She's On The Money

What if your "little side-hustle" became the next big brand everyone’s talking about? That’s exactly what happened to Alyce Tran, the ex-lawyer who turned a $5K side project into The Daily Edited, built stores in New York and Singapore. Then, because one cult brand wasn’t enough, she launched  In The Roundhouse , the tableware label making dinner look like a fashion moment....

Ever feel like everyone else’s life is speeding ahead while you’re stuck in the slow lane? This week’s Money Diarist knows that feeling too well. While her friends were off travelling, she was juggling uni deadlines and midnight feeds. At 17, she was pregnant and kicked out of school for being a “bad example.” Instead of giving up, she finished Year 12 through TA...

Ever feel like your money goals are at war with your life goals? Like one minute you’re saving for a house… and the next you’re convincing yourself a Euro summer is “an investment in personal growth”? This week’s DM came from someone stuck right there... her partner’s all-in on buying a home, while she’s eyeing flights. And honestly? We get it....

Retiring early is the ultimate dream... so when Brooke casually dropped that she’s on track to do it by 35 (without the Bank of Mum and Dad), you all screamed a collective “HOW?!” So of course, Victoria had to get her back in the studio to spill everything... and more importantly, share what the rest of us can steal from her strategy without living on two-minute noodles. Turns ou...

Ever wondered what it really costs to turn a light-bulb moment into something real? This week’s Money Diarist is a mum of two who did exactly that. She created a world-first product that launched just two weeks ago, and now she’s here to do what most founders wouldn’t: spill on every dollar it took to make it happen. From losing out to a dodgy sourcing agency to somehow pulling t...

Have you ever wondered if you can use home equity to buy something else you need … like a car? The low interest rate makes it sound like the ultimate hack, but would it really be the money win it feels like... or are you just turning a car loan into a decades-long debt trap? We’ve got the receipts. And just when we thought we’d seen it all, a community member slid into our...

You’ve listened to our episode about how much super you really need… but knowing your number is only half the story. The real question? How do you actually get there. Enter our Superannuation Glow-Up series. Part 1 is all about getting the right foundations in place for you and Victoria is serving up the $0 tweaks that could completely shift the trajectory of your retirement. &nb...

What do you do when you’ve applied for hundreds of jobs and all you’ve got is rejection emails? This week’s Money Diarist knows the answer.... because she kept going. But this episode isn’t just about the knock-backs. It’s about grit, glow-ups, and the moment everything finally flipped. From small-town “you’ll never make it” whispers to proving every...

We’ve all heard HECS is a deal-breaker for your borrowing capacity… but is it really the villain it's made out to be? We’ve got the tea on how much your HECS actually matters when you’re trying to get a loan... and let’s just say, the maths might surprise you. And because Fridays love a little family drama, we’re also talking about the stress of parents making...

Ever wondered if the hobby that you love could be the thing that pays your rent? That’s the story of Alice (Miss Trixie Drinks Tea) and Alisha (Sweet Bakes), two women who turned frosting and fun into booming businesses. And after fangirling over each other on socials and becoming baking besties IRL, they did what most of us only joke about... they started a business together. From side-hust...

Surprise! No Money Diary today... V has hijacked your Monday feed for something different. Think of this one as a little love note from her to you (with a side of tough-love pep talk). Because if you’ve ever scrolled past someone’s new house, new ring, new six-figure job and thought “cool, I’m officially behind on life”… this episode is basically your anti...

Ever wondered if sharing an investment account is romantic… or just risky business? This week we’re unpacking whether it’s the smartest way to build wealth together, or if there are easier (and safer) options. Then, we dive into a community DM that gets a lot heavier: when your partner’s choices put your financial security at risk, how do you protect yourself? Of cour...

We handed over control of the show to you this week and said: ask us ANYTHING. From how to finally get ahead on your goals, to spotting when you’re leaving free money on the table, to breaking the cycle of self-sabotage spending... nothing was off limits. If you’ve ever wished you could pick Jess and V’s brains over a coffee, this is that episode. In this ep: ❓ The surprising ca...

We’ve all been told property is the “safe” investment. But this week’s Money Diarist learned the hard way that’s not always true. She thought she was making the smart move buying a second investment property. Instead, she ended up with a building so dodgy it dragged her through years of court battles, left her with no rental income, and forced her to sell the first ho...

Should you hold off on buying until the property market cools… or is waiting the real mistake? We’ve all heard the classic “just wait two years, prices will drop” advice, but what if that never actually happens and you’ve in a worse position? This week we’re unpacking the market peak panic and what it actually means for you if you’re trying to buy right n...

We finally got to do it... sit down with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and ask the money questions that actually matter to you. Not the political theatre ones, but the real-life stuff that keeps you up at night: the weekly food shop, housing that feels out of reach, and childcare costs that just don’t add up. But this wasn’t all serious policy talk. We dug into his own money story, s...

Victoria and Brooke are always swapping notes on the shares and ETFs they’re watching... so we thought, why not let you in on the chat? This isn’t a “go out and buy” list. It’s the inside scoop on how they think about investing, what’s caught their eye, why it’s on the radar, and what has to happen before they’d actually jump in. It's the kind of fin...

Have you ever wanted to pack a bag, vanish from your old life? That’s exactly what this week’s Money Diarist did when her world flipped upside down at 21 and she had everything taken away from her, and it became the start of a money story she never saw coming. What began as a running-away chapter chasing her love of travel turned into years of odd jobs, fishing boats, and tour guiding,...

Tax time always feels like free money season… but is it really? This week we’re debating whether your refund should go straight into savings, into shares, or into the nearest Dyson Airwrap. And just when things couldn’t get more divisive, a community DM slid in: should you still split bills 50/50 when your housemate works from home (and claims it all back on tax)? Is it fai...

House hunting in 2025 feels... chaotic. That’s why this week’s Deep Dive is your playbook for finding "The One". Because the perfect property? It doesn’t exist. But the right one for you absolutely does... and we’re here to help you spot it before someone else puts their deposit down. Buying a house is stressful enough. Let’s at least make sure you’ve got the ha...

Every money story has a sliding door moment... the decision that could go either way. Stay safe, or risk it all. This week’s Money Diarist chose the second option: she sold her house, walked away from job security, and packed up the family for a sea change with no plan and no savings. Everyone (including her parents) thought it was risky. And honestly? At first it did look like financia...

So… what is the magic number you should have when it comes to savings? Is it a neat percentage, a chunky dollar figure, or three months of bills sitting pretty in your account? This week we’re spilling the tea on how to work out  your number, so you can stop guessing and start saving with a plan that actually makes sense for your life. Then we chat about what to do when fina...

Ever wondered how people actually know when it’s time to quit, pivot, or back themselves in a huge career move? Well Michelle Battersby's career was made on those moves. She ditched her safe banking job to launch unkown dating app Bumble in Australia, co-founded her own tech company Sunroom (and sold it while pregnant), and even walked away from an “end-of-career” salary because...

Have you ever had to say no to something you couldn’t afford... and it completely changed your life? This week’s Money Diarist has. She was literally ranked top 10 in the world as a professional athlete… while earning less than $20k a year. (Yep, you heard that right. Top 10 in the world, but that's all she was paid). Backed by her powerhouse single mum, she trained, studie...

Is it really a money hack if it leaves you wondering whether you’re saving money… or just signing up for a fancier kind of debt? This week, we’re unpacking the financial mystery that is the novated lease & whether they’re a money win or just marketing spin. We cover how they work, when they make sense, and the sneaky traps to watch out for. Then we spiral (in the...