Carolyn's Story: A New Relationship with Money

Meet Carolyn: For years, Carolyn had $5 in her savings account. Having a savings account was an “aspirational idea” – Carolyn wanted to be a regular saver, but felt overwhelmed by her day-to-day expenses. But when she saw an ad for SaverLife on the San Francisco MUNI bus on the way to work, she signed up that same day. In the four months since she joined SaverLife, Carolyn has saved over $230, but she says the biggest change is how she thinks about money.

Carolyn lives in San Francisco with her 15-year-old daughter. In addition to her full-time job, she earns money in creative ways like reselling memorabilia on Ebay. Before SaverLife, Carolyn didn’t have a habit of saving. She’d gone through a divorce, which made her realize that she had to change her relationship to money in small ways that felt meaningful. SaverLife gave her a starting point that “met me where I was.”

One of the most positive aspects of SaverLife for Carolyn was the weekly emails she received from SaverLife’s financial coach Saundra Davis. “I love them,” says Carolyn, who saves all of the emails in an “inspiration” folder. Many people feel self-conscious about money, but the weekly emails remind Carolyn that other people are having the same issues that she is. She says Saundra’s tips “hit close to home,” like Saundra’s “Pay Yourself First” savings mantra.

SaverLife’s emphasis on small savings has helped Carolyn change her relationship with money. “I’m wrapping my arms around the mindset of saving and I know it’ll be a lifelong thing,” she says. “Now I feel like saving isn’t this big exhausting thing where you’re failing all the time. It’s manageable and it allows me to have more freedom.” Encouraged by her small-dollar savings success with SaverLife, Carolyn is aiming to build a $2,000 emergency fund and then eventually to save money to help her daughter go to college.