tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post6113668447523970452..comments2024-03-28T22:30:17.628+13:00Comments on How to be Chic: How to live your dream chic lifeFiona Ferrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-25298582335064969882017-01-10T15:33:17.802+13:002017-01-10T15:33:17.802+13:00Thank you, dear Stephanie! It's all calm sail...Thank you, dear Stephanie! It's all calm sailing here.Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-34586366993279231892017-01-10T15:32:40.878+13:002017-01-10T15:32:40.878+13:00Thank you, Michael :)Thank you, Michael :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-25962433388945965792017-01-10T09:19:48.149+13:002017-01-10T09:19:48.149+13:00I love being witness to your journey through this ...I love being witness to your journey through this blog. It is so nice to see you reaching this goal and how you achieved it through steadfast discipline, dreaming and it was all so calm. Inspiring!Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289348366926684135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-4615069481514368372017-01-09T10:11:36.032+13:002017-01-09T10:11:36.032+13:00Congratulations! Great job of making things happen...Congratulations! Great job of making things happen. For sure that was a lot of struggle reaching to this journey.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03943145831435657871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-43024941418673969762017-01-08T00:16:16.180+13:002017-01-08T00:16:16.180+13:00Oh, Lara, I love your grandmother's saying - b...Oh, Lara, I love your grandmother's saying - being rich, as Fiona says, often has less to do with money than attitude to life. I do hope that this year you will turn the corner, health wise. We are fortunate to have a National Health Service here in the UK, but it's being bled dry by people who abuse the system and, of course, we're an ageing population so more and more people require health services. But at least we can be ill and know we don't have to shell out thousands of pounds, adding insult literally to injury. I dread to think how much we'd have had to have paid for our various treatments: my cancer treatment, my gall bladder surgery, my hysterectomy, husband's open heart surgery, his hospitalization for 6 weeks because of sepsis, never mind other less traumatic things! <br />Margaret P galanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190356279359463949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-29335686768860228522017-01-07T07:13:40.562+13:002017-01-07T07:13:40.562+13:00Thank you for your concise summary of the French -...Thank you for your concise summary of the French - it is everything I aim towards :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-23249733868261304772017-01-07T07:12:47.664+13:002017-01-07T07:12:47.664+13:00So true, Lara; everything you own has to be bought...So true, Lara; everything you own has to be bought and paid for, taken care of, possibly insured, cleaned etc. There is a lot more work with more stuff. There is a saying about 'do you own your possessions, or do your possessions own you'.<br /><br />Love your grandmother's quote - being rich doesn't mean having lots of money.<br /><br />I'll be honest, Jessica and Nina haven't turned out to be nearly as diligent as I'd hoped, but they've got their paws under the desk now...Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-4869190555170868422017-01-07T07:08:22.243+13:002017-01-07T07:08:22.243+13:00Thank you very much, Michelle :) I hope you get l...Thank you very much, Michelle :) I hope you get lots of good tips and motivation from Financially Chic!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-28716313344980543502017-01-07T07:06:17.761+13:002017-01-07T07:06:17.761+13:00I love my spreadsheets too, D! We contribute to o...I love my spreadsheets too, D! We contribute to our retirement accounts, plus have modest monthly amounts going into an index/tracker fund. Having everything direct debited means you never miss it, just like David Bach in The Automatic Millionaire says.<br /><br />I love talking finances too :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-60594152964791928882017-01-07T07:03:14.890+13:002017-01-07T07:03:14.890+13:00'living below my means and finding beauty all ...'living below my means and finding beauty all around me.' - so beautifully put, Dana!<br /><br />Security, peace and freedom, are all values of mine - and being debt-free or low-debt support them. We may well take on housing debt in the future, but it will be very conservative, as all our past debt has been. Plus, it would be for something like an investment property. I would love for our personal home to never have debt so that's the plan for now.Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-80807917048724855662017-01-07T06:59:06.683+13:002017-01-07T06:59:06.683+13:00Not just me then :) Your books ARE pretty fabulou...Not just me then :) Your books ARE pretty fabulous, Carrie!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-30352485216357698012017-01-07T06:58:38.518+13:002017-01-07T06:58:38.518+13:00Your 'living mentally well' is a wonderful...Your 'living mentally well' is a wonderful thing to have as a focus; I have been working on that too - sometimes I forget :) - it feels good.<br /><br />Sometimes I do dream of when we have a bit of land, is to welcome more rescue pets - cats and dogs - into our life. I'll go for as many as my husband can handle!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-11544933029919303102017-01-07T06:56:09.775+13:002017-01-07T06:56:09.775+13:00You show a blissful picture, Leslie, and I would b...You show a blissful picture, Leslie, and I would be very happy to have the same experience as you, in fact I know I will :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-45882065053854103312017-01-07T06:54:56.987+13:002017-01-07T06:54:56.987+13:00Hi Carla,
Yes, he will be working, however, for t...Hi Carla,<br /><br />Yes, he will be working, however, for the first time in both our lives, we have the luxury of not needing to get jobs straight away. We are back and forth between our current place and our new home-town and will be getting our house ready for sale. He would love to work in the wine industry but we'll see what happens once we move.Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-71942364241060823712017-01-07T06:52:03.960+13:002017-01-07T06:52:03.960+13:00Sounds pretty perfect to me, Kristien. Part of it...Sounds pretty perfect to me, Kristien. Part of it is being smart too, exactly as you are by visiting Boston. You might desire to live there, but you are not willing to create financial stress for yourself in order to; so visiting and enjoying the trips is a wonderful alternative.Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-25017385195000998192017-01-07T06:27:49.493+13:002017-01-07T06:27:49.493+13:00What a wonderful inspiration you are Margaret! I ...What a wonderful inspiration you are Margaret! I always enjoy hearing little snippets of your life story. We are quite similar in our paths, I think :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-1927588445917307042017-01-07T06:26:19.636+13:002017-01-07T06:26:19.636+13:00We do have a good public health system here in New...We do have a good public health system here in New Zealand. Each country will have their own differences with things like this, and I know it is a big part of job decisions in the US.<br /><br />I am certainly not an expert on anywhere other than New Zealand, but perhaps that could be part of your dream chic life project: Researching ways to retire or work part-time and the healthcare implications.<br /><br />Good luck :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-56649957293013433552017-01-06T21:45:07.988+13:002017-01-06T21:45:07.988+13:00Yes! One way to avoid being saddled with debt is t...Yes! One way to avoid being saddled with debt is to avoid too big a house/lifestyle in the first place. Anything more than the minimum is consumption, not shelter. Rooms that don't get used just mean stuff to put into them, heating, cooling, and other expenses. <br />When I look around me, I see that many French have their priorities and values straight. They generally work to live, not live to work--priority goes to family and friends. The homes are far more modest than those of people with similar income in the U.S. Cars are smaller--sure, some people seek status through a fancy car but plenty of people just get a small, simple vehicle and in cities public transport is good enough that residents don't even need a car. Where the French spend effort (though not necessarily a lot of money) is food--and meals are a moment shared with family and/or friends.<br />Taste of Francehttp://francetaste.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-47187576024276629412017-01-06T17:57:38.163+13:002017-01-06T17:57:38.163+13:00Beautifully written. Possessions don't make us...Beautifully written. Possessions don't make us happy.<br />Due to lengthy illness I lost my full time job (and career) 2.5 years ago. Our household income plummeted despite my medical bills running into the thousands each year. Now I am in recovery. Still no job (or income) for me but every day that I'm upright is a bonus. I don't need all those things I had before to make me happy. True - our 'downsizing' was by necessity and definitely not by choice - but my happiness and contentment is much greater than ever before. <br />The more 'things' you have - be it houses, cars, boats, etc - the more you have to worry about. My late Grandmother used to say 'we are rich and one day we'll have money'.<br />Congratulations to you both for achieving your dream. 'Bring your cat to work day' sounds wonderful - do you think your girls will work, though ? ;)Laranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-46653531425091671192017-01-06T13:40:56.079+13:002017-01-06T13:40:56.079+13:00I'm so happy for you, Fiona! I started to read...I'm so happy for you, Fiona! I started to read Financially Chic and hope for change. I also look forward to future books!Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15163150267993321217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-921413164587168552017-01-06T13:04:47.906+13:002017-01-06T13:04:47.906+13:00Dear Fiona, Congratulations on realizing your drea...Dear Fiona, Congratulations on realizing your dream life! Most people just think about their ideal lifestyle, but don't put it into action. <br /><br />It is so satisfying not having any debt. We, too, have paid off our house and have given up living a debt-incurring lifestyle for many years now. I can't imagine having any debt, it seems so strange to me now because it's been so long! You're right, some of our friends and family don't understand why we don't seek out the newest gadgets or luxury cars every four years. We absolutely do not try keeping up with the Joneses because we know they are probably drowning in debt. We don't buy anything if we don't have the money for it, that tells us we can't afford it - end of story. Just as you mention, keeping our expenses low is important. It's actually fun for me. I have an expense sheet breaking down monthly and yearly expenses and I update it every few months, it keeps us on track. Maxing out retirement accounts every year and making sure assets are allocated proportionately is crucial too. What gets us though, is our health care. Having to pay over $900./month just on the premium alone is insane, but we have to do it to have it and be well covered. Next up is my daughter heading off to university this fall...$$$$ Sorry, I could go on and on discussing finances since this is one of my favorite subjects. I get geeky! <br /><br />I'm so excited for you!<br /><br />D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-69525641673482503792017-01-06T08:16:11.643+13:002017-01-06T08:16:11.643+13:00Hi Fiona- how exciting that you are embarking on a...Hi Fiona- how exciting that you are embarking on a new life. It is wonderful that you are financially secure and able to pursue your passion. I worked hard to be debt free and will never take on debt again. Agree that it provides a sense of relief and freedom. I am approaching 50 and my children are off to university. I am looking forward to traveling more and spending my time/money on fabulous experiences vs. materialistic objects. I am so enjoying living below my means and finding beauty all around me. Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05195689806705249868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-6292191136129234052017-01-06T06:28:04.906+13:002017-01-06T06:28:04.906+13:00A quick Google search turned up the following: htt...A quick Google search turned up the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_New_Zealand<br /><br />"From an essentially fully public system in the early 20th century, reforms have introduced market and health insurance elements primarily in the last three decades, creating a mixed public-private system for delivering healthcare..."Carrie Hugginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04439049196337197660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-49175154189745441482017-01-06T06:25:10.673+13:002017-01-06T06:25:10.673+13:00Fiona I have done the same thing - reading my book...Fiona I have done the same thing - reading my book! I re-read my How (and Wow) of Habits recently because I was considering rewriting it, but I really enjoyed reading it and thought it was pretty great as-is ;-) <br /><br />Congrats on the life! Carrie Hugginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04439049196337197660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-37364550000979161432017-01-06T06:23:25.312+13:002017-01-06T06:23:25.312+13:00Hi Fiona,
I won't forget that part of your in...Hi Fiona,<br /><br />I won't forget that part of your interview with Shannon at The Simply Luxurious Life where you mentioned that numerous items on your luxury list can already be achieved or experienced the next day, if only one is willing to take actions and sometimes, think outside the box to get that luxurious feeling. I agree with this idea most sincerely and I wrote down my own luxury list after listening to that podcast.<br /><br />There are many things I wish to do presently and in the future, but my life is, I must say, pretty lovely at the moment. I feel grateful for all that I have. If there is something my dream chic life will include, it will have to be greater social and emotional intelligence. Living mentally well is my goal this year and I am striving to let perceived slights, minor trivialities roll off my shoulders, rather than puffing with steam boiling over, what at the end of our lives, truly silly things. I tend to speak too quickly and am actively working on "pausing my tongue" and not opening my mouth so readily. <br /><br />Like you, I am a very practical woman and often sacrifice enjoyment over efficiency and cost-saving ideals. Thanks to your encouragement, I am now using prettier cleaning tools and wearing lovelier lounge wear. <br /><br />Happy new year, Fiona and thank you for brightening my day. Natalie Tzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10329191355574098523noreply@blogger.com