Matty J and Laura Byrne share money lessons, budget fails and what success means to them

Juggling kids, careers and financial responsibilities, Matty “J” Johnson and Laura Byrne – who met on the set of The Bachelor eight years ago – are finding their rhythm as a busy family. Ahead, Laura – who runs jewellery business ToniMay and baby-bedding brand, Mae and Moo – reflects on past mistakes as a business owner and Matty J speaks about the values from his youth that have stayed with him over the years.

The popular media duo reveals the early money lessons that shaped them, the financial missteps that taught them the most and why they feel true success has nothing to do with a bank balance.

How would you describe your spending style?

Matty Johnson: Mine kind of fluctuates between really locked down, watching every single penny and then I'll have moments where I go to the opposite end.

Laura Byrne: You fluctuate between locked down and YOLO. I think together we’re relatively conservative. And I would say, we spend more money on experiences than on things, or on goals that we’re working towards. But we also don’t spend beyond our means.

Matty J: And we’re super transparent about money. It’s not a hidden topic in our relationship. 

What’s the best money lesson you’ve ever learnt?

Matty J: Growing up with a single parent of five kids, if we wanted anything outside of the bare necessities, it was something that we had to do ourselves. It taught us to be pretty autonomous. As soon as I was old enough to get a job, at about 15, I was out there earning and I knew that anything I wanted to buy that was a non-essential item – like a mountain bike or a surfboard – was up to me. It taught me to be pretty diligent with planning and earning and saving from an early age.

Laura: I definitely don’t think I had good role models when it came to money. We didn’t grow up with a lot of money. My mum was in a relationship where there was financial abuse and that left her in a very difficult circumstance with three children to take care of. But, if anything, it made me really aware of what you can do on a little budget. I think I’ve always had a scarcity mindset to money and that’s probably followed me a bit. 

What do you wish you’d known when you first started earning money?

Matty J: When I was working as a project manager in my 20s, I was responsible for looking after the finances for every job that we worked on. I was paying more attention to the finances of my clients than I was my own. But I think that taught me how important it is to have a clear snapshot of your finances – knowing what’s coming in and what’s going out. Ignorance can feel like bliss at times and it can be daunting to look at where you’re at but now I kind of treat my finances like a job in terms of looking at what’s in the pipeline.

Laura: I definitely got stung when I was younger and first started ToniMay. Nobody teaches you how to do your taxes or how to run your business. I also didn’t understand the implications of getting myself into debt and was running my business off a personal credit card. It was only after I sat down with my bank and they put me onto a loan plan that I was able to get on top of it all.

What’s something you’re still figuring out when it comes to financial fitness?

Laura: We’re always learning; we don’t have it all figured out. But we have great people in our lives now who are able to give us advice that we trust – and I think that’s really important. There’s so much value in being financially literate and I think we are forever getting better with those sorts of things.

Matty J: Doing your tax at the end of every year is something I don’t quite feel I’ll ever have completely dialled. I’m still figuring out what I can and can’t claim so I’m very much reliant on the experts.

What does success look like to you?

Laura: I think success looks like security. There’s a difference between financial success and life success. Obviously we want to be able to be comfortable and to not have to stress about money day to day. But I think, overall, it’s about having a cohesive and happy family unit and making sure we have time for our girls and for our relationship. Without that, it doesn’t matter how much money you have. The most important thing to us is our family. 

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Published: 22 December 2025