Meet the author of My Thrifty Life – Cassie Fairy

I’m Cassie Fairy, a full-time blogger and magazine writer. I caught the blogging bug in 2006 and have been writing regular posts ever since. In fact, there’s barely a day that goes by that I don’t blog. I think you can probably tell that I love it and I feel very lucky to call blogging my main ‘job’!

If you haven’t already read about why I write this blog every day and why I REALLY want to help you too please head over to my ‘Start Here’ page to find out more about the ethos behind this blog.

I am quite possibly the thriftiest person you’ll ever meet – my biggest gripe is paying for something new if I can get it cheaper or free just by hunting around or shopping secondhand – and I love spending time reusing, recycling and repurposing old clothing, furniture and household items. It’s sustainable, sensible and, most importantly, saves money.

I’m always asking myself ‘do I need to buy that?’ and ‘can I make it myself for less?’ and if the answer is yes it’ll probably end up being a DIY project on the blog! But WHY is it so important for me to save money?

Well, I’ve had a busy life of studying full-time for 9 years, working full- and part-time around university commitments and running multiple businesses. While I enjoyed each of these activities I didn’t want to be one of those people who said “there just aren’t enough hours in the day” any more. I don’t like handing over my time in exchange for money. I’m never getting that time back and life is short, so do I really want to work hard only to look back and wonder where all that time went?

I decided that I’d rather have time than money, so I needed to adjust my spending habits to make sure that the money I earned in the least possible amount of time would stretch to cover all my expenses. I also didn’t want to miss out on the fun parts of life just because I didn’t want to work all the hours under the sun, so I live on a budget in order to save my money for what’s important to me; a lovely home, fun experiences, delicious food and spending time with my friends and family.

I see how hard people work to earn their wages, only for most of it to disappear by the end of the month. This is precisely why I share details of my own thrifty life every day on my blog. I want to help you cut costs so that you too can save money and perhaps work less and live more instead.

MY BLOG

My blog is a home from home for me and it is genuinely where I spend most of my time. I use it to share my home renovations and DIY attempts, my adventures, upcycling projects, money-saving tips, budget recipes – and plenty of motivation to get you started on your own thrifty living journey.

Cutting costs and living to your means doesn’t have to mean sacrificing a lovely life, gorgeous home, on-trend wardrobe or exciting adventures – hence the tagline of my blog ‘Inspiration for living a lovely life on a budget’. Instead of missing out, I love to figure out ways of getting it and doing it for less, so I’m forever sharing the results of my thrifty ideas and DIY projects to help you to save money too.

You might have already guessed, but I love to write my thrifty little blog and I really appreciate my lovely readers, because without you this blog would be a very quiet place! I love to hear your comments on my articles and please do get in touch to let me know what you’d like to see on my blog in the future, because I’d like to be able to make you as happy as you make me and help you live a life of financial freedom.

MY FAVOURITE THINGS

1. All things Mid-Century Modern and I have been lucky enough to write the Design Icons column for Reclaim magazine on this topic for 8 years
2. Working on my little vintage caravan makeover project.
3. Food: mainly savoury and cheese-based.
4. Reading and writing, practically all day, every day.
5. Learning to dance lindy hop, charleston, waltz and social foxtrot – and getting dressed up for vintage dances in my prettiest swing dresses and dancing shoes.
6. Volunteering at my local theatre where I get to control the sound and lighting tech.
7. My cats Cookie & Muffin, forever. And now volunteering with the The Cinnamon Trust to short-term foster other people’s pets when needed.

MY PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS

In terms of blogging here are my proudest achievements – all of which wouldn’t have happened without YOU!

• I’m bursting to tell you that I WON the award for Most Innovative Blog at the UK Blog Awards. It still hasn’t really sunk in yet and I think it might have all been a dream – but I have the photos to confirm it and I blogged about the magical night at the awards ceremony so check it out here.
• I was also named the ‘Best Homes and Interiors Blogger’ and donated the prize money to my local homelessness charity The Bus Shelter – read all about the award and charity here.
• I’m a columnist and features writer for Reclaim and have loved working on more than 70 issues of the magazine. It’s always so exciting to see my name in print and it’s a pleasure to share the stories of iconic designers and creative homeowners.
• My website has been named one of the Best UK DIY Blogs & Websites in 2025 and was honoured again in the 2026 Edition of the Top UK DIY Blogs by Feedspot.
• I’m proud to be working with charities and writing articles to raise awareness of important subjects such as family debt, recycling, human trafficking, illness and female issues.
• I love writing for countless print publications including travel and lifestyle magazine SeeSuffolk, wellbeing publication Be Kind, Caravan Magazine, upcycling title Reloved and many more. I know it’s cheesy, but I always keep the issues with my articles in as I’m so proud to be a contributor.
• In 2024, I was lucky enough to be awarded the Best Budget-Friendly Lifestyle & Wedding Blog in the Global Wedding Awards.
• I started writing for Oxfam Fashion back in 2013 and I love contributing to their #SecondhandSeptember campaign, check out my profile on the Oxfam Fashion website and my thrifty DIY posts.
• The website achieved the title of Best Cost-Efficient Lifestyle Blog Platform 2022 in the European Enterprise Awards.
• In 2019 my blog was awarded Most Creative Art & Craft Blog after a public vote for this international award – it was a close-run contest and I’m so grateful to have won.
• Cassiefairy.com made the list of Top 50 Eco-Conscious Blogs in 2017.
• I was Cut Out and Keep’s Crafty Superstar in 2016 and have since written DIY The Room articles for the site.
• Cassiefairy.com was a lifestyle blog finalist in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards and was shortlisted for Company magazine’s best thrifty blog. I loved being a part of the biggest magazine awards in the country and am chuffed to bits that my little lifestyle blog was selected from so many fabulous entries.
• The blog made it into the Best Money-Saving Blogs of 2016 list by SurveyBee and the Feel Good Reads of 2016 round-up.
• My little Red Ted teddy bear won the Hillary’s Craft Competition 2015.
• I was thrilled to win the Highly Commended Award for Retail and Fashion at the UK Blog Awards in 2014 – read all about it and see my photos from the event here.
• I was extremely fortunate to be shortlisted in THREE categories at the POSH Fashion Awards for Best Lifestyle Blog, Best DIY Blog and I am thrilled to have WON the Most Unique Blog award!
• I’ve been nominated for an Amara Interior Blog Award for 5 years running!
• In the John Greed Blog Awards 2013 I was shortlisted for the Best Fashion and Jewellery Blogger award – here’s my blog post when I found out the news!
• DotComGiftShop named Cassiefairy.com as one of their ‘Fave blogs’ – read my post about it here.
• I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing brands that I really admire and respect on international campaigns and nationwide projects.

As you can tell I’m very proud to call myself a blogger and am SO pleased that so many readers are enjoying my writing. Thank you all so much for keeping this blog running and making me very happy indeed! 😀