7 August 2025

Guest Writer: Donna Rae.

At 16 I left Inverkeithing High School in Fife with a Standard Grade in Art, History and English.

I studied Art and Design two-year course at Telford College in Edinburgh.

After college I started a YTS placement at a small Offset Litho Printers in Dalgety Bay. I was learning how to do camera ready artwork in black and white, make negatives and plates for printing. I also had to do all the photocopying for customers coming into the shop and help with finishing whenever required. My wage was £35 a week and I had to give my mum £10 a week dig money. 

After divorcing, my father moved to Southampton and remarried when I was 17 and had been encouraging me to apply for jobs near him. I had been dating a submariner based at Rosyth dockyard. His submarine came out of refit after two years and he was moved to Portsmouth. At age 20 I visited my dad and got hold of his Yellow Pages. I noted every printer’s name and address in Southampton and wrote to every printer asking for a job. I secured a post and moved there into a bedsit. My wage was £80 a week and my rent was £30 a week. The submariner I had been dating moved in with me and we eventually bought our first house together when I was 21. We married when I was 23.

We planned to move up the house market then eventually downsize and be mortgage free. However, when I was 27, we decided to start a family, and my son was born. I gave up my career to be a stay-at-home mum. My husband then moved up the ranks and was transferred to Faslane. We moved and bought a house in Kilcreggan. Things were tough then as Thatcher was Prime Minister and the mortgage repayments doubled. We had bought a property well within affordability due to having a family but during this period things became very difficult financially on one wage. I had to learn how to manage money and fast. My husband was at sea for three months at a time with no contact whatsoever. My husband had shown me how to manage the cheque book, but I got it wrong, I had taken the total cheque spends away from the wrong column and overspent accidentally. I was called into the bank where the manager asked for my debit card and cut it up. I was left for a month with a toddler and no money. I managed on boiled pasta and tinned sweetcorn. It got a bit boring for lunch and dinner. When I was 29, I gave birth to my daughter.

As there was not much disposable income, I became a Dorling Kindersley salesperson and used all the funds to purchase goods at a greatly reduced price. This was financially better as it meant my kids had a better Christmas. I used to make everything myself ensuring that my kids never missed out. I sat on various committees including the School Board and served as Chairwoman of the Mother & Toddlers, Playgroup and Rising Fives. I worked hard at the fund raising and increased their bank account to the highest it had ever been. I did this by promoting inclusiveness in every form.

When my kids were 6 and 8 my husband's time in the Navy came to an end and we moved to the North of Scotland to a small place called Dufftown. We sold up and moved into a tied house. However, I kept paying the endowment policies. I sat on a local tourist group and did various jobs in a voluntary capacity. I took on the creation of the annual Guidebook and the Flower Show programme. I then decided to embark on a History Degree with the Open University with the plan of becoming a high school history teacher. I volunteered once a week at the local high school. On passing my degree I then took a post in my local library working part time. I had to deal with all monies, record keeping and annual stock taking. I increased the footfall through good service and events for locals to attend.

When my kids moved to Edinburgh to study, I used the matured endowment policies to buy a small flat in Edinburgh. I had struggled to find full time work locally, so I applied for a post at Edinburgh City Council on the Advice Line. This was hard work and for not much more money. I also had to move and live back with my mum in Fife where I had started. After six months I sold the flat and bought a house in Livingston and we all moved there. My kids had a base to find work and their own places to live. My husband secured a post in Edinburgh and moved in too.

After lockdown and six years doing the Advice Line and training numerous new people into the team, I decided that I liked Debt Advice. I already had quite a knowledge of benefits and felt I would like to learn more about debt. I liked the idea of helping to educate people to manage their finances better. I knew how it felt when you got things wrong and suffered financially. I had always taught my children how to save first and to manage their finances and how to use an Income Expenditure sheet on Excel. My income expenditure sheet had become my security blanket in life and something I have always loved.

I have been a Debt Advisor for several years now and I love it. The people I work with are passionate about their work. The rewards when you get a client a write off, or a credit from their council tax bill, or to witness the relief they express when you finally get them through a bankruptcy. I feel so proud of my work and just want to do it better. What an honour it is to do a job that helps people have a better life.