This week's Money Diary proves there isn't just one way to build wealth.

Growing up in a working-class family, she didn't inherit financial advice, a house deposit or a roadmap. So she made one herself.

From 18 to 25, she skipped renting altogether, house-sitting her way across Melbourne, looking after other people's homes and pets while quietly saving every dollar she could. It wasn't glamorous, but it helped her buy her first home on her own in her twenties.

Fast forward to today and she's 36, single, earns $177,000 a year, owns a home worth around $1.2 million, has more than $250,000 in super and is slowly building an investment portfolio, all without relying on a partner to get there.

We chat about climbing the corporate ladder while completing a master's and PhD, navigating redundancies, why she's still not convinced she deserves an A for her money habits, and the reality of building financial security on your own.

It's a conversation about doing things differently, trusting yourself, and remembering that building wealth doesn't have to look the same as everyone else's.