I’m mortgage free at 42 after paying off £225,000 – my tricks will save you a fortune

Unable to sleep, I stared at the ceiling in my mother’s guest room and began to sob.

I was in shock and couldn’t believe it, because just a few days earlier my ten-year marriage had ended – and it hadn’t been my decision.

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I didn’t see it coming at all and after he told me, he immediately left.

My life changed overnight: I lost my husband, our mutual friends, the future I had envisioned, and also my mind.

Only at 29, I was convinced I would never meet anyone again and never have the chance to have children. I was completely devastated.

Since I couldn’t bear to live in our house alone, I went to live with my mother.

I couldn’t eat, sleep or think clearly, but somehow I found the strength to continue my work as a bank advisor.

Eventually I developed depression and anxiety disorders, and a doctor prescribed me medication.

Eight months after the divorce, after my mother gave me a pep talk, I realized I couldn’t cry anymore.

I had to pick myself up and start over. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I started dating again.

Just before I turned 30, I met Adam, now 49, on Match.com.

I immediately liked his profile and sent him lots of winks.

A month later I moved in with him. It was so surreal that I almost couldn’t believe it was actually happening.

The following year, in 2012, our son Brody was born and in 2014 we got married. Five years later, our daughter Bronte was born, now five.

Our marriage is successful because Adam, a stay-at-home dad, and I share the same core values, including managing money well.

I was always financially astute, largely thanks to my parents: Jayne, now 66, who was a housewife when I was growing up in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, and Steve, 71, who worked in the bus industry.

When I was 16-18 they gave me £50 a month pocket money and when that was gone it was gone. It put me in a great mindset and also made me determined to be independent and earn my own money.

At 14, I got paid to pick mushrooms before going to school, and by 18, I was working full-time as a real estate agent. I saved 80% of my salary each month while living at home with my parents, and spent the rest.

At 14 I was getting paid to pick mushrooms for school, and at 18 I was working full time as a real estate agent. I saved 80% of my salary each month while living at home with my parents, and spent the rest

Gemma Vogel

My then husband and I were able to save £30,000 between us and in 2004 we bought a two-bedroom terraced house.

Three years later, with some savings left, my father and I decided to invest half the price in two properties for sale. We invested £7,000.

It was stressful because sometimes the tenants didn’t pay their rent and we didn’t make a profit for 10 years, but we sold the properties in 2017, for £125,000 each.

With that, and the £66,000 I had received from the sale of my and my ex-husband’s house, I was able to pay off the £225,000 mortgage on our current home.

I also always worked overtime at my various jobs, including evenings and weekends, and I always packed a lunch to avoid having to buy food.

To make extra money, I sold unwanted clothes at flea markets. Those small savings have paid off over time, allowing my family and I to live comfortably.

In December 2019, I had started a small online business selling underwear with a friend. I then decided to start my Instagram @Moneymumofficial to share my money making and saving tips. It took a year of posting daily before it became a success.

In December 2020 I started “Gemma’s No Spend Days”, which became a huge success.

I was offered a book deal and it was a pinch-me moment.

My Sunday Times bestseller, Money Mum Official: Save Yourself Happy, was published in January 2022 and shortly after I made my first TV appearance in Lorraine.

The government should ensure that young people are taught basic money skills – what to do with their first paycheck, how to budget and how to invest.

Gemma Vogel

That’s when I decided to pursue social media full-time.

I have written columns for The Sun and am now a regular visitor to Lorraine as a member of her Saver Squad, with a whopping 450,000 followers.

Even though we are financially independent and have no mortgage, I am determined to follow in my parents’ footsteps and teach my children the value of money.

Brody gets £2 a week, and if he spends that, he won’t get any more.

Recently he went to the newsagent and bought a bottle of Prime.

Afterwards he was stressed because he had spent his pocket money, which was a valuable lesson.

As a society, we need to talk more openly and honestly about money – we need to understand it.

The government should ensure that young people learn basic financial skills: what to do with their first salary, how to budget and how to invest.

Money has a huge impact on mental health and debt is one of the main reasons people call themselves Samaritans.

Anyone can be successful if you have the tools and mindset. If I can hit rock bottom and come out on top, anyone can.

• Follow Gemma on Instagram @Moneymumofficial.