“Hi guys. There’s no issue, I just want to say what an amazingly intuitive, user friendly experience I’m having with Plum [...] I’d love to know if there’s a future road map for the product, or anything similarly geeky I can nerd out over. But thanks, I love Plum! {I’m not drunk, I’m aware I sound a little tipsy but I’m not}...I’ll stop now. Mary.”

This is how we first met Mary, who reached out to us last month via ‘chat to human’ in her app to let us know how she felt about Plum.

We always love reading your feedback, but Mary’s comment was a particularly welcome sight. Given her self-confessed love of Plum (a woman after our own heart 💜) we knew this was someone we had to have a chat with.

In the very first instalment of The Plum Diary we talk to the 36 year old from Yorkshire, as she takes us through her personal money journey. From saving more to becoming a first time investor, Mary explains how Plum has helped her be a boss of her finances.

Mary’s saving story

Mary’s always been a responsible saver, but it took a big move a few years ago, from Australia back to the UK, to really get her thinking about how she could maximise her money 💪

“Coming back to the UK, saving became even more important to me because when you’re out of the country for more than three years you lose all the credit ratings you’ve accumulated, so it’s much harder to get a mortgage or finance a car. I became more conscious of my financial health from that point.”

Since then she’s definitely been crushing it when it comes to money (and life in general 😉). She’s bought a house in Yorkshire with her husband, and throughout lockdown has been the main breadwinner of the household, continuing to work remotely while her partner was placed on furlough.

Mary says Plum has definitely helped her in the savings department, giving her that extra boost. Since getting the app almost two years ago, she’s racked up over £1,800 in her Plum account 🙌 An impressive total, especially considering that she “doesn’t notice the money leaving [her] account” (many Plumsters report that it feels like magic when they check their Plum balance!).

Although Mary was already bossing her finances, she used Plum to help her effortlessly stash away small amounts for that vital ‘treat-yo self’ moment. “It almost feels like free money. That’s the only way I can describe it. It disappears without me noticing it so when I look and it's there I think, bugger it, let’s go on holiday or buy something we really want.”

Becoming a first time investor: Mary’s “why not’’ moment 🤷

Aside from saving, we were also really excited to hear Mary talk about how she started investing for the first time with Plum 📈

Mary told us that she’d been interested in investing for a while, but the complication and general confusion surrounding traditional methods had previously put her off. “No one tells you how to do it. I thought it was always something that grownups did, and I’ve never thought of myself as a grown up!”.  We’re with you on that Mary... hands up anyone else who’s well into adulthood and still doesn’t feel like a grown-up? ✋✋✋

For Mary, Plum not only gave her the confidence to start investing, but also the means to do so, “you know it’s something you want to do, but there’s no way to do it other than going out and seeing a financial adviser, which in itself is kind of outdated.”

After seeing the investment option on Plum, she decided to finally dip her toe in the water. She describes it as a “why not?” moment, her previous experience with the app giving her the confidence she needed to start investing her cash for the future 🤗

Plum Pro

To fully maximise her money, Mary’s recently upgraded to Plum Pro, which she describes as one of the few subscriptions that she’s found actually worth having. “I don’t think I’ve ever signed up for a free trial and thought, bloomin heck, I’m going to carry on with that. But it’s genuinely useful, so I was really pleased.”

“That was what really opened my eyes to the other features...I want to have a proper poke around and play around so I can get it customised properly for me.”

Mary’s personalised her Plum account by creating a Holiday Pocket ⛱ to save for a trip away, switching on Pay Days to deposit an additional lump sum when her salary first hits her bank 💰 and taking on the 52 Week Challenge, which will save her £1,378 over by the course of a year 📆

Mary also opted to switch on our Rainy Days Rule, which puts cash aside every time it rains ☔ Although given that her home town is in Yorkshire, she may soon have to rethink that decision... “It’s pinging it down now, so my bank account’s probably empty!”

A long-time Plumster, Mary’s finances have also benefited from Plum's Pro features to give her finances that ‘wow’ factor. “It gives me different opportunities and flexibility with money that, if I was using my bank account, I wouldn’t have”.

In future she’s looking forward to tracking her investments, and trying out other features within the app. Most of all, she can’t wait to see more new releases from Plum. “I’m excited for what will come next!”

Mary’s top Plum tip: “Trust the magic. Trusting anyone with your money is a big step, but Plum knows you better than you think”

Do you have a Plum story to tell? Let us know by emailing us at press@withplum.com

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