The Frugality #3 content is free, don’t care if it’s drivel, shopping in Sainsbury’s, pretending it’s Lidl

[Dustye]

Love the direction this thread has taken.

It’s nice to hear insight from genuinely successful people who haven’t had a leg up from parents and can also, despite achieving success, see through the middle class insta bullshit.

I hate the m/c Insta bullshit, it's not even limited to the actual influencers either. The mums I met in the baby groups are all trying to become #reno #makingmemories #mummylife accounts, and it's driving me nuts. Filtered to duck images of their perfect, boring as hell houses, separate accounts for their hideous extension projects, kids always perfect angels in designer outfits. Meanwhile my ankle biter is whacking me at bedtime, will only eat marmite on crumpets and refuses to bathe

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I hate the m/c Insta bullshit, it's not even limited to the actual influencers either. The mums I met in the baby groups are all trying to become #reno #makingmemories #mummylife accounts, and it's driving me nuts. Filtered to duck images of their perfect, boring as hell houses, separate accounts for their hideous extension projects, kids always perfect angels in designer outfits. Meanwhile my ankle biter is whacking me at bedtime, will only eat marmite on crumpets and refuses to bathe

Omg YES! Yes yes yes yes!!

#makingmemories huns, it’s never ending content too, you just have to see everything they do from a tit swing to bath time. And the influencer style captions that ngl tend to be poorly written so even cringier, it’s always a naff format like oh [trending middle class child’s name] how we adore you and your ferocious bravery [a load of emojis seemingly assigned to this child]. Conversations with them always the same, they always open asking what you and husband do so they can rank you in the mentally maintained hierarchy of ppl useful to them.

The extension accounts kill me too, like I’m all for an interesting or historically sympathetic reno but duck me does a bit of B&Q laminate and a Howden’s kitchen really warrant a separate account? No one gives a duck!

Sorry I’ve turned absolutely vile on this thread

 

[Dustye]

Sorry I’ve turned absolutely vile on this thread

I'm living for it babe, you carry on.

 

[MeWithTheHair]

I’d love some recommendations for sites that sell frames at those prices. Can you try on at home and then send back if not suitable?

Here I am to influence you with actual frugal glasses intel! At the turbo affordable end is glasses direct, which you can trial at home with 4/5 pairs a go, they come in the post and you pop them back free of charge as long as they’re back in time. Cubits do this too which I love - bit more expensive but gorgeous and cool concept (something like 10 designs, 5 colours, mix and match to find what you like). I’ve just ordered from Firmoo which are dirt cheap with no try on, so bit of a gamble. Top tip from me - do some home trials and take loads of photos of you in all the pairs, different hair and outfits/makeup etc, and send them straight back ASAP, so you know there’s no risk of charge and you can look back at your beautiful face and choose at your leisure!

**((slides glasses up nose with single finger))** and THAT is how you do frugal glasses content. Ahem. X

View attachment 835202 q
Lmao I am going to put on more shelves in my home to distract myself from messy home. Smart

this shelf situation is insane. When you need storage, it’s usually because you have things that need storing/displaying, not just because you want to acquire yet more things specifically to put on said storage item?!? They’ve actually hung a shelf specifically for a bunch of gifted shite that was about to arrive for a low rent bit of sponcon? Amazing way to make frugal decorating decisions.

And why do I care so much that she has to say FAUX not fake? More ‘chic’ to be FAUX french I guess.

slow clap forever

 

[Polly Pocket]

The Raa’s!! Went to an Oxbridge reject uni full of private school (like very top boarding school) girls with perky names and perky outfits and I had absolutly no idea what was going on and couldn’t work out how to talk to anyone at freshers week and didn’t have a laptop and had never been skiing and I hadn’t quite realised until this thread but Alex brings all of this back for me. I used to watch those girls with a sort of morbid fascination. The confidence and the security and the ease that they moved through the world with just sort of knowing that everything would be OK. But do you know what? Almost none of them that I still know are at all happy and I don’t think the Insta huns are either. It’s all a bit empty, a bit void, a bit too easy, all built on sand. Not all that glitters is gold...

 

[Dustye]

The Raa’s!! Went to an Oxbridge reject uni full of private school (like very top boarding school) girls with perky names and perky outfits and I had absolutly no idea what was going on and couldn’t work out how to talk to anyone at freshers week and didn’t have a laptop and had never been skiing and I hadn’t quite realised until this thread but Alex brings all of this back for me. I used to watch those girls with a sort of morbid fascination. The confidence and the security and the ease that they moved through the world with just sort of knowing that everything would be OK. But do you know what? Almost none of them that I still know are at all happy and I don’t think the Insta huns are either. It’s all a bit empty, a bit void, a bit too easy, all built on sand. Not all that glitters is gold...

You're so right, they're all miserable, that's why it's all about competitive consumption - fills the void. Also yes to the skiing thing, I didn't even know that was a thing people did for holidays until I met poshos at uni! I'd assumed it was only Winter Olympians who did that kind of thing!

 

[Polly Pocket]

Can I ask how do we know her parents are loaded and paid for her mortgage. Sorry if I missed a large chunk when this was explained. Just so annoyed as I bought into the whole frugal thing years ago and keep finding this stuff out and getting more and more annoyed. Influencer culture is the worst but a well off girl claiming to be frugal with all the gifted items just sends me over the edge.

It’s never been explicitly stated I don’t think but she’s been quite public about earning under £20K a year working in magazines, Chris was previously an out of work actor and they now pay themselves £30K a year each from her business. On that calculation they’d have a max mortgage of £300K. She bought her house for around £700K and has remortgaged to pay for renovations. So someone has given her at least £500K somewhere along the way. I guess they probably made some money on their last property. But either way she’s been given hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds. Anyone who’s parents have that much cash lying around (and assuming they’ve given her sister some $$$ too) is absolutly positively LOADED.

 

[Subway]

This!! I spent 3 years at my fancy university avoiding this nonsense (mainly because I worked practically full time) and here I find myself on my precious minutes off pondering her life?! But whilst I’m on the subject....We’ve also worked ourselves into a position of real privilege, high salaries, good area to live in etc but without parental support we’ve got a gigantic mortgage that will likely be with us till retirement. We earn way more than she claims to buy don’t seem to have nearly as much disposable income. I’m certainly not buying cashmere hats and hall mirrors at anywhere near the rate she is, takeaways or meals out are still considered and holidays planned and saved for. We’re not even particularly good with money and we’re generous with family (most of who have a pritty different set up). I absolutely wouldn’t claim to be frugal. There’s something that just absolutely does not add up about their set up, unless that is they have a tiny mortgage and aren’t thinking about things like pensions because they know they’re going to inherit? I honestly quite enjoy the lives of the rich and famous on insta when they’re honest about it all. It’s the hidden wealth that makes everyone else feel a bit tit about themselves that is just the pits.

Hi I’m normally an occasional lurker here but this is exactly how I feel. I would count as a high earner but have a big mortgage. I’m a mug though because I’ve ended feeling bad that I don’t seem to be able to afford to live in the way she does and thought it was because we weren’t being good enough with money. When they say they’re saving up for things or selling stuff on eBay to pay for them I always feel bad about how much I manage to save or the fact that I wouldn’t sell stuff for a £1 on eBay I’d just give to a charity shop. This thread has been really good at opening my eyes to the fact that she’s not being honest and then to reassess how much of this stuff I even need or want. I know it’s obvious but I am endlessly taken in I need a reality check!

 

[ILoveMyBrick]

I seem to recall in the distant past that she stated that they’d extended into the attic in their former flat and therefore managed to sell it for double what they paid for it..or something like that. Depending on how much that profit was they may not have needed too much from The Bank Of Mum & Dad to put towards their current home, if at all?

 

[Polly Pocket]

I seem to recall in the distant past that she stated that they’d extended into the attic in their former flat and therefore managed to sell it for double what they paid for it..or something like that. Depending on how much that profit was they may not have needed too much from The Bank Of Mum & Dad to put towards their current home, if at all?

It was a flat in Clapham on an 18K salary. They must have bought it in cash or very close. Ain’t no 21 year old working in magazines with cash...somewhere along the way she’s been given at least a quarter of a million pounds, but I’d wager closer to half a million.

On that salary she’s still have a student loan, which never gets mentioned. So someone likely supporter her through university.
She’d still have credit card debt/bank loans from the internships she had to do to get into magazines. or someone supported her/provided a free bed while she did them

So much hidden wealth all over the place.

 

[Greencatfysh]

I feel like they are in quite a lot of debt though (on 0% cards) - didn’t she say they put the whole new kitchen on credit? I feel like a lot of it is just sitting waiting to be paid.

 

[uberoblique]

Plus nursery, which is around £1500 a month.

It’s never been explicitly stated I don’t think but she’s been quite public about earning under £20K a year working in magazines, Chris was previously an out of work actor and they now pay themselves £30K a year each from her business. On that calculation they’d have a max mortgage of £300K. She bought her house for around £700K and has remortgaged to pay for renovations. So someone has given her at least £500K somewhere along the way. I guess they probably made some money on their last property. But either way she’s been given hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds. Anyone who’s parents have that much cash lying around (and assuming they’ve given her sister some $$$ too) is absolutly positively LOADED.

 

[ThePowderMonkey]

Omg YES! Yes yes yes yes!!

#makingmemories huns, it’s never ending content too, you just have to see everything they do from a tit swing to bath time. And the influencer style captions that ngl tend to be poorly written so even cringier, it’s always a naff format like oh [trending middle class child’s name] how we adore you and your ferocious bravery [a load of emojis seemingly assigned to this child]. Conversations with them always the same, they always open asking what you and husband do so they can rank you in the mentally maintained hierarchy of ppl useful to them.

The extension accounts kill me too, like I’m all for an interesting or historically sympathetic reno but duck me does a bit of B&Q laminate and a Howden’s kitchen really warrant a separate account? No one gives a duck!

Sorry I’ve turned absolutely vile on this thread

I am here for this content

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I seem to recall in the distant past that she stated that they’d extended into the attic in their former flat and therefore managed to sell it for double what they paid for it..or something like that. Depending on how much that profit was they may not have needed too much from The Bank Of Mum & Dad to put towards their current home, if at all?

They wouldn’t have been able to get the flat or do the original work without mum & dad, tho? Who is giving someone on £18k a year a mortgage in London, or a £40/50k loan for a roof conversion?

On that salary she’s still have a student loan, which never gets mentioned. So someone likely supporter her through university.
She’d still have credit card debt/bank loans from the internships she had to do to get into magazines. or someone supported her/provided a free bed while she did them

So much hidden wealth all over the place.

Agree so much. Also another thing to consider is if they’re being paid through a limited, that £30k each won’t be the same net sum as if you earnt it through a PAYE job. Obviously it won’t multiply it above but most directors take minimum wage (so she wouldn’t have to repay student loans) then the rest as dividends.

It’s so bleeping shadey the whole thing. The visuals of it can be SO deceptive cos you see they’re in similar (or better) housing than you do you assume they’re living a similar lifestyle, having the same conversations about finances, like you assume they’re your peers trying to do it all from nursery to family holidays to savings & investments? And they’re not anywhere close! Talking of uni throw backs they’re the “friends” that encourage you to dip into your OD for a night out only for you to find out their parents repaid it over half term and you’re the mug stuck with yours!

 

[snarksnark]

Her old flat was in Tooting, not Clapham. They bought it for £238k in 2011 and sold it in 2016 for £500k, having gone up into the loft and converted (and also taken advantage of the hike in propery prices then). So they made £262k profit on that place, less whatever they spent on doing it up.

They bought their current place for £630k. So, not including any money they’ve paid off the mortgages or adding any for the works they did to either place, they would have had to have a mortgage in the region of £345k. Which means they have either had family help or she’s telling porkies about their income.

And Alex, you might be worried that I know all this, but it was easy enough to find from the information you posted on a public forum (rough locations, moving dates, pictures of both places).

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I feel like they are in quite a lot of debt though (on 0% cards) - didn’t she say they put the whole new kitchen on credit? I feel like a lot of it is just sitting waiting to be paid.

Agree - but who in their right mind would put thousands if not tens of thousands on cards earning £30k p/a?! Like I don’t believe she’s that dumb - surely they’re expecting windfall payments from parents to pay that off?

The other thing on £30k p/a they’ll be getting at the very least child benefit and free nursery hours and access to tax free childcare vouchers, I don’t know anything about tax credits etc but they’ll possibly be eligible for other help too? So shady they don’t mention any of that (probably keeping up with the magazine Joneses/Tarquins ?) but the whole thing is an absolute farce!

 

[skyehigh]

Skiing is such a STUPID hobby for people who live in SW London or the Home Counties.

 

[880411]

So she bought a flat for 238k and done a Reno on it when she was an intern/earning 18k
And had the cheek to start an insta page called the frugality
The gigs up Alex, it’s in bad taste to be cos playing a poor person

 

[Mustard]

Any pictures of the flat they sold?

 

[Libertine]

Any pictures of the flat they sold?

They will be on her blog.

It was very stylish and - don’t faint - minimalist.