All about… Maflingo
Jane Taylor puts money into the mix with crafts and lifestyle in her blog, Maflingo. She’s passionate about helping everyone to avoid debt, and her enthusiasm definitely shines through. We spoke to Jane about her (rather charmingly named) blog.
Tell us about your blog.
Maflingo is a lifestyle blog with a twist. I blog about interiors, DIY, crafts and creativity but I also love to share my money-saving tips and give a Jane’s eye view of the world with my random musings.
Why do you write about money?
I’ve always been passionate about bargain hunting and money saving. I also believe educating people about budgeting and managing their money is vital. That’s why I love my role as a volunteer debt adviser at Cornerstone Money Advice, Nottingham. It gives me the chance to help people to take control of their finances rather than have their finances control them. Whether people are financially secure or whether they are struggling to make ends meet, it’s great to be able to give them some money saving tips. Plus, if people have money worries, I want to be able to point them to where they can access help and support.
How did you start blogging?
Maflingo was born in December 2015, out of my desire to be creative and pursue my passion for writing after more than twenty years in an uncreative pharmacy career. Funnily enough, even as a pharmacist, my role involved helping GPs save money! That was the bit of the job I enjoyed but I wanted to do something where I could write, be creative, use my photography skills and explore my passion for money saving. Blogging seemed like the perfect fit, and it really is.
What’s your most popular post and why?
Well, until recently, my most popular post was my ‘Ikea Hack Children’s Bedroom Makeover’, which was more of a makeover post than a money saving post. However, it saved me money compared to the cost of a shop-bought mid-sleeper bed and it was tailored to my daughter’s room size. It even had a secret den! A lot of its success is due to it being popular on Pinterest. People like Ikea and they like hacks and shortcuts. They also like the idea of creating something which saves them money.
However, my most popular post this year is a money saving post. I wrote a post about how to get an NUS Student Discount card (A tip I learned from Andy Webb of Be Clever With Your Cash), and the Daily Mail picked it up and it went viral!
What’s your favourite post you’ve written and why?
In terms of money-saving posts, I really liked my ‘30 tips to drive down the cost of motoring’ post. It was fairly comprehensive and had the potential to save people hundreds of pounds a year by following each of the steps.
What’s your number one money tip?
Haggle! You don’t have to pay the price on the label!
What’s your top blogging tip?
Content is king!
Why are you part of UK Money Bloggers?
I didn’t realise how important being part of a community of money bloggers would be until I joined. I sometimes feel a bit of an oddity in that my niche is broader than just money-saving. However, money saving is a passion of mine and so it’s lovely to be part of such a supportive group of like-minded people. It’s lovely to share in people’s successes, to give and receive advice and to learn from each other.
Who are your three favourite UK Money Bloggers?
Woah! That’s a tough one! Even a year into blogging, I’m still discovering new blogs! Every money blog I get the chance to read I think, ‘I love this!’ It’s because I’m such a fan of reading this type of content – I absorb it like a sponge! I find it all fascinating. I’m always learning something new from another blogger. I’m in awe of the money bloggers who are making a living from something they are passionate about and yet they’re helping people too! It’s a worthy cause – they’re scratching an itch!
If I had to mention a few, I’d say I’ve loved reading Andy Webb’s Be Clever With Your Cash, which I only discovered back in November 2016. I was also so impressed by Emma at Emma Drew.info when I heard her speak at Blog Camp early in 2016 and I was so inspired by her success story. Debt Camel is another recent discovery for me… Sara William’s blog is packed full of useful information about debt because of her wealth of experience as a debt adviser. I found it such a valuable resource when I was preparing for an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham on the topic of debt.
There you go! Those three are my current faves, but I could list loads more!