Have you ever been talking to a friend and felt caught off guard as the chat suddenly moved to ‘standing orders’ and ‘fixed ISAs’? Have you been thrown when a friend mentions a six-figure pot of money ‘for a rainy day’? Or have you felt vicariously stressed when someone reveals they don’t have any savings at all?

Perhaps these conversations haven’t even come up because, for many of us, discussing our financial situation is one of the trickiest topics to broach, even with our closest friends. However, we also know that secrecy and avoidance when it comes to money can lead to shame – whether it’s about having too little money or too much – something which, ultimately, is damaging for us.

While research in 2023 found the average British adult had £17,773 in savings, we wanted to get deeper into the reality of how much money women have on standby. So, we quizzed our readers – specifically those in their 30s – about exactly how much they currently have in savings, and how they’ve managed to get there. From feeling conflicted about inherited money to worrying about ‘dipping in’ to savings too often, here’s what they told us. The names have been changed for anonymity, but everything else, from the salaries to the saving strategies, is entirely real.

From decades-long goals to balance zero: 18 women in their 30s reveal exactly how much they have in savings