'Pinterest find is helping me save £5,000 - I'm already halfway'

'Pinterest find is helping me save £5,000 - I'm already halfway' Sara said she wanted an emergency fund she could rely on A woman says she’s been saving as much as £200 a week after turning a simple Pinterest chart into a money-saving 'challenge' she can stick to. So far, Sara has saved more than £2,880, putting her well over halfway to her £5,000 target. The self-employed content creator claims she has "always been careful with money" but has never managed to meet larger savings goals. She said that spare cash would end up going on things like "holidays, visa costs or tattoos". Sara Puhto, who lives in Brighton but is originally from Finland, decided she wanted 2026 to be the year she got serious about building a safety net - but knew she’d need to make saving feel more like a game than a chore. With her earnings fluctuating widely month to month, she wanted an emergency fund she could rely on during quieter periods. After scrolling through Pinterest, Sara found a weekly savings grid listing amounts ranging from £20 to £250. Each week, she picks one figure and transfers it into a separate pot, which she tries not to touch unless she genuinely needs it. She checks her bank balance every Sunday and chooses an amount that feels realistic. If she’s had a better week, for example, selling items on Vinted, she’ll pick a larger number. If bills have landed, she’ll go smaller. She then crosses off the amount on her chart as she goes, giving her a visual record of her progress. Sara says she’s saved £2,882, with the total boosted by £39 in interest. Her aim is £5,000, a target she feels is challenging but doable, and while she doesn’t have a hard deadline, she hopes to reach it by the end of the year. Part of what’s helped, she says, is cutting back on spending that used to disappear without much thought. Sara has stopped smoking, put a hold on getting her nails and hair done, as well as new tattoos. She’s also stopped buying new clothes, saying it’s made a big difference. Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings Instead of making impulse purchases, she now waits and considers whether something can be saved for a birthday or Christmas. She says being more intentional feels more rewarding than quick “instant gratification”. Sara says the rule for the pot is simple: it’s “strictly no touch” unless there’s an emergency. For her, having that buffer matters because social media income can be unpredictable, and she wants to feel protected if work slows down. She adds that even when she can’t manage much, or has to miss a week, she tries not to see it as failure. Her mindset is that even small amounts still move her closer to her goal.