For many, living on a fixed income can feel very stressful and restrictive. You may have enough to cover your basic needs, but things can get dicey quickly when unexpected expenses come up. Some folks are better at saving than others, and for those that are not the most mindful about retaining savings, unexpected costs can be very burdensome.
Our PennyProfit user of the month for October is Janet Hill. Janet has lived on a fixed income since her retirement. Although she has lived a comfortable, humble life post-retirement, she has still stressed about finances and the unexpected. She has always felt saving was something that was impossible given her modest means. She worried all the time about the what if’s and the how’s of a financial emergency. Janet felt hopeless that she would be able to cover even the most basic of costs outside of her regular rent, groceries, and medication.
When Janet first heard about PennyProfit, she was a little skeptical. Coming from an older generation, having your financial data going through an app can be a bit confusing and intimidating. However, with gentle nudging from her grandkids, she decided to give it a shot. They helped her sign up her account, and then she didn’t touch it for a few months.
Three or four months after Janet signed up, she dropped her phone and the screen completely shattered. Janet was devastated. Her phone had been $150 originally and the replacement device was now retailing at $175. There was absolutely no way she could afford another phone with the little savings she had. She told her grandson to talk about what happened, and he asked if she had checked her PennyProfit account recently. She said no, in fact, she had forgotten all about it. She logged in and found that over those three or four months, when she had legitimately forgotten she was using the service, she had accumulated $207 in her PennyProfit Wallet.
Janet said this felt like a miracle to her. In her time of need, she had just enough money to purchase her replacement phone in cash. The crazy part is, as much as we’d love to claim miracle worker status, nothing about the platform is miraculous. None of this came out of nowhere. This was Janet’s own money, the same exact money she had struggled to save previously, now being her saving grace in a time of need. Janet was able to purchase her replacement phone and feel a little more confident that moving forward she would have money when she needed it.
When Janet told us her story, we were so thrilled to hear that she had such an amazing experience. The ability to improve someone’s life and alleviate worry and stress is absolutely why we do what we do. We hope to hear many more stories like Janet’s in the future. If you are feeling overwhelmed when it comes to saving, make sure to get started today! And don’t forget to let us know your story so you can be a featured user one day!
