Finding sparkle in an ordinary day, and a bounty of book recommendations!

It's nice to feel spring in the air with lighter mornings and warmer temperatures. I still rugged up for my walk though, and it rained a little on our way back to the car.

Even though I love my walks at home, there is something about getting out and being amongst others, even if there were very few people at the park on a Wednesday afternoon! Just a few retirees and us 😊

 

Paul's 'weekend' is Tuesday/Wednesday so it's lovely to do things when everyone else is at work and school.

 

We have built our financial life around enjoying free things like this. To me it's not being stingy, it's about making the most of every dollar.

And then that money that might have gone on an activity or meal/drink out can instead go towards paying off your mortgage early like we did, clearing your credit card, or starting an investment account.

The index fund we started eleven years ago only needed $50 a month to invest, and over time we’ve upped it to $150 a month.

It doesn't sound like it could add up to much and of course going out to dinner might be more fun, but these investment funds now hold tens of thousands of dollars.

So anyway, it was a lovely day for a walk yesterday, everydoggie enjoyed it, and if you want to build slow wealth, learn to cultivate a cheap – yet rich – life. It can be done! And in these harsh economic times it’s even more important.

To help when I feel like buying something, I think of everything I have at home already. Clothes, books, perfumes, lovely things. I then go home and play around with them, tidy them up, make new outfits, choose a book to read, and spritz on a fragrance.

And I remember my goals too. I delight in being thrifty because I love being debt-free, building a strong financial future, and relishing in the peace that comes when you’re on top of your money.

It is so worth it.

I hope this saves you some money today, even if I’m sharing the link below for my second money book! Haha!

(If my words resonate, I think you’ll like it 😊) It’s called:

“Financially Chic Vol. 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less”

 

 

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💫💫💫 Finding sparkle in an ordinary day 💫💫💫

Usually I feel inspired to write a little post on my social media, but today I don’t. And I think it’s a new way I am exploring to feel: right in the middle (just like ‘the elegant middle’ is for food and drink in chapter 3 of my book ‘Luxurious Weight Loss’).

I’ve been thinking how The Elegant Middle could apply to how I live my daily life, and it’s to be just that. I’m not super-excited and moving fast, burning out. And I’m not lazing around doing nothing.

In the elegant middle way of living, I have my daily checklist with a small handful of tasks on it, that I enjoy deleting as I go (I keep them on my phone’s calendar).

I don’t worry that it might be a bit cloudy today, I just create the sunshine in my mind by saying to myself that today is a great day.

When the dogs run outside barking at birds, I don’t shriek at them, I just open the door and call them back in.

When I do the opposite of these things, life feels blah (and stressful).

But when I carry on my steady forward track, I feel accomplished and satisfied, and the day passes in a pleasant way.

Why not enjoy peaceful and happy life in The Elegant Middle? Also, aren’t the winter apple trees in the photo above gorgeous in their simplicity?

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Something I am not so good at is finishing up with a margin between my ‘work day’ and dinner. I know I’ve said it before but I’ll put it out here yet again, that I desire 30-45 minutes to rest and read before Paul gets home from work.

And so it is! Although it didn’t happen yesterday, haha, because I had the Saturday afternoon coffee ladies (my mum, aunties, cousin) around for a movie afternoon.

We watched The Thursday Murder Club and it was fabulous. My mum brought popcorn, ice cream and cake! I even brought out my red and yellow popcorn cups - they really add to the fun. (I have six, which is lucky because there were six of us).

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I remember loving ‘Save Karyn’ when I read it decades ago (in 2003, I mean how is 2003 decades ago, but it is!!) Happily, I came across this thrifted copy recently and it is still just as funny.

What's also interesting is that the internet was not what it is today, it was still quite new. I remember the thrill of finding all these different places to search, and finding a forum dedicated to the French Chic way of life (it's now long gone).

And the internet is how I found out about Anne Barone's ‘Chic & Slim’ books.

 

 

It really was such a fun time of discovery in those days!

What probably drew me to the ‘Save Karyn’ book was my interest in personal finance, but she is such a hilarious writer. She really has a way with words.

It's about a girl who moves to Manhattan and gets a job producing television. She earns good money and enjoys the NYC shopping. But her spending catches up with her. She moves to Brooklyn to save on rent and pay her credit cards off but then... loses her job and can't get another.

Karyn is $20,000 in debt and has the thought 'If 20,000 people gave me $1 I could pay this debt off. There are millions in Manhattan alone so surely I could get 20,000 of them to give me a buck?' She 'should' come across as unlikeable but she doesn’t amazingly!

She wrote another book after this and it was made into the movie 'What's Your Number' starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans.

If you can find an old copy of ‘Save Karyn’ it's worth a read, or grab the Kindle copy (maybe read the sample first to see if she is as good as I say, or maybe I just have a little 2000s nostalgia!)

Happy weekend to you 😊 I hope you get a chance to relax and read something.

I'll be enjoying 'The Surrogate Mother' by Freida McFadden.

 

 

I know it's not going to end well for someone, it never does! But I still read her books. She has good twists and I don’t even mind being a nervous wreck reading them, haha.

x Fiona

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PS. You can view all my books here on Amazon.

 

 

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