I want to help you to live your best life
I want you to work less
I want you to have financial freedom
I want you to love every minute
I want you to achieve those dreams that you thought you could never afford.
Because you CAN do it.
You can work fewer hours and save more.
You just have to take care of the pennies. And that’s what I can help you with. That’s when it’s handy to know a cheapskate like me.
Please don’t trade the valuable hours of your life for money – especially if you’re working in a job you don’t enjoy. Because you’re never getting that time back.
And you don’t need as much money as you think to live a happy, fulfilling life.
So, if you can spend less and free up some cash for savings, what would you spend it on?
Travel? Your dream wedding? A new business venture? Your first home? New experiences and adventures? A family?
Whatever is important to you, you CAN make it happen.
Here’s how my thrifty life looks right now (and why you NEED to read this blog and start living a thrifty life too!):
I can save money – yes, actual cash – every single day.
I only need to work in the mornings.
I spend my afternoons walking by the coast, reading and learning.
I enjoy healthy, nutrient-rich meals.
I will have paid off my mortgage after only 6 years.
I have ample free time for fun days out with friends and family.
I feel financially free.
My blog Cassiefairy.com started off as a way to document my own life but I soon realised that something ‘different’ was happening here. I was sharing post after post of money-saving advice, upcycling projects, thrifty tips and low-cost recipes. All my content had one thing in common: living a thrifty life.
I was sharing it and living it daily and I quickly realised that my way of life wasn’t as ‘normal’ as I thought. I find it hard to believe that not everyone lives the same way as me. I’d been a student for a total of 9 years and that experience had taught me to budget well.
I wasn’t even your average student: I was married, ran a ‘grown-up’ household, commuted into university and took care of my fur babies. And my husband was also a student. You’d think that money would be exceptionally tight, right? But we enjoyed the same holidays, days out with friends, theatre, music and movies that everyone else was enjoying. Even on the day that I only had £1 left in my pocket, I didn’t feel poor. I had a lovely home, plenty of food in the cupboards and a wonderful future planned.
The thing that I learnt most during that time is you live to your means. Whether you earn £9K in your first job (yes, that was me), £30K+ after your promotion, £12K while on maternity leave, or only have a £3K student loan to live off (me again), you will make it work.
Think back to a time – maybe in your first full-time job – when you weren’t earning as much as you are now. Were you homeless? Did you starve? I’m guessing not. I think you lived on that wage just fine (otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to take the job, you would have looked for another that covered your expenses, right?) So, how much was it you were earning back then? Half what you earn today? A third? Sure, the cost of living might have gone up but it’ll be in line with your earnings, so you could still spend less if you wanted to.
Just imagine how big your savings account could be if you just spent what you used to earn – and saved the rest?!
After university, I carried my thriftiness through into my adult life and have since cleared all my student overdrafts, have saved a deposit over and above what I needed to buy my first home, and am currently renovating my 3 bedroom house. And I’m still saving. In fact, I’m on track to pay off my mortgage in 6 years.
Yes, I looked at the interest I’d be paying over the 30-year term and decided that NO, I wasn’t going to pay that. I was going to pay off my mortgage as soon as possible and enjoy spending that interest myself, rather than giving it to the bank. My husband and I are both self-employed and work whenever we like but saving more while earning less can be done!
And so, my thrifty life continues. But without the stress of a full-time job, only doing work that I love, having time for self-development (I’m studying an online course and reading 4 books a month) and taking days off here and there to spend time with my family and friends. All with savings in the bank and a future of financial freedom ahead of me.
I want the same for you too. That’s why I continue to write this blog every day. I want you to be happy with your lot. I want you to be able to afford that wedding, the travelling and the home you’ve always dreamed of. And most importantly I want you to have time.
That’s the most valuable, finite commodity of all so please question how much you’re selling your time for and decide if it’s worth it. Or could you – just maybe – live a little more thriftily and afford to work less and live more?
Here are some resources to help you get started:
Check out my money-saving tips category to cut costs on your bills and make the most of your money
Rummage through my home styling and DIY posts for inspiration to create a gorgeous home on a budget
Cook up a storm and save cash on your shopping with my low-cost recipes
Let me help you look good without spending all your hard-earned money
And if you want to know more about me, what I do and how I live – I’ve spilled the beans right here.
What do you want to see on the My Thrifty Life blog? Can I help you with your money-saving goals?
Get in touch with me on Twitter @cassiefairy, follow me on Instagram @cassiefairy to check out my latest DIYs and follow my Pinterest boards for even more thrifty inspiration.
