Kate

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kate. I grew up in Adelaide but moved to Melbourne in 2001 for a year and never left. I think it’s the best city in the world.  

I work for Homes Melbourne, part of City of Melbourne. We help people find pathways out of homelessness and advocate for, and try to facilitate, affordable housing on council land.

I worked my way out $25k of debt in 2017 and now I own a home! That has inspired me to want to show other women how to take control of their money.

Wow, please explain?

Nobody ever taught me anything about money, and getting into debt is so easy. You get a credit card and off you go. Then you’re in debt for ages and it feels impossible to pay off. I was in a financially abusive relationship when I was very young and started to believe ‘I was bad with money’. I was told that repeatedly despite never having a chance to ‘be good’ with it. I always felt very anxious about it.

Then someone gave me the book, The Barefoot Investor and it changed everything. It’s not necessarily geared towards women, but the advice is excellent.  I read it in a day. By the end of that day I felt more in control of my money than I had ever felt in my entire life.  

I followed the book. I stopped buying a new outfit for every single occasion and I really thought about where I wanted to be with money and how I wanted to feel about it.

So I consolidated all my debts. Having just one payment felt much more manageable than payments going everywhere. I didn’t have any more money, but I felt like I was in control. Then I rolled all of my super into one fund, started investing just $20 a fortnight and saving 10% of my income.

Since then, I’ve turned into a total finance nerd. I started consuming books, podcasts, videos - anything that could teach me more about money. What I found is that it’s so much simpler than we’ve been taught or led to believe.

I now really take notice of where I spend my money, I look at my bank account A LOT so I can spot things like a free trials I forget to cancel. I also learnt to always check my payslip. I never used to but you can easily be overpaid or underpaid and not notice. And I can ensure my super is being paid correctly. And budgeting. I know, it sounds so boring but having a budget to work to is actually quite freeing.

During the pandemic, I thankfully kept my job, worked through all the advice in the book and paid off all my debt and started saving properly for the first time ever. You'd be surprised how much you can save when you're saving for something that you really want.

How did you come to live at Nightingale Preston?

I was renting in Reservoir during the pandemic and was loving it. One day I thought, “God, I love this place. I wish it was mine”.

Three days later, the landlord rang me and asked if I wanted to buy it.

After Mum died, I helped my Dad downsize into an apartment in Adelaide, so I had a relationship with the bank. I was out of debt and had started saving. Thankfully, I also had some help from Mum and Dad.  I called the bank and asked if they thought it was possible and they said it was! I called the landlord back to say I’d take it and he raised the price by $30K! I couldn’t do that and it was heartbreaking. But it made me realise home ownership was a possibility.

Because of Dad’s apartment, I had realised apartment living was really doable and actually pretty cool.  I heard about Nightingale Preston and thought “I know those guys, I trust them” and so I balloted. On ballot day, I got my first preference! I love this south-east corner, it’s got a view of the city, heritage tram depot in front and the train line next to it. Sometimes I just sit here and think “I can't believe this is mine.”

So, you’re loving it?

There's things that I wasn't expecting to love as much as I do. This is going to sound weird but I love the rooftop clothes line. I don't know what it is about having a clothes line, but it reminds me of childhood and hanging out the washing with Mum. There's just something lovely and homey about it.

I love that if I've got the doors and curtains closed, and it's an awful day outside, I would have no idea. It's so quiet and peaceful.  I am sleeping better than I have in a long time.

We’ve got some magpies that come and visit us - on my balcony and the rooftop. I think we've called them Bert and Ernie. They sing so beautifully.  It’s one of my favorite sounds.

Then there’s the community. I’ve lived alone for 20 years and I didn’t realise that I needed a community around me so much. We don’t live in each other’s pockets but just knowing that there are people here that can help me if I need it makes an absolutely huge difference.  I didn’t know that was so important. It’s actually made me feel better about myself. Some days, I don’t want to leave the house or see anyone. But if I  go downstairs and bump into someone with a simple hello, my mood is instantly lifted. People are around, people are smiling and you can feel it relax your nervous system.

The feeling of having my own space is incredible. I feel grounded and secure and stable. I feel like an adult!

Has the community had many events yet?

We had the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony with everyone. We’ve had monthly sunset/moonrise drinks on the rooftop. It’s incredible. I’ve made some great friends here already.

The moonrises here are amazing when it’s full, I can sit on my couch and have an unobstructed view of it.

Have you used the Guest House?

I was the first person to use the Guest House when my cousin came to stay. He loved it. It’s great to have people visit but have their own space. My Dad and sister are coming to stay next month.

What’s in store for the future?

I really enjoy being single and this will be my forever home. I don’t have kids by choice so when I go, I want to give my apartment to Aboriginal Housing Victoria.

Have you made any changes to your apartment?

I took the inbuilt desk out. I like to leave work at work and have home be a sanctuary.  I’ve put in some extra shelves. I’m thinking about painting part of the living area. I like to move things around a lot. I want it to feel cosy and lived in. I did a lot of saging before I moved in and set some good intentions burning Palo Santo. I put in a couple of mirrors which beautifully bounce light around the place.

Favourite places in Preston?

Pausa Pranzo - It’s Italian, run by Italians.  You sit outside and feel like you’re in Europe. 

The Keys, for bowling, very fun. 

Hecho en Mexico - the food is so delicious. 

Dragonfly Cafe - I had the most delicious chocolate walnut milk there. The owner gave me some olive loaf one day to take back and share with the neighbours. How nice is that?