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”

 

 

~~

 

 

💫💫💫 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?

~~

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).

 ~~ 

 

 

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

~~

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

 

 

My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission when you purchase through them. Thank you if you choose to use my links!

A fresh new month

 Hello friends!

It’s been a lovely cozy week for me here at home in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Autumn weather has rolled in, with sunshine one day, rain the next. Whether it’s spring or autumn, the transitional seasons always seem to have unsettled weather!

I know a lot of people don’t like to ‘talk about the weather’, but I love it as a topic. Perhaps not so much as small talk, but I just find weather endlessly fascinating.

(It was sunny when I went for a walk on the day above. The vineyards on our street are always lovely to stroll past - at the moment the grapes have long been harvested and the leaves are turning yellow).

I'm also really enjoying putting different outfits and colourways together to embrace our incoming autumn. I haven't done a proper wardrobe refresh switching things around yet but I'm looking forward to doing it soon.

Whether you are coming into spring or autumn, have you organised your new season looks yet? Am I the only one not done...?

 

~~

 

 

 

And, are you ready to step into your rich-lady lifestyle? Haha, I say 'rich lady' tongue-in-cheek, but I really do love the visual this phrase inspires.

When Financially Chic Vol. 2 was released seven months ago, inflation was high. But it seems that instead of things easing, there may be more clouds gathering on the horizon.

When I find myself getting all wound up and worried, I stop and focus on what I can control: my own little world and my own personal economy.

In this book I outline changes I made to improve our financial situation in spite of what was happening around us, and in recent times I've done more - no more Spotify Premium for a while, shopping my closet, and using our local public library more (you can ask your library to order my books in too, in paperback or audiobook).

I always like to keep my mindset happy too, it helps me cope with unsettling times better.

 

 

For today, I wanted to share a mindset shift from this book; it’s in Chapter 3. Elevate Your Mindset.

“You want to learn how to make it fun to be frugal – I promise this is not an oxymoron. And if the word frugal has negative connotations for you, choose another: careful, savvy, economical, prudent, unwasteful, canny, sparing, or meticulous. I like the thought of being exquisite with money, or elegant with money. Doesn’t financial elegance have a nice ring to it? Imagine choosing to be financially elegant as your new mindset?

Know that you can ‘live beyond your means’ and it all starts with your mindset. I remember how good it felt when I flicked the switch and viewed money as fun and easy instead of stressful and scary. I felt more in control of my destiny and it was such a soothing feeling. It was also exciting, because I felt empowered and emboldened. I was the one driving the bus now!”

If you don’t like how you feel about money and finances, find a way you’d rather be and step into that. It sounds airy fairy, but in my experience doing this truly changes how you show up, and in turn changes decisions you make. It’s fun too, who wouldn’t want to practice being someone new!

(Here’s the link for Financially Chic Vol. 2 if you don't have it yet. It’s ‘affiliate’ which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase; I appreciate it if you choose to use my link!)

 

~~

 

 

 

If there is one thing the doggies LOVE, it's going in the car. (Above, Daphne in front, and below, Chloe). And even better if the window is down so they can get a better look around and feel the wind in their fur.Lucky they are both short enough that it's not a safety hazard.

 

 

 

Even standing up on their hind legs with front paws on the arm rest they couldn't topple out.It's cute how they get so excited for a drive!If you have dog(s) are they car fanatics too?

 

~~

 

Wishing you a lovely weekend, and that you get a chance to rest and maybe even do something creative. I’ll see you next week!

xx Fiona

PS. You can find all my books, audiobooks, and other social media channels here on my Linktree :)

 

PPS. I've also just started publishing my weekly newsletter on Substack, so you can read it there too, and subscribe (it's free) to have my newsletter sent to your Inbox.

 

See this post on Substack :)

Creating free fun, growing your own food, and spring sunshine

 

Hello chic friends!

 

Paul and I took advantage of his new job's roster earlier this week (he works weekdays and weekends, in various mixes) to have a picnic on the beach on a sunny Tuesday.

We planned to eat lunch at home and go for a walk along the beach, but then thought 'Why not take our lunch with us?' We had a chicken and avocado salad each, and fruit and yoghurt for afters, and a can of Coke each for a fun touch. All brought from home! It was yummier, healthier, and far less expensive than buying lunch out.

And we still had a nice time. Even though most people are at work on a Tuesday, there were people around - holidaymakers, retirees walking, and teens sunning themselves on the beach, probably exam time with days off.

 

I love making the most of where we live and creating free outings like this. I sort of count our lunch as free even though we bought the groceries :) Plus, some of the salad ingredients were free since they were grown on our property - the cos lettuce, parsley, and avocado components!

I just love living a simple, low-cost lifestyle. To me it’s as enjoyable as spending lots, and you don't need to kill yourself in a job you hate to pay for it all.

This is especially pertinent to us since Paul was made redundant from his job earlier in the year. He has now found a new job and he absolutely loves it, working at the cellar door for one of our local wineries.

He is in his element, and meets the nicest people too - a lot of overseas tourists who are interesting to chat with and hear about where they are from. Even though he is the one pouring the wine, not drinking it, he still has a blast.

Do you live near an area of natural beauty that you can take a picnic too? I didn't take photos of our picnic because it wasn't one of those staged Instagram-worthy affairs, but we did dine with cloth napkins from our plastic lunch boxes! 

 

~~

 

Just look at these beautiful roses at my mum's when I visited during the week. Her friend Ann brought them from her garden. I always love pinks/blush/pale yellow/peach shades together.
 

 

 

I took the three doggies with me which I haven't done for a while since mum adopted a new rescue cat Minnie who is about a year old.

Turns out Minnie can hold her own. She stalked the dogs and at one stage was chasing one of them around the garden. So funny 😂 I had to rescue Chloe dog from the cat!

Minnie cat was VERY happy to see me drive off with my three idiots. She much prefers a quiet, dog-free home. She even followed us out to the car to make sure we all left: 'Don't let the door hit you on the way out!' 🤣

~~

On a bright, sunny day I picked spinach (for smoothies) and cos lettuce for salads. I also spent some time tidying up and watering our vegetable garden.

 

 

It’s a petite space but provides us with yummy goodness 🥬🥒🫑

In addition to spinach and lettuce, there are cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and little orange bell peppers already growing but not ready yet, and yesterday I added in dwarf beans for the first time. They are long round green beans which I love. The plant grows in a small bush instead of climbing so I’m told. I can’t imagine how a tiny plant grows long beans but I will find out soon enough with any luck!

 

I am not a huge gardener, even though it is very satisfying. My ideal garden looks good but is easy-care 😁

But I do love picking fresh vegetables for our lunchtime salads. Cos lettuce is my favourite because the bugs don’t seem to eat it the same as mesclun, which I only seemed to grow for the birds and white butterflies - there was never any left for me!

I hope you’ve had a lovely week. Today it has dawned a cool, calm Sunday here and we had rain overnight. I have a relaxing day of writing, coffee, and pottering planned. Just bliss!

 

xx Fiona

 

 

PS. Check out my newest book if you haven't already!

 

 

 

Financially Chic Vol. 2 is all about living a fabulous life on little cash. Find out how to create a 'rich lady lifestyle' for yourself. Switch up your mindset to live 'beyond your means'!

 

🌺 Read it on Kindle and in paperback here on Amazon, and find the audiobook wherever you listen to your audiobooks. You can ask your local public library to order in the paperback or eAudiobook too!

🌺 eBooks and eAudiobooks are in available in my eStore here.

🌺 Listen to the audiobook free on Spotify if you have Spotify Premium.

(My Amazon links are affiliate, but it doesn't change the price for you. Thank you if you choose to use my Amazon link!)

Getting ahead when you start out late

 

 Dear chic friends,

We've been having such nice weather, and I'm making the most of it. Every day or two I spend a little time in the sun, getting my vitamin D.

And all three dogs join me! They love rolling around on the grass, snoozing while I'm out there, and generally living their best life, like Chloe in this cute picture, caught mid-lick :)

~~

 

 

 

 

And welcome to another ‘Financially Chic’ reader Q&A. It’s a good one this week!

“What advice do you have for someone in midlife (50) who is just starting to get their financial life in order? Most advice seems to be for younger people who have decades to invest and save for their old age. Is it too late, is it possible? How can one still live well , when there's limited time to take advantage of things like compound interest?”

This is such a great question. I think it’s a common thing to ‘feel behind’. Of course time is helpful, as with compounding interest, but it’s not the only thing. You can start out behind people you know, and end up way ahead. I know because I’ve done it.

If I was starting out again at 50, I’d do the same as I am doing now: live as well as I can on a budget, be savvy with every dollar, and make the most of all the free things around me so that I can put my money into housing and investments. I’d start a side hustle alongside my job to bring in more money, something in line with what I enjoy doing (which is how I started writing my books).

Look at your lifestyle and what you enjoy doing, and work out ways in which to decrease costs at the same time as maintaining your level of happiness or even increase it. I truly feel more content doing simple things at home, or going for a waterfront stroll than shopping up a storm.

Also, be your own consultant. Look at your current situation as if you were advising someone else. It is VERY easy to see what needs to be done by others! That’s why there is such a proliferation of unsolicited advice around 😊

Switch up your social media, books, and YouTubers you follow, whichever apply. Find people online or in real life who are in your situation and are now thriving. If you search for them you will find them! Personally I like to follow people online because I’d feel too nosy asking people I know about money and success. And, some people who you think might be rich might just spend a lot of money on stuff, and not be rich at all. Oops!

I hope this helps, and I wish everyone a lovely weekend to come! It’s Friday night here and it’s been a productive writing week. Yay! 😊

xx Fiona

 

You can read ‘Financially Chic Vol.2 on Amazon at my affiliate link here. 

 

 

Sunny days and being 'financially chic' :)

Chloe in the foreground, Daphne in the background.

 

 

Hello chic friends!

 

We've had some lovely sunny spring weather here in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. A little breezy but still nice to get outside.

 

We took the doggies for a walk along Ahuriri beach the other day.

Daphne and Chloe hiding underneath the giant chair

Daphne and Chloe are always a little nervous, they are real homebodies like their mum.

But it's good for them to socialise every once in a while. I tell myself that too! 🤣

Look at that sky! Napier Hill is in the background

Facing towards our tiny marina

Paul and Micky: 'the boys' :)

~~

 

I received the coolest comment on my blog. I love it, and I love the turnaround for my reader too.

 

I often receive messages and emails like this, and of course I wrote the books, but the inspired actions are all yours to take the credit for.

Living a 'rich' life in a savvy way is what I'm all about, and this lovely reader has illustrated perfectly how a day can be elevated in simple but luxurious ways.

I am also a fan of taking 'portraits' on special occasions! Whether it's just Paul and I, or a group gathering, it's such a nice picture to look back on, especially since we are in our nicer outfits at the time too.

 

~~

This week was a short week because Monday was a public holiday here in New Zealand, Labour Day. Many locals went away for the weekend, and I'm sure there were plenty of out-of-town guests here for the long weekend too.

All I know is that the roads were lovely and quiet since people weren't going to or from work. The birds were the loudest thing I could hear! 😊

 

~~

 

 

 

To finish with this week, I am back with a reader question to celebrate the release of ‘Financially Chic Vol. 2’ where I invite you to send in a question – anything you are curious about on the topic of money! I love this week’s question:

“When you say ‘shut the door on debt’, does this mean you are anti-credit card?”

 

Thank you for this, lovely reader, and I am happy to clarify.

I do use a credit card for everyday expenses, however this is paid off in full every month. I have not carried a balance for years, probably decades. Credit card interest rates are horrible, well over 20% often!

If, however, I could not trust myself to be this way, I would not use a credit card at all. Just like I know I can’t have ice cream in the house and eat a little bit every now and then. I eat it until it’s gone! So I make things easy on myself and only buy ice cream when I plan to eat it, such as for a family dinner.

I do believe that paying off debt is one of the best things you can do for a healthy and happy financial future. Starting with consumer debt (such as credit cards and car loans) and then moving on to paying off your home loan as quickly as you can.

To me it’s a form of forced savings when you are focused on making extra payments or increasing your payments.

A friend told us once (and he was high up in banking so we listened to him), ‘when you don’t have debt, you have options’. And it’s true. You feel far freer when you aren’t shackled by debt payments.

I know in times of high inflation it can be hard to find extra money for higher grocery prices let alone make extra payments on debt, and at those times the focus could be on not taking on more debt while making existing payments. And find ways to make ‘cutting back’ fun and enjoyable. That’s the whole premise of this book 😊

If you have Spotify Premium, you can listen to ‘Financially Chic Vol. 2’ for free. Check to see if this is available in your country by going here to Spotify.

And you can order the eBook or paperback at my affiliate Amazon link here.

Happy weekend to you!

xx Fiona