Listen up, you need a 'get the f*ck out' fund

And nope, it is not just about being able to leave your SO...

- Kimberley Bond

Dom is getting ready for the day and, like a lot of people in their early twenties, she's recording her routine on TikTok. As she combs her hair, she reveals that she's looking to leave her toxic living situation and is quietly putting money away to make that happen. She titles this her 'Get The F*ck Out' (GTFO) fund-her secret stash of savings to help her quite literally get the f*ck out of a sticky situation.

When JoJo sang Get out, leave right now in 2004, we felt that...but in 2024, having financial independence has become a luxury. The past few years have been, well, a struggle. From endless unprecedented times (no more! Precedented only from now on, pls) to soaring energy bills, rising food prices, and skyrocketing rents, our financial futures are looking decidedly bleak-which is why experts are insisting we all start opening our GTFO funds. Having these safety-net savings is about more than just bowing out of crappy relationships; they are for the multitude of fun little curveballs life sends our way, be it an eviction notice from a dodgy landlord or being whacked with redundancy. But with so many of us so hard up, are GTFO funds really necessary? When is the right time to spend them? And how the hell can we actually start saving for them?

STARTING A GTFO FUND

We get it it is easy to feel defeated when you open up your wallet and all you can find are old receipts. But Lesley Mackintosh, founder of Independent Women, a UK-based community of female financial advisers, urges women to start saving as soon as they can. "At all stages of life, you must have your own money that no one else can access to give you true independence and flexibility," she explains.