12 Millennial women on how they feel about their finances right now.

When it comes to money, it's hard not to compare ourselves to others. 

How much should I be saving?

Am I on par with how my parents were doing financially when they were my age? 

When should I buy a house? When can I buy a house? Will I ever be able to afford to buy my own house?

Right now, Millennials in particular are dealing with a lot of money stress. 

This month Mamamia surveyed 350 Aussie women between the ages of 28 and 43 to get a more realistic picture of their financial situations. 

Watch: 5 money lessons your parents told you, that you should probably forget. Post continues below. 

A 31-year-old senior policy officer in mining working full-time earning $120,000 per year, currently has $10,000 sitting in her savings. She has $2000 in stocks and aims to add $2000 per month to her savings. She is single and living with her parents in a bid to save money.

"I moved back from overseas with my dog, and that cost me most of my savings. Now I'm rebuilding - first my emergency savings, then egg freezing and then a house deposit. I have made sacrifices (moving back in with parents, taking on two jobs) to help rebuild after a big year last year. I'm confident that in a year I'll be back in a secure financial situation that'll allow me to start realising some of my new life(style) goals."

"It's hard to buy on one wage."

A 43-year-old governance manager in banking working full-time earning $148,000 per year, currently has $520,000 sitting in her savings. She has money in stocks and aims to add $5000 per month to her savings. She is single and lives alone in a property she owns. 

"I know I have a lot of cash and I am okay in the grand scheme of it all, but I'm trying to buy another home (upsize from my townhouse) and it's hard on one wage. I still feel like a first home buyer as I'm up against couples with two incomes who could earn as much as I do combined but get more disposable income due to two tax free thresholds and the scaling tax system (not really more expensive to live as a couple as you can share expenses where I can't). Also, I'm up against investors who I don't know how they get their cash as if I wanted to try and hold my townhouse as an investment, it reduces my borrowing capacity substantially," she tells Mamamia. 

"Interest rate increases have also reduced my borrowing capacity by over $300,000 since rates started to rise and property isn't going to fall let alone by that much. I'm also so conscious of my retirement (have been since I was a kid as I'm very financially literate and my parents were great money teachers) so that's another reason why I'm just trying to really save and make sure I can look after myself as I will likely just be depending on me."

"I feel behind my peers in terms of savings."

A 33-year-old compliance coordinator in higher education working full-time earning $112,000 per year, currently has $30,500 sitting in her savings. She has zero in stocks and aims to add $1000 or more per month to her savings. She is in a relationship and renting with her partner. 

"I just feel okay. I spent a lot of my 20s travelling and working low-paid jobs overseas. I don't regret this at all, but it does make me feel behind my peers in terms of savings. Many of my friends already own property, but my partner and I aren't able to afford that yet," she tells Mamamia.

"We also want to have kids soon-ish, but we're trying not to think about the immense cost of that (we are two women) at the moment. Our biggest financial goals are to buy a house and then after that undergo IVF and other fertility treatments."

"I've just come to the end of my paid maternity leave."

A 32-year-old clerk for a pathology unit - who is on mat leave - typically working full-time earning $62,000 per year, currently has $200,000 in shared savings with her husband, and $9000 in personal savings. She has zero in stocks and isn't adding to her savings right now. She is married, renting and has dreams for her and her partner to build a house this year.

"I'm stressed! I've just come to the end of my paid maternity leave and plan to have another six months off. I know my husband can support us financially and we have more than enough to fall back on in savings, but I can't help but feel as though I'm not contributing. I worry about the financial pressure on him and resent the dismal parental leave provided by the multi-billion dollar company that I work for - just eight weeks!"

"I'm feeling good, following an expensive year last year."

A 28-year-old executive assistant in occupational rehabilitation working full-time earning $79,000 per year, currently has $2500 sitting in her savings. She has zero in stocks and aims to add $1700 per month to her savings. She is married and renting. 

"I don't have a particular savings goal right now which is nice to take the pressure off. I'm feeling good about my finances, especially after having spent the last few years saving for a wedding and then a big holiday. It feels good to now be able to spend a little again."

"We're about to become financially responsible for one of our parents."

A 35-year-old intensive care doctor working full-time earning $180,000 per year, currently has $125,000 sitting in her joint savings with her husband. She has zero in stocks and isn't sure how much she adds to their savings, noting "we just add whatever we don't spend from the month to the account". She is married, renting and looking to buy a home.

"My husband and I are relatively comfortable. Our money goal is to have a 'buffer' of $150,00 for emergencies/unplanned expenses/when I go on maternity leave," she explains.

"We're in the process of trying to buy a house in a capital city which is anxiety provoking and demoralising. It also looks like we are going to end up somewhat financially responsible for one of our parents who is struggling - but whenever I get too anxious about it I remind myself we are in a much more fortunate position than many others."

"My emergency savings are more limited."

A 41-year-old procurement officer working with the federal government on a contract basis earning $210,000 right now, currently has $11,000 sitting in her savings. She has money in stocks, specifically EFTs, and aims to add $1400 to $1600 per month to her savings. Her ultimate goal is to have $30,000 in her savings and $60,000 in EFTs. She is in a relationship and lives alone in a home she owns with a mortgage. 

"I had $15,000 two weeks ago in my emergency savings but had to get emergency flights to Scotland because my father's dad is dying. But otherwise I'm still comfortable because my minimum need for emergency savings is $12,000. I also have $30,000 in my mortgage redraw account but I see that as the bank's money and try not to use that at all. But it's good knowing it's there to withdraw if I really need it."

"I'm rebuilding after leaving a financially abusive relationship."

A 29-year-old copywriter in media working full-time earning $75,000 per year, currently has $21,000 sitting in her savings. She has $3500 in stocks and aims to add $1200 per month to her savings. She is single and living with her parents rent-free. 

"I feel okay about my financial situation right now, but I'm anxious. I am in a privileged position with my savings, but I wouldn't be going well if I wasn't. I'm rebuilding after a financially abusive relationship and I also moved back home interstate. I wish I earned more money (I'm working on it!) and had saved more. But I'm working towards my goals."

"I'm a bridesmaid in two weddings coming up and money is tight."

A 30-year-old in communications for the charitable sector working full-time earning $107,000 per year, currently has $5400 sitting in her savings. She has zero in stocks and aims to add $1500 per month to her savings, though she says that soon these funds will be going directly to her mortgage repayments. She is married and lives in their own two-bedroom apartment with a mortgage. 

"I feel secure, for now. Things are manageable. But I want to be able to not think about money. I want to visit my sister in Perth without stressing about money. I want to go away for a holiday with my husband. But at the moment we're staring down a $15,000 bill with just one third of it paid off. And each time we receive a pay rise and we feel we can breathe easily, something else pops up. It's quite literally exhausting," she explains.

"Three of my close friends got engaged in the last months and two of their weddings will require significant travel. I'm also in the bridal party for two. I hate that I have to actively consider how to make this work. I know I am so privileged to have a mortgage in Sydney and to have stable work. And I know that being able to afford two bridesmaid dresses and travel to weddings is a first world problem. But I feel like this should be far more doable by the time I'm this established in my career/life when I have no dependents."

"Our focus is enjoying time with our young kids rather than growing wealth."

A 35-year-old doctor working part-time earning $70,000 per year, currently has $5500 sitting in her savings. She has zero in stocks and doesn't have a set amount she aims to put in savings each month. She is married and they are home owners but they are renting out this home and living in a rental in a different city. 

"Our financial situation could be better, but our focus currently is on enjoying our young kinds rather than growing wealth. I know my earning potential will improve with time given the profession I'm in, and when the kids are older I'll be ready."

"I'm just covering all expenses."

A 30-year-old communications manager in government working full-time earning $94,000 per year, currently has $40,000 sitting in her savings. She has zero in stocks and aims to add "whatever is left" to her savings, which is usually around a few hundred dollars. She is single and lives in her own home with a mortgage, and now with a housemate to help with finances.

"I'm not saving anything, I'm just covering all expenses. Yes, I have money in savings but it's not increasing and hasn't since interest rates jumped. I've stopped planning any travels and had to get a housemate," she tells Mamamia. 

"I'm selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace to afford nice groceries."

A 32-year-old PR and media relations specialist working part-time earning $56,000 per year, currently has $5000 sitting in her savings. She has a small amount of money in stocks and aims to add $200 per month to her savings. She is married and they have one 19-month-old son, and another on the way - due in June.

"We're concerned about money. I'm about to go on maternity leave for the second time in two years. Cost of living is expensive, bills are expensive, food, you name it. I am selling lots of items on Facebook Marketplace to just be able to afford nice luxuries at the supermarket."

Feature Image: Canva.