Cardiff University graduate bought £650k house in her 20s using the 50 30 20 rule

A Cardiff University graduate has shared how she managed to buy a £650,000 London home without the help of her parents.

Natalie O’Neill, a former business management student and marketing executive, took 10 years to save up for the £65,000 deposit she needed to purchase a two bedroom home in Hackney, East London.

The 30-year-old influencer began saving from the age of 20 when she was on a salary of just £26,000.

Natalie credits the 50 30 20 rule for enabling her to buy a house. The rule divides your after tax income into 50 per cent for needs, 30 per cent for wants and 20 per cent for savings or debt repayment.

Alongside using the rule, she also began investing aged 24 and used her credit card to pay for her food shopping to improve her overall credit score and to spend what you would “spend in cash.” This meant she could afford to purchase her first home in August 2025.

Speaking on how she learned the method, she said: “I remember when I was about 22, I moved to London I remember having a conversation with my boss about personal finances and they were telling me about the 50, 30, 20 rule and how it was a well-known way to put X amount in your savings.”

She added: “I opened my stocks and shares ISA in 2020, it’s earned me £15,000 up to now. Every time I would get a pay rise I would make it a non-negotiable when I got paid I would pay my bills, rent, and I didn’t spent a lot on my credit card but that was my time to pay off my credit.”

However, she admits she lost around £3,000 over three years by picking stocks, before using Nutmeg to open a stocks and shares ISA in 2020 which earned her £15,000 alone.

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via SWNS

Natalie also managed to negotiate salary increases from £28,000 to £33,000 in her first London job on the basis of her performance and increasing a job offer from £75,000 to £95,000 before becoming a full time influencer in 2023.

As for her other money saving tips, she advised against a “lifestyle creep” where spending increases in line with income, turning former luxuries into perceived necessities.

Natalie also said some people are “hiding from debt” as they are able to repay but are avoiding it.

She said: “I think coming up with a plan of how much you can pay now and later re-invest is the best idea when it comes to paying off debt. There’s an emotional side to money and with paying off debt it’s about forward momentum – believing you’re moving in the right direction with repayments”.

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Featured image via SWNS