u/Extra_FlamingoOpal

I’m 25 and feeling increasingly discouraged about money, savings, and whether I made the wrong career choices.
I grew up around a lot of financial instability and addiction. I moved out at 18 and eventually dropped out of university to work as a professional nanny after realizing I could earn much more than minimum wage doing childcare for international families.
I genuinely love my work. I’m very good at it, I’ve worked across multiple countries, and I also started a small nanny agency that has slowly grown over the years. Recently I invested heavily into trying to professionalize the business (consulting, legal contracts, website, systems, etc.).
But despite working extremely hard throughout my twenties,often 50+ hours/week, I still only have around 15–17k saved.
I moved countries multiple times trying to improve my financial situation. I currently live in the Netherlands as a live-in nanny partly because it allows me to save more aggressively. My dream was to reach 20k savings this year and eventually buy a small piece of land or tiny home in Portugal one day.
But now I’ve received a German health insurance bill for around €1800 after a previous employer switched me to freelance/self-employed status, and it completely crushed me emotionally.
I think what’s getting to me is the feeling that I work constantly but still feel far from stability:
I still can’t realistically buy property
I run a business while nannying full time
I help my parents financially sometimes
and I often spend money on convenience because I’m exhausted
At the same time, I know I’m only 25, and part of me wonders whether I’m actually doing okay for my age and background, or whether I’ve been unrealistic trying to build a life around a non-traditional career/business instead of pursuing a more conventional path.
I guess I’m asking:
Is this level of savings actually bad for someone my age?
Are most people buying homes only able to do it because of family support or living with parents longer?
Am I financially irresponsible, or just trying to survive while building something long-term?

I’m 25, work constantly, and still feel financially behind, am I doing something wrong?

I’m 25 and feeling increasingly discouraged about money, savings, and whether I made the wrong career choices.

I grew up around a lot of financial instability and addiction. I moved out at 18 and eventually dropped out of university to work as a professional nanny after realizing I could earn much more than minimum wage doing childcare for international families.
I genuinely love my work. I’m very good at it, I’ve worked across multiple countries, and I also started a small nanny agency that has slowly grown over the years. Recently I invested heavily into trying to professionalize the business (consulting, legal contracts, website, systems, etc.).
But despite working extremely hard throughout my twenties, often 50+ hours/week, I still only have around 15–17k saved.
I moved countries multiple times trying to improve my financial situation. I currently live in the Netherlands as a live-in nanny partly because it allows me to save more aggressively. My dream was to reach 20k savings this year and eventually buy a small piece of land or tiny home in Portugal one day.
But now I’ve received a German health insurance bill for around €1800 after a previous employer switched me to freelance/self-employed status, and it completely crushed me emotionally.
I think what’s getting to me is the feeling that I work constantly but still feel far from stability:
I still can’t realistically buy property
I run a business while nannying full time
I help my parents financially sometimes
and I often spend money on convenience because I’m exhausted

At the same time, I know I’m only 25, and part of me wonders whether I’m actually doing okay for my age and background, or whether I’ve been unrealistic trying to build a life around a non-traditional career/business instead of pursuing a more conventional path.

I guess I’m asking:
Is this level of savings actually bad for someone my age?
Are most people buying homes only able to do it because of family support or living with parents longer?
Am I financially irresponsible, or just trying to survive while building something long-term?

I’m 25 and feeling increasingly discouraged about money, savings, and whether I made the wrong career choices.

I grew up around a lot of financial instability and addiction. I moved out at 18 and eventually dropped out of university to work as a professional nanny after realizing I could earn much more than minimum wage doing childcare for international families.
I genuinely love my work. I’m very good at it, I’ve worked across multiple countries, and I also started a small nanny agency that has slowly grown over the years. Recently I invested heavily into trying to professionalize the business (consulting, legal contracts, website, systems, etc.).
But despite working extremely hard throughout my twenties, often 50+ hours/week, I still only have around 15–17k saved.
I moved countries multiple times trying to improve my financial situation. I currently live in the Netherlands as a live-in nanny partly because it allows me to save more aggressively. My dream was to reach 20k savings this year and eventually buy a small piece of land or tiny home in Portugal one day.
But now I’ve received a German health insurance bill for around €1800 after a previous employer switched me to freelance/self-employed status, and it completely crushed me emotionally.
I think what’s getting to me is the feeling that I work constantly but still feel far from stability:
I still can’t realistically buy property
I run a business while nannying full time
I help my parents financially sometimes
and I often spend money on convenience because I’m exhausted

At the same time, I know I’m only 25, and part of me wonders whether I’m actually doing okay for my age and background, or whether I’ve been unrealistic trying to build a life around a non-traditional career/business instead of pursuing a more conventional path.

I guess I’m asking:
Is this level of savings actually bad for someone my age?
Are most people buying homes only able to do it because of family support or living with parents longer?
Am I financially irresponsible, or just trying to survive while building something long-term?