MEET JESS

Jessica Irvine is one of Australia’s leading economics journalists. She is currently a senior economics writer with the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

At the start of 2021, she launched a weekly email newsletter called Money with Jess.

Previously, Jess was the National Economics Editor of News Limited’s biggest selling Australian newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier Mail, and Adelaide Advertiser.

She has an honours degree in Economics and regularly overshares the intimate details of her financial life on her Instagram @moneywithjess

moneywithjess

I’m thrilled to share I have a new job as @commb

I’m thrilled to share I have a new job as @commbank Personal Finance Expert! I started on Monday and I’m already so excited by the possibilities I see to create accessible, useful and engaging personal finance content across many platforms and channels. I will dearly miss my colleagues in journalism, but I’m a woman on a mission to help as many people as I can feel more in control of their money. To that end, I also submitted my finished manuscript for my next book ‘The Money Diary’ this week - a journal-style book to help you track and reflect on your money. Due for November release... So many exciting projects coming in the next few months, so stay tuned!! And, as always, take care, Jess xx

Feel free to share your tips and experiences - goo

Feel free to share your tips and experiences - good and bad - buying second hand phones in the comments below! Thankyou to everyone who already messaged them to me direct. Take care, Jess xx

I’m a big believer there are huge savings to be

I’m a big believer there are huge savings to be had, wherever you choose to shop, just by following a few smart shopping strategies. Here are some of my faves! Not sponsored by @harrisfarmmarkets I just happened to be shopping there today. Food price inflation is no joke, people, and every dollar counts. Good luck out there in the aisles! Take care, Jess xx

Long live spag bol! Tag a friend who can’t cook

Long live spag bol! Tag a friend who can’t cook and spends too much on Uber Eats🧑‍🍳 🍝 Take care and stay money savvy, Jess xx

I LOVE spending time at the end of each month refl

I LOVE spending time at the end of each month reflecting mindfully on where my money went 🤑 Tag a friend who needs a budget👇 Take care, Jess xx 🧠🌈🤑

This is your sign 💫 You and your budget will th

This is your sign 💫 You and your budget will thank me later! Take care xx #homecooking

A $477 Costco-inspired dinner party and $1025 retu

A $477 Costco-inspired dinner party and $1025 return flights to Bali…these are just a few of the ways I blew my budget in January! Full run down in this Sunday’s Sun Herald and Sunday Age. Anyone else indulging in some ‘revenge spending’ at present? It’s all manageable, and thoroughly enjoyable, at present. But I will defs have to tighten the belt soon when my fixed homeloan rolls off. Fire any questions below and I will try to answer some. Take care, Jess xx

Show me your money! Email me your budget to italla

Show me your money! Email me your budget to italladdsup@nine.com.au and I promise I’ll take a look and reply! We’d love to talk to you on the It All Adds Up podcast, too. The more we talk about this stuff, the better off we’ll all be. The cost of living crisis is affecting us all. Email me and take care, Jess xx P.S. Listen to our Season 2 podcast trailer via links in my bio!

One of the most common beliefs I encounter about m

One of the most common beliefs I encounter about money is that it is very complex - too hard to ever really understand.

I actually make a pretty decent living out of this false belief by getting paid to explain topics such as interest rates, house prices and inflation. And yes, things can start to get a little weird when you talk about cryptocurrencies, quantitative easing and secular stagnation.🤔

But let me let you in on a little secret: At its heart, money is dead simple.

Ultimately, money is just a medium for exchange. You give up your time and skills to your employer and, in exchange, they give you money. You then take this money and exchange it for all the goods and services you need and want to live a happy life.

There it is: money explained in a few easy sentences. [Extract from Money with Jess]

So, what confuses you the most about money? What topics or concepts do you find hardest to understand? Let me know in the comments below 👇

To learn more about this, and what I see as the six other major money myths, order your copy of Money with Jess today! Links in bio.

Take care, Jess xx

Last night I won Book of the Year in the Australia

Last night I won Book of the Year in the Australian Business Book Awards for ‘Money with Jess’. It was entirely unexpected and I am so grateful to the judges who selected my book from a very competitive field. Thanks also to my wonderful team at my publisher Wiley including @lchr @chrisshorten @renee_aurish @claredowdell without whom MWJ would not be the tactile, colour-explosion that you see before you. I do think we achieved something quite unique and new in the personal finance space with the look, feel and design of this book. Who ever said money and budgets were boring?!! Take care, Jess. PS link in bio to order your copy today - would make great stocking filler or Xmas pressies, just saying! Xx

She’s been shopping again! Compare and contrast

She’s been shopping again! Compare and contrast this $334 I spent @harrisfarmmarkets with the $333 I spent @costco_aus a little while ago. Interesting, no? Basically the discounted meats, ‘save me’ & odd bunch fruit and veg sections are where it’s at. Happy shopping! Take care Jess xx

My monthly budget surplus for October was $1027.61

My monthly budget surplus for October was $1027.61! Again, a bit disconcerting given this is roughly how much my mortgage repayments are set to rise come July next year…

Anyhoo! I’m happy with how my Future Funds are tracking for this Financial Year (4-9th slides). I have about $450 left in the kitty for Christmas gifts, which should be ok. I’ve only got about $2k left for holidays this FY and I already know I want to go to Bali again on another gym retreat, so I may need to deploy savings from other funds or from future monthly budget surpluses (rather than invest them, as I have been doing) to cover that.

I’ve just had my car serviced for $540 (which will appear in my November figures) so I probably can pinch $1000 from my car fund (touch wood) for holidays. Although, I have had some unexpected plumbing expenses, which have gone over my $500 household future fund allowance for home maintenance and repairs.

To be honest, when my fixed loan rate rolls off, I will probably have to up my side hustles or stop my extra super contributions. But I still have 8 months ish left to war game this. Fun times to be a mortgage holder!

Take care all, Jess xx

Do you know where your money goes? If you’re wor

Do you know where your money goes? If you’re worried about rising costs, one actionable thing you can do today is simply to commit to tracking your spending for one month. November is just around the corner…! Links to download all my free worksheets at www.jessicairvine.com.au/resources and of course it’s all explained in the book Money with Jess! Take care xx

What does the Albanese government’s first budget

What does the Albanese government’s first budget mean for yours? My quick minute summary… #costofliving #budget #budgets #money #ouch

Not so much a money saving video, more a ‘me try

Not so much a money saving video, more a ‘me trying to figure out Costco’ video! Always interesting, I think, to see what’s out there. Take care Jess xx

Did you know you may be able to borrow up to $5k f

Did you know you may be able to borrow up to $5k for car repairs and up to $2k for other emergencies and pay absolutely no interest? Its a scheme run in Australia by Good Shepherd and @nab . You still have to pay it back, of course, but no interest charges will appy if you’re accepted. If you earn under $70k for singles ($100k couples) or have experienced family or domestic violence in the last 10 years you may be eligible. Call their loans team on 13 64 57 and follow our new ‘It All Adds Up’ podcast in your favourite pod player for more great tips like this!

Are you freaking out about the rising cost of livi

Are you freaking out about the rising cost of living and interest rates? With household budgets under new stress, I am always so glad to receive lovely feedback like this about my book ‘Money with Jess: Your ultimate guide to household budgeting’ released a couple of months ago now! It’s turned out to be quite timely and I’m glad it’s still finding its way into the hands of people who can use it. Having a sense of where your money is going and what sort of surplus or deficit you’re generating is so empowering, particularly with costs on the rise. I particularly love hearing the book can be a launching pad to couples having new discussions about their finances! Nice one. The rising cost of living is affecting us all. If you need help - including over 300 money saving hacks on everything from health insurance to food shopping - the links to order are in my bio. I think it’s about $22 on Amazon now I think. Stop freaking out about the cost of living and start coming up with a plan for your money. Take care, Jess xx #budget #money #financialfreedom #budgetingiscool

My monthly budget outcomes for August! Surplus of

My monthly budget outcomes for August! Surplus of $876 for the month.

Tbh, this makes a tad nervous. I know that when my 1.84% fixed interest home loan rolls off mid next year, I will face significantly higher mortgage payments, possibly wiping out that entire monthly surplus, depending where the Reserve Bank takes interest rates.

But it’s ok. Not shown here is that I currently salary sacrifice out of my pre-tax salary into super. So, worst comes to worst, I can stop doing that, which would boost my disposable income shown here.

I’m also fairly sure I can do much better to reduce my eating out. And I don’t usually spend so much each month on clothes (it’s just that after two years of practically buying none, I had to top up some essentials!).

I can also review expenses in my Health and Holidays Future Fund, including my sizeable gym fees and holidays budget ($6,100 for this year).

So yes, I’ll be fine. But those interest rate hikes really do get you thinking if you have a mortgage!

PS This was the first time my spending tracker has spilled over to a third page, so yeah, there is some fat I could cut there in my spending.

Happy budgeting everyone! All these worksheets are downloadable for free from the links in my bio. And of course my entire system, including the spending tracker, Future Fund worksheets and complete breakdown of all my spending categories are all explained in my new book, Money with Jess! I hope it helps.

Take care, Jess xx #budgeting #money #finance #financialfreedom #moneywithjess #surplus #budget #saving #savings #financialindependence

How to ask for a pay rise! Had a bit of fun with t

How to ask for a pay rise! Had a bit of fun with this one for @theage TikTok account… 🥬🤑 #wealth #money #financialfreedom #fintok #moneytok

It All Adds Up is launched! 🎉 So proud and thri

It All Adds Up is launched! 🎉 So proud and thrilled to be part of this new money podcast It All Adds Up, brought to you from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and co-hosted by myself and fellow money nerd Dominic Powell. We know there are a lot of money podcasts out there already, be we are determined to produce episodes which are clear and fun and help you navigate the sometimes daunting world of personal finance. We’ll be covering investing, homeownership, how much you need to retire, crypto, you name it! We’d love to hear your questions too, which you can email in text or voice memo format to us at italladdsup@nine.com.au A massive Thankyou to the wonderful @nathanael_cooper_ for backing us and everyone else involved at @theageaustralia and @sydneymorningherald for making it happen. Please like and share this post (or tag a friend who needs help with money!). Then find us in your favourite podcast player and follow us for weekly episodes each Thursday! Woo hoo, Jess xx

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