\n

\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma is thrifty with her electricity and heating<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would go to car boots on the weekends or work extra shifts and I absorbed that. So when I went to university to study sports development, I did every job I possibly could; I worked as a cleaner, lifeguard, personal trainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working in higher education by day, Emma runs a blog on the side – beemoneysavvy.com<\/a> – which can double her salary. She now earns around \u00a32,140 a month but makes between \u00a32,600 to \u00a34,000 before tax on her website.<\/p>\n

And on top of that, every month makes between \u00a3100 to \u00a3200 from side-hustles like market research and saves \u00a3500 a month in a stocks and shares ISA. At 25, she bought her first home, which was a one-bedroom flat near Sheffield, which she purchased for \u00a380,000 using a \u00a336,000 deposit. She used money from a Help to Buy ISA and income she had earned from previous jobs, securing a two-year fixed-rate mortgage at 2.16 per cent and managing to pay it off within the two years. She now rents the flat out for \u00a3600 a month.<\/p>\n

And this month she made \u00a3500 in extras; \u00a3175 from switching bank accounts, \u00a3135 from filling out online surveys, \u00a3125 from a Santander offer, \u00a367 in free birthday treats from Greggs, Costa, Morrisons and others plus \u00a330 from shares and savings, she explains on her Instagram account.<\/p>\n

\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma makes half of her income from side hustles<\/p>\n

Emma\u2019s top money-saving tips<\/p>\n