Misunderstanding the FIRE Movement

On November 8, 2019January 10, 2020 By Mr WayIn Finances, FIRE12 Comments

There has been a steady increase in the mainstream media coverage for Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE), especially here in the UK.

While it’s a really good thing that our message is being spread to more people, this also brings a lot of frustration with it. Almost every time I have seen FIRE covered in the press, there appear to be severe misunderstandings about the principles by which us ‘followers’ live.

The most recent example of this was an episode of Money Box Live, aired on 6^th November 2019. Money Box Live is a radio programme on BBC Radio 4, covering all areas of money.

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Monthly Spending – October 2019

On November 2, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Finances, Monthly Spending2 Comments

Summary

Our spending was almost spot on our target monthly amount in October! We aim for around £2,000 so this was a good result for us. A very low month in the transport category helped us balance out some big items elsewhere.

We break our main expenses down into broad categories starting with the big 3; housing, food and transport. Everything else falls into the entertainment category, with any large inclusions explained in detail.

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Review of Ultimate East Africa

On October 26, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Africa, TravelLeave a comment

Africa Series – Part 4

As you probably know by now, we spent most of the summer in East Africa! We were away for a month, with the vast majority of our time being spent on the Ultimate East Africa trip by G Adventures.

We wanted to provide a review of our trip in the hope that it helps others when choosing a similar escapade!

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Tennis Mindset

On October 19, 2019January 10, 2020 By Mr WayIn Fitness, Optimisation2 Comments

3 Similarities Between Tennis and Financial Independence

In Frugal Fitness we mentioned that I play competitive tennis alongside my strength training. This is something I have increasingly taken more seriously, with a real desire to improve.

As I write this, the summer season has just finished and I’m aiming to use the winter months to address some fundamental weaknesses in my game. The aim is to take the step up to the next level and compete with a higher standard of player!

Throughout this process I’ve discovered some familiar themes. The core principles I need to follow in order to improve my tennis have similar relevance for life in general. The mental side of the game aligns with skills I had already learnt on my path to financial independence. I call this the tennis mindset!

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Africa Trip – What We Spent!

On October 12, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Africa, Finances, TravelLeave a comment

Africa Series – Part 3

We gave a rough estimate before we left that the trip would cost us in the region of £5,500 each. Was our estimate right?!

A lot of the costs were already known before we left. We had paid for the flights, the tour with G Adventures and some extra hotel nights at either end of the trip. The tour costs also included a lot of food and transport etc.

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My ‘Monthly’ Money Saver

On October 8, 2019January 10, 2020 By Miss WayIn Frugality, Optimisation2 Comments

4 Reasons to Switch to a Menstrual Cup!

Mooncup

Us girls have a lot to put up with once a month. For those lucky few, periods come and go without too much disruption to their lives. Unfortunately, I have never been that lucky. Ever since mine started they have been a monthly ordeal. Either very heavy, very painful, extremely emotional or often all three!! I am sure many women experience similar.

On top of this, being on your period can be expensive! There are definitely frugal ways of approaching this but often the cheaper sanitary options are a lot less comfortable or effective. Having tried lots of options through the years I have settled very happily on the ‘menstrual cup’.

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We’re Home! Africa Snaps

On October 6, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Africa, TravelLeave a comment

Africa Series – Part 2

That’s it – we’re back! (Actually, we got back at the end of August but we’ve been kind of busy….)

Over 6 months in the planning, our Africa trip was over in a heartbeat. We saw incredible wildlife, stunning scenery and got to meet some inspirational locals. It was truly a life-changing experience for both of us. We’re so happy we got to make those memories together.

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Monthly Spending – September 2019

On October 5, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Finances, Monthly Spending3 Comments

Summary

Back to reality this month as we tried to settle back into our routine. If you didn’t know, we went to East Africa for all of August and got engaged in July, so it has been all change!!

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How We Cut Our Food Shopping Bill In Half

On September 28, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Finances, Frugality, Optimisation1 Comment

Over the last few years we have gone through the process of optimising almost every aspect of our spending. One of the biggest changes has been to our food shopping bill. We managed to cut our bill by more than half!

Food shopping is one of the biggest items in most people’s budgets. If you can manage to cut this in half like we did, it can have a huge impact on your ability to save more. All of these savings can really add up and help you to retire earlier!

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Frugal Four – Episode 1!

On September 14, 2019January 10, 2020 By A Way to LessIn Finances, Frugal Four, Frugality, Optimisation2 Comments

Welcome to the first in the series we’re going to call the Frugal Four! We wanted a way to share the frugal tips and tricks we’ve picked up over the years. The aim is to provide a brief summary of a few little hacks we’ve enjoyed using in the hope it inspires you to save some money yourselves!

Without further ado, here goes!

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