Okay look, financial independence for women is something I’ve been obsessing over lately while sitting in my tiny Faridabad-flat-turned-office staring at ceiling fans that never spin fast enough. Like right now the power just flickered again (classic Haryana evening) and I’m typing this on 18% battery thinking “this is exactly why I need financial independence for women faster”. I’m not some polished finance broette with a perfect spreadsheet—last week I Venmo’d my cousin ₹1500 for “emergency therapy snacks” which was really just mango ice cream and shame. So yeah… this is gonna be honest, messy, and probably have a typo or two because that’s how real people write at 7:30 pm when they’re tired.
How My Brain Even Started Caring About Financial Independence for Women
I didn’t grow up with money talks. In my house it was “beta bas padhai karo, baaki bhagwan bharose”. Then 2023 happened, I switched jobs, salary jumped 40%, and instead of saving I bought a stupidly expensive Kurti collection “because I deserved it”. Cue January 2024: staring at a credit card bill that made me nauseous while eating cold Maggi on the floor because chairs felt too bougie for my financial situation. That was the moment financial independence for women stopped being a cute BuzzFeed quiz and became “holy shit I need this yesterday”.
Read “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” (the Indian edition vibes hit different) and cried because yeah I was the stereotype. Anyway.
The Dumbest Money Mistakes I Made Chasing Financial Independence for Women
- Blew three months’ rent on a destination wedding I wasn’t even that close to the bride
- Thought “investing = buying random mutual funds my colleague auntie told me about”
- Kept Swiggy/Zomato on speed dial like they were paying my EMIs
- Opened a demat account, transferred ₹8000, then panic-sold everything three weeks later when Sensex dipped 300 points
- Told myself “I’ll start saving seriously next month” for 19 consecutive months
I’m cringing typing this. But hiding the embarrassing parts won’t help anyone else trying to achieve financial independence faster as women.
Stuff That Actually Moved the Needle (Even When I Half-Assed It)
Here’s what kinda worked despite my chaos brain:
- The 50/30/20 rule but make it desi — 50% needs (rent, bills, kirana), 20% wants (still too much biryani), 30% savings/invest. I started at like 10% savings and felt proud as hell.
- Opened a separate recurring deposit just for “do not touch unless literally dying” — named it “Future Pori Doesn’t Hate Me Fund”. Psychologically it works.
- Started a tiny side hustle teaching basic Excel to college kids online. Made ₹22k last month. Felt like cheating the universe.
- Stopped following influencers who post private-jet screenshots. Unfollowed 47 accounts in one angry session.
- Forced myself to look at my net worth every Sunday evening. Even when it was depressing. Especially when depressing.
These aren’t sexy. They’re boring. But boring wins when you’re trying to speed up financial independence for women in real life.
Advanced(ish) Moves I’m Attempting Now in 2026
- Maxing PPF + ELSS every year even if it means eating daal-rice for a month straight
- Learning about international index funds (scary but the returns… 👀)
- Negotiating every bill. Like literally called my broadband guy and got 15% off by saying “bhaiya ji thoda discount de do na”. Worked.
- Building a mini emergency fund in liquid funds instead of savings account because inflation is eating my lunch
- Telling people “no” when they want to plan an expensive group trip. Still feels rude. Still necessary.
I still screw up. Last weekend I bought a ₹4300 face mask “for self-care”. Immediately regretted. But then I transferred double that amount to investments the next day as punishment/revenge. Balance.
Final Ramble on Financial Independence for Women
I’m nowhere near “independent”. I still panic when the AC repair guy quotes ₹7000. I still impulse buy earrings from Instagram reels at 1 a.m. But I’m moving faster than last year. And that gap—even if it’s just ₹15,000 more saved this year—feels huge.
If you’re reading this while eating Maggi in the dark because you’re scared to check your bank balance… same. Start stupidly small. One less coffee. One more SIP. One awkward salary negotiation. It adds up in the most unglamorous way.
Drop a comment if you’re also a hot mess trying to get financially free—I wanna know I’m not alone lol.
(And yeah I know there’s probably three typos in here. That’s how humans write when they’re actually feeling the words. Deal with it.) 😅
