We love hearing from families about their experiences with nimbl, as well as how the card and app factor into their everyday lives.
After our catch up with nimbl dad Stephen Bridge, we were delighted to speak with another of our wonderful nimbl families this week – we chatted to mum Clare and Nuala (13) about everything from inducting teens into the ‘adult’ world of money, to how Nuala’s been using nimbl to help bolster her lockdown business ventures!
What has Nuala learnt about money since the family first started using nimbl?
It’s definitely given her a better appreciation of its value. Having sight of her remaining balance at all times, she always has a good overview of her finances in a way that isn’t quite the same with cash. As soon as she spends in store or online, she sees the balance go down on her app, which is a really helpful way of reminding her that money isn’t just an infinite pot.
It’s also been useful in making her feel confident about spending and saving. The card and app have given her real a sense of independence with money, as she’s empowered to make the purchases herself but within a positive, secure environment, thanks in large part to the spending notifications for parents.
What was the impact of lockdown on Nuala’s spending habits?
With schools closed and homeschooling suddenly the norm, she definitely started spending online more. Pre-lockdown, she’d only make the odd small purchase every now and then, but with physical shops closed during this period she got a real first real glimpse into the world of online shopping.
It didn’t take long for the novelty of buying low value items online to wear off, and after a month or so, she began saving her pennies for bigger purchases. As well as getting a feel for navigating websites and the virtual shopping experience in general, it also encouraged her to really prioritise what she wanted to spend her money on – a useful skill for the adult world where budgeting is the norm.
When she was ready to head back into store with her friends, hygiene-wise having the contactless function was also a real plus, as it gave me peace of mind over her safety whilst out and about.
How has she found using the card at school?
While at school she tends to use the school’s own cashless payment system, Nuala always carries her nimbl card with her in case of emergencies. She did have one mishap, as she recently misplaced her card during the school day, but fortunately it was really easy to quickly lock the card via the app and get a replacement one ordered. Very handy!
Is Nuala doing anything innovative to top up her pocket money allowance?
Definitely! During lockdown she actually had the great idea of making her own earrings and selling them on to friends for a small profit. She used her nimbl card to buy a little kit from Amazon, made the earrings herself and then sold them to family friends and classmates for a couple of pounds and we’d then transfer her earnings via the app onto her nimbl card.
She’s also been getting really stuck into her household chores, both to supplement regular pocket money payments and just generally to help the family out. When I was away on holiday recently and her Nana was looking after her, she made her dinner every night and earnt herself a few top-ups, which Nana was easily able to send across using the gifting function.
As a parent, it’s been great to see her making the link between putting in the effort and earning money, which will hopefully give her a really solid grounding for working life.
Our thanks to Clare and Nuala for their time chatting to us – we loved it! If you have a nimbl story you’d be keen to share, reach out via email or our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and you could feature next!