Woman saves £2,882 with flexible Pinterest savings challenge

A self-employed content creator whose monthly income ranges from £300 to £6,000 has saved £2,882 towards an emergency fund by adapting a Pinterest savings challenge to suit her changing earnings.

Sara Puhto, 30, from Finland and now living in Brighton, checks her bank balance every Sunday, chooses an affordable amount from a chart in her diary and crosses it off before transferring the money into a separate savings account.

The weekly routine has helped her put aside around $3,850 towards a £5,000 ($6,650) target. She has also earned an additional £39 (around $52) in interest.

Sara began the challenge at the start of 2026. Although she had always been careful with money, she struggled to build larger savings, often spending what she had set aside on holidays, her UK visa or tattoos. Mental health difficulties had also made saving harder, and long-term financial goals had not been a priority.

Her earnings as a content creator fluctuate between $400 (£300) and $8,000 (£6,000) a month, making a reserve for quieter periods particularly important.

“Being a self-employed content creator, my income varies from month to month, so I wanted to create an emergency fund for when I have a flop month,” she said.

She also worries about the unpredictability of social media and the loss of income that can follow an Instagram account being deleted.

A fixed monthly payment did not appeal. “I can’t just say to myself that every month I’m going to put a certain amount into a savings account, my brain doesn’t work like that,” she said.

Instead, Sara found a weekly savings challenge on Pinterest, copied the grid into her diary and adjusted the figures to fit her budget. She chose £5,000 as a goal she considered challenging but achievable.

Her chart contains amounts ranging from £20 to £250, around $27 to $330, with rows including £40, £50, £75, £90, £150, £200 and £250. That gives her a choice rather than a fixed commitment each week.

“Sometimes I’ll have sold something extra on Vinted, so I’ll have a little extra cash, and sometimes I’ll have had a big bill come out, so I have less,” she said.

If the chart does not contain the amount she wants to save, she adds it. Some weeks, she saves nothing.

“At first I saw that as a failure, but even saving £5 is better than nothing,” she said.

Alongside the challenge, Sara has reduced her spending. Quitting smoking has saved about £30 ($40) a month, while giving up nail appointments has saved another £60 ($80). She has also stopped regular hair appointments costing around £62.50 ($83) a month and tattoos, on which she previously spent between £50 ($67) and £500 ($665) every few months.

She no longer buys new clothes and says cutting back on clothing purchases has saved a substantial amount. Previously, she would browse the second-hand clothing app Vinted and buy things simply because she liked their appearance. Now she considers whether a purchase can wait until her birthday or Christmas.

“I decided to look at what makes me genuinely happy in life and realised my savings goals were more important than these things,” she said.

The money is reserved for emergencies. Sara has no fixed deadline for reaching £5,000, but hopes to do so by the end of 2026.

“Looking at the money going up is so motivating, I’m really proud of myself,” she said.