Confidence, calm and financial freedom: Tanzila’s story

Tanzila was feeling frustrated about her level of household income, until attending a Money A+E workshop helped her to turn her finances around.

When her visa was delayed, Tanzila found herself legally unable to work, and her household reliant upon only one salary. She felt upset that she could not make this income go further, until she found the support and skills offered by our Money Workshops .

Workshop leaders who had been in her shoes

Our workshops are led by previous users of our services, who have themselves experienced financial difficulties. For Tanzila, this sparked an instant connection. She felt that she could be open about her financial situation in a way that she had not been able to before.

‘They are very empathetic, they are very helpful, they are very honest,’ says Tanzila. ‘When they talk about the money, they talk from their heart...I feel very comfortable to share.’

What was more, all of the questions that she had were answered in a way that addressed her own particular situation. ‘They will always give you a very one-to-one answer, a very bespoke answer,’ says Tanzila.

Seeing her ‘whole money story’

Tanzila discovered that good money management can have a hugely positive effect, whatever amounts you are dealing with.

Her workshop leaders showed her how to make a regular ‘Financial Statement’ showing income and expenses. This was a great way for Tanzila to see how much she had saved – or exceeded her income – at the end of every week or month.

To help with staying in the black, they showed the group how to distinguish between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ when it comes to spending money. As Tanzila says, that is something we could all do with a little reminder of sometimes!

Working towards long- and short-term 'money goals'

To ensure that all of this hard work has a purpose, the group was encouraged to identify their ‘money goals’ and strategies to achieve them.

For Tanzila, this was to buy a home and stay in London long-term, while her short-term goal is to pursue her passion: to save up enough funds to publish her book on the importance of maintaining our mother tongue languages.

A community money mentor

These days, Tanzila is feeling ‘mentally so good, so calm’ about money.

She is so impassioned by the skills she gained with Money A+E that she now passes them on to others, as our Digital Money Mentor Volunteer.

In fact, she spreads the word wherever she goes – she came to our interview fresh from explaining to her parents in Bangladesh how to distinguish between needs and wants. Just one of the many examples of the support and advice that Tanzila has been able to pass on to those around her, near and far.