Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Life
    2. Money and Work

    This is how much money you should have saved by 30

    HOW much?

    Lucy Abbersteen's avatar
    By Lucy Abbersteen
    Published 24 January 2017 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    savings
    (Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    HOW much?

    If your New Year’s resolution for 2017 is to be a little bit more frugal, then this news will definitely spur you on to fill that piggy bank to the brim (or, you know, just try to switch careers to one of the best paid jobs in the UK).

    Finance expert Kelly Smith, who writes for personal finance site The Penny Hoarder, told ATTN that you should already have a fair amount saved up by the time you're 30 years old.

    http://gph.is/2cCS2rG

    ‘I think the goal at any age is to get to the point of having six months of living expenses saved up. Admittedly, it’s harder in your twenties but it’s a good time to start,’ she said.

    You may like
    • Route 66 - Wild horses galloping across dusty desert landscape with roc - TVS.jpg The 30-Something Existential Crisis: How Do You Plan for a Future You’re Afraid Of?
    • A woman holding her purse 3 Signs Your Wellness Habits Are Making You Financially Sick, According to a Financial Advisor
    • A bunch of flowers I Was Told My Fertility Was a Race Against Time. Doctors Say the Reality Is More Complicated

    While that figure will mean different things to different people, the average cost of living in the UK per month is estimated to be just shy of two grand. So, your savings should be sat somewhere around £12,000 according to Smith's advice.

    Gulp.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    If you're the kind of person who finds saving damn near impossible, we hear ya. But Smith recommends that the absolute minimum amount you should have stashed away for a rainy day (read: an emergency) is £1,000.

    Anyone else still feeling like they’re a little behind when it comes to, you know, actually saving money?

    If the answer is yes then don’t panic: you’re not alone. The same report by ATTN states that around three quarters of millennials have way less than that put to one side, and as much as a third of millennials have no savings whatsoever. And while this is based on American millennials, we can’t help thinking that the same (probably) rings true here in the UK. We just love to spend, OK?

    http://gph.is/1Z95fsM

    So, don't be put out if your savings aren't quite up to scratch just yet. We have faith you'll get there.

    Lucy Abbersteen
    Lucy Abbersteen
    Social Links Navigation
    Beauty Contributor

    Lucy is a freelance beauty editor and contributor at Marie Claire, and has also written for titles including Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, Glamour and woman&home. She was previously Marie Claire’s junior beauty editor. During her career, she’s covered everything from backstage beauty at fashion week to interviews with famous faces like Drag Race royalty and Little Mix. As for her beauty ethos, she’s a big advocate for not having to spend a fortune on beauty products to get good results. When she’s not got beauty on the brain you’ll probably find her reading or Netflix-ing.

    Read more
    Route 66 - Wild horses galloping across dusty desert landscape with roc - TVS.jpg
    Life The 30-Something Existential Crisis: How Do You Plan for a Future You’re Afraid Of?
    A woman holding her purse
    Wellbeing 3 Signs Your Wellness Habits Are Making You Financially Sick, According to a Financial Advisor
     
     
    A bunch of flowers
    Female health I Was Told My Fertility Was a Race Against Time. Doctors Say the Reality Is More Complicated
    A woman body brushing, taking a supplement, and heading to a workout class in gym city
    Female health I Asked Leading Women’s Health Experts About the Best Health Investment They’ve Ever Made. Their Answers Surprised Me
     
     
    Latest in Money and Work
    Woman organizing documents in cluttered office workspace
    Money and Work Why Are Successful Women Staying in Jobs That Make Us Miserable?
    Analog Times - Wine and cards game night on luxurious burgundy fabric - TVS
    Money and Work The Gambling Industry's Newest Bet? Women
     
     
    Well-dressed businesswoman walking on the street of Manhattan, New York and talking on the phone while heading to work during one autumn day.
    Money and Work Is Gen Z Really Lazy at Work, or Just Done with Burnout Culture?
    Milan, Italy - 20 February 2020: Stylish persons are posing for photographers before Max Mara fashion show on Milan Woman's Fashion Week F/W2020-2021, street style - stock photo
    Money and Work Women Are Delaying This Financial Step, But It Could Be Easier Than You Think.
     
     
    Latest in Features
    A female worker in a garment factory in Dhakha, Bangladesh.
    Fashion The Human Cost Of Fashion’s Heat Crisis: “It Feels Like Being Locked Inside A Pressure Cooker At High Flame”
    Merit New Wave Review
    Fragrance I Smell Hundreds of Perfumes a Year—Merit’s New Fragrance Made Me Stop and Pay Attention
     
     
    Glass skin for oily skin
    Make Up Lisa Eldridge Says Oily Skin Can Still Have Glass-Like Glow—Here’s How She Gets the Balance Right
    A woman reading a book in bed; bedsheets and flowers
    Wellbeing Move Over, White Noise: New Research Says Pink Noise Can Clean Your Brain as You Sleep—Scientists Weigh In
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.