2018 in Review – A year of Success, Gratitude and Learning

A lovely job for the end of 2018 has been going back through my content, Instagram and spreadsheets to review the year to see how far I have come. And to remember some of the exciting work I have done. It reminds me on how far I have come and how grateful I am for the opportunities I have worked on. It also reminds me of the mistakes I made and my big learnings.

This post actually went on for too long (no one wants to read 3000 word posts!), so I split it Jan to June in this one and then July to Dec in the post tomorrow.

January

January started off with a bang, it was an incredible month for work with lots being agreed. The new year is often the time for people to reassess their finances to get back in control hence a busy time for Mrs Mummypenny. There were many energy posts and investment posts, a theme for the year were these two areas of content.

I fulfilled a personal finance expert dream and appeared on BBC Radio 4 Money Box. I was a guest in the studio talking about consumer debt and my experience with repayment of it. Live radio is so much fun and this gave me the taste for it.

 

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Oooohhh looky it’s me on the radio👏👏👏. I was guest today on BBC radio 4 moneybox. Talking about debt that rears its ugly head for too many of us including me. I would have liked to talk more about the ways I am getting out of debt alas live interviews go on a route of their own. Way back when I first set out my Mrs Mummypenny goals I wanted to be known in UK as a personal finance expert. ✔ Feel so grateful to have my job and business that I have created all by myself. Okay.. with alot of help and guidance from others. It’s working. I am getting real info out there. Helping others. And making a good living for myself. This year that outstanding debt. Yes all of it,will be gone. . . . . . . . #personalfinance #radio4 #financeexpert #bbcradio #moneybox #bbcradio4 #broadcastinghouse #moneyexpert #debt #howtogetoutofdebt #moneyblogger #personalfinanceblogger #stepchange #cap #christiansagainstpoverty #debtrepayment #repaymentgoals #changeoflifestyle #radiopresenter #microphone #bbcnews #expert

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I launched my commercial pricing coaching to other bloggers. For 45 minutes we would talk about their blog and what sort of prices they should be charging for the work they did. It was extremely rewarding to pass on my commercial and pricing expertise and help people to realise their blogging potential. I have some amazing testimonials. If you need help drop me a line!

I was most proud of beating SAD. January has often been a difficult time for me with depression rearing its head and making it an awful month to contend with. I started with a healthy exercise routine and healthy eating and the month progressed well. Every week I would go for a run, do a Hiit class followed by yoga and also a personal training session. The same will be happening in 2019.

February

My podcast journey began this month with me joining Martin Bamford as a guest host on his show. It gave me the taste for it and I realised that it was something I really could do myself. Every few weeks I would guest host with Martin.

February saw me feature in a double page spread in Woman’s Own trying out various recipes with a pressure cooker! I had lots of fun preparing dishes like rice pudding, bolognaise and roast chicken using this wonder cooking device.

The investment work with clients continued to flow with more work being agreed, the run up to ISA season was always going to be a busy time.

It snowed in February a lot, the boys had a great time and we had lots of snow days. The flexibility of the job really works well with unexpected days off school. We also saw Dylan go off on tour with his Cambridge academy team to German Football tournament. They came 4th against the best European team. They did good!

March

March saw a bumper pay day month with much of the work from earlier month being paid. In fact, it was my first ever £5k month. I had set a goal in my book Blogging Your Way To Riches that I wanted to be earning 5k every month. Yes achieved!

A brand I have admired for a long time invited me to work on a campaign with them which involved interviewing Rachel Riley! What an opportunity and she was the friendliest, nicest person It was a great interview where another lightbulb popped up.

I attended a brilliant event with Investec – Click and Invest where we talked about our attitudes to risk as a group and with psychologist Corinne Sweet. I really enjoyed the event and met some amazing people including the wonderful Jane Warren, the CEO of Click & Invest. A brilliant business relationship has come from that event.

March was my birthday month which passed with little celebration, no more to be said on that one. Although the glorious ping pong dim sum restaurant did gift me and my best mate lunch and cocktails!

Q1 was a good quarter and I had money burning a hole in my bank account. Rather than ploughing it into my debt I instead bought two new cars on finance deals, which still required £5k deposit of my money. To be honest not the cleverest financial decision. But we did need to replace out old battered car and to get a second smaller run around meant less reliance on others with football commitments.

April

April normally means a holiday and Vegas time but in 2018 this did not happen, sad times as it had been a regular event for a few years. This will be happening in 2019!

iNews contacted me and asked me to write a piece for the iWeekend newspaper. This was my first ever by-line piece in a newspaper!! I wrote about how I had paid off £10k of debt and shared some of the simple tricks I had employed to repay so much.

Pitching out for work is something that often works, particularly when you pick the right time with a company launching a new product. This worked well will Starling bank in April where I wrote a piece about their new business bank account. A product that I really do love so could enthuse about how it helps me.

I was asked to do some filming work for a bank this month as well. I had to sit and talk about money saving tips and techniques. It was 90 minutes of work and was the best hourly rate Ill ever earn! I love doing this kind of filming work where I just sit and talk and someone else does all the production and editing!

 

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Today saw me working on a project with canto PR agency and a banking app. Talking through my experience on how to make your budget stretch further. Talking all things budgeting, switching, no spend months and cash back. Lots of fun, despite being a bit hot😂😂 #gratitude to Josh from canto for choosing me to work on this project. #3positivethings 1) I love love love my new top today. (£17.99 hm) 2) had a super tasty nacho bowl in giraffe before getting the train home 3) I managed full camera makeup in 10 minutes this morning before the school run😂😂 . . . . . . . . #filming #filmmaking #cinematography #production #actress #shooting #filmproduction #camera #shortfilm #videography #filmphotography #behindthescenes #videoproduction #videoshoot #cinematicphotography #beautifulset #filmmakers #photoshoot #brightblouse #wearingred #mrsmummypenny #bloggingyourwaytoriches

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May

By May I was gaining huge confidence in my business. It was generating good income and I was in the process of negotiating some big ongoing work. I made some business decisions based on assumed money coming into the business before it was 100% agreed. A silly mistake.

I decided to try to turn some of my content into a course and paid out a lot of money to a coach to help me. We are talking enough money to pay the mortgage for two months. This did not work. I put so much of my time and energy and money into creating something that did not sell. That I was never happy with, that I never fully believed in. I took a risk and it did not pay off, a big lesson learned also about trusting someone who offers an unachievable dream.

The thing I am most proud of in 2018 was the launch of Mrs Mummypenny Talks. I launched my radio show in May and every week broadcasted my show and then flipped it into a podcast. I love my show, I love interviewing inspiring people, playing amazing music and chatting about all things Mrs Mummypenny and money. By the end of the year I had recorded 27 episodes of the show!

I have done much work with Smart Energy GB this year with it starting in May. I have appeared in many newspapers Sunday Times, Telegraph, The Sun, The Express talking about my smart meter, how it works and saves me money. A great long-term relationship and I am their star case study.

June

June was a glorious month pack full of beautiful sunshine and fun times. A big highlight was my weekend away with Becky for a beautiful spa weekend. We had the best 48 hours together with much of it spent at this spa, kindly gifted by Buyagift.

The boys and I were treated to a VIP day out at Harry Potter world and we really did get to try everything, we had photos, chocolate frogs, butterbeer ice-cream, we were spoilt with everything Harry Potter world could give. Its so much fun, a must for every Harry Potter loving child or adult out there.

I had a day exploring the Houses of Parliament, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. I was seeping up the history and knowledge from our tour guide whom was incredibly knowledgeable. It was a day out organised by the Federation of Small business a group I am a member of.

 

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Today i had a tour of the houses of parliament. This is the huge stain glass window at the end of Westminster Hall. I learnt so much. About history, the law, politics, guy fawkes. Its was so so good. Then I had an hour with a group of MPs and FSB members. Not so much fun. But i have learnt that maybe politics isnt for me😉. Im not patient enough. Met some lovely people today with all sorts of different businesses. From pr firms to posh glazing to scientific equipment to website design. Also spent 2 hours talking pensions with DWP and @muchmore_less. Then i was very late for dinner with @chizwright. We talked and ate fast as we both wanted to get home to bed🙏😍 #grateful for a busy day. Lots of contacts made. #3positivethings 1) my houses of parliament post will be amazing. I took notes as we walked and listened to Elizabeth the guide. 2) got some brilliant content about pensions coming. Yes i can make this subject about free money fun. 3) thanks @debsmudgersmith and @nicnicjordan for help with drop off and pick up today. . . . . . . . #stainglassed #housesofparliament #london #bigben #westminster #parliament #riverthames #visitlondon #architecture #thisislondon #centrallondon #londonlife #houseofcommons #votesforwomen #suffragette #westminsterabbey #palaceofwestminster #westminsterbridge #londoncity #architecturephotography #palace #beautifuldestinations #londoncityworld #london🇬🇧

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I was very busy with work in June and I had a lot of admin/tidying up things that needed to be done to optimise my blog, so I took on a member of staff. There was a long list of work to be done and Kirsty spent a few months going through it all and making my site wonderfully optimised. I also had some help from a mentor/manager/life coach whom helped with the direction of the business and negotiating some bigger contracts. A month for big investment.

I also had my tattoo done! Yes, reaching the grand age of 41 meant that it was time to do something scary and this was getting a tattoo done! Read more here about the experience and the pain!

For part 2 with my review from July to Dec click here!

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Lynn Beattie

Aka Mrs MummyPenny

Personal Finance Expert

I write about personal finance made simple, lifestyle choices that will save you time and money, as well as products and services that offer great value.

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