Hi, I’m Dr Kalpana Govindaraasan, a UK mum, a PhD scientist and the founder of MoneySavvyUK. I write step-by-step guides for women and families who want to save money, earn a little more, learn new skills and build something of their own.
My money story: £1,000 to our first home
I came to the UK in 2008 with about £1,000. Then the financial crisis hit, and my husband couldn’t find a job for almost a year. We lived on my salary alone. In 2009 he found work, and I left my job because we were trying to start a family. So we saved on one salary at a time, first mine, then his.
We cooked at home, walked to the shops for yellow-label bargains, used only public transport for two years (with day tickets and weekly passes, which were cheaper than single fares), rented furnished homes through three job moves, borrowed books from the library instead of buying them (and used its free internet, because we had no broadband at first), and bought toiletries, rice and presents in the sales. The money went into an ISA and a high-interest savings account. In 2011, we bought our first house with a 20% deposit of £36,000.
Since then, I’ve gone back to work as a teacher, and we’ve been through buying a home again and remortgaging. So my guides on saving for a deposit, buying a house and mortgages come from real experience, not just research.
I’ve told the full story, including exactly what we didn’t buy, on Medium: We saved £36,000 on one salary. Here’s what we didn’t buy.
My background
- PhD in Materials Chemistry from IIT Madras.
- Postdoctoral research at the University of Southampton.
- Secondary science teacher in the UK.
- Retrained in AI and Python (generative and agentic AI coursework, IIT Madras).
Being a scientist shapes how I write about money. I check the source and read the small print before I recommend anything. You can see my career on LinkedIn.
What I’ve tested myself
When I say “I did this”, I really did. A few of my own results:
- How I saved £400 on car insurance by not auto-renewing
- The script I used to cut my broadband bill by £180
- How I ditched Sky TV and saved £560 a year
- How I made £180 selling on local Facebook groups
- About £800 earned through cashback over the years. My cashback guide shows how.
Where to start
- Budgeting: the 50/30/20 rule on a UK salary and my free UK money calculators.
- Cutting bills: how to cancel subscriptions and all my save-money guides.
- Saving for a home: the Lifetime ISA for first-time buyers and the hidden costs of buying a house.
- Families: where kids eat free, baby essentials on a budget and budgeting on maternity pay.
- Freebies: UK birthday freebies.
- Earning more: selling on Vinted, side hustle tax and the £1,000 allowance and all my make-money guides.
- Higher earners: the £100k tax trap.
How I research and check my guides
- I check UK figures against official sources: GOV.UK, HMRC, the FCA, Ofgem, MoneyHelper and the NHS. I say which tax year a figure applies to.
- I check offers on the brand’s own website or terms, and I point out the catches, such as minimum spends and expiry dates.
- Each guide shows a “last checked” date, and I update guides when rules or prices change.
- I never claim to have used something I haven’t tried.
How this site makes money
Some links are affiliate links, marked (ad). If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also sell printable planners in my shop. Read my affiliate disclosure.
I’m not a financial adviser. My guides are information, not personalised advice. For help with your own situation, use the free MoneyHelper service or an FCA-regulated adviser. See my financial disclaimer.
Say hello
Email me at kalpana@moneysavvyuk.com or use my contact page. You can also find me on Pinterest, YouTube, X and Medium.
Last updated: 10 October 2026.
