Chic style on a budget, and a new interview

 

Hello chic friends!

Paul and I went to a special event last weekend: a gorgeous local winery called Craggy Range's 'Deep Purple' annual wine club day.

Thankfully it was a beautiful day for all the people who travelled from out of town to attend.

Strolling among the vines, glass of wine in hand was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon!

Of course, I wouldn't be found holding a glass of wine at 11am every Saturday, but once a year is okay, surely?

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I am thrilled to share with you a podcast interview I recorded, with the delightful Jessica DeBry on her inspiring ‘The Author Entrepreneur Podcast’. You can listen to it here or wherever you listen to your podcasts by searching for my name 'fiona ferris'.

 

 

I had such a great conversation with Jessica. She has a beautiful way of interviewing, and I didn’t even feel ‘that’ nervous 😊 Because it is nerve-wracking talking on a podcast, or maybe it’s just me!

I hope you enjoy our chat, and it’s especially for you if you’ve ever dreamed of writing a book. Please let me know what you think of it once you’ve had a listen!

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I am currently re-recording the audiobook of ‘100 Ways to be That Girl’ myself due to overwhelming feedback that very few listeners actually enjoyed the narrator I chose. This was when I was just starting out in audiobooks and thought a professional narrator would be the best choice.

 

 

I chose her from a small group I’d selected, and she wasn’t cheap either (fair enough too, I was happy to pay, but it turns out you’d rather hear me narrate my books). Oh well, lesson learned! But I wanted to let you know a new version is on its way 😊

 

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This week I’m up to my final reader question for the Q&A series to celebrate the release of my newest book ‘Financially Chic Vol. 2’.

“My question is about looking chic without spending a fortune. I do love the idea of a circular economy but I don’t actually enjoy looking at the thrift stores. In the area where I live there are several stores, but the clothes are not my taste. I would like some suggestions on how to dress in a stylish manner without having to resort to a whole new wardrobe.”

I am also not someone who enjoys thrifting clothes. When I was younger I did, and I also bought thrifted fabric (even curtains!) to sew my own clothes with.

I also like to dress well without spending a lot of money. My favourite way to do this is by the classic high-low mix where you combine less expensive pieces with costlier pieces. Even my ‘costly’ clothing pieces aren’t expensive though. Where I do like to spend a little more money is on a bag or pair of sunglasses, but even then, one of my favourite pairs of sunglasses cost $15.

I think it’s about how you put outfits together more than the price of them, and also how you groom yourself, your posture, and confidence too (real or acting-as-if). When I take the time to blow-dry my hair and paint my nails (both these things cost nothing, only a little time), I feel amazing, and I do think it makes what I’m wearing look better.

I would always shop my own closet first, browsing Pinterest for ideas, or even just thinking ‘What would my capsule collection look like if I made one from my closet?’ In addition, when I clear out even a few pieces that bring me down (bad colour on me, uncomfortable fabric etc), the other pieces left in there look better.

Sometimes I’ll take everything out of my wardrobe and have just my chic and simple capsule collection hanging. It looks like a boutique! And makes the clothes I’ve used look more appealing.

I hope this has been helpful, and I also hope you have enjoyed this little Q&A series! And please feel free to add your tips if you have something to say 😊

xx Fiona

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

 

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 :)

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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' :)

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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.

 

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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! 😊

 

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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

 

 

 

 

It's my birthday week!

 

Hello chic friends, it's been a week of celebration here.

 

Happy birthday to us! Paul and I celebrate our birthday on the same day 😊 Just tooting our own horn 🎉

My mum took a photo of us at her place when we popped in on our way out for lunch earlier in the week. It was a beautiful day too!

We both really enjoyed our lunch and then headed home to relax outside in the sun.

Since we'd dined well earlier in the day we had a light seafood dinner - fresh oysters, and salmon and tuna sashimi. A special treat that is healthy, elegant and delicious 😊

A very happy birthday to all the October babies and Libra ladies reading! 

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Carrying on the birthday celebrations - and relaxation - with a new (library ☺️) book by one of my favourite authors, and a glass of Prosecco 🥂 (See it on Amazon here).

Life is good, and I’m excited to see what my 54th year brings me!

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 And now it's time for this week’s reader question from my newest book ‘Financially Chic Vol. 2’ 😊

 

 

"There are so many good causes that I would like to help financially, but like everyone else I have to choose where to send my limited funds. Do you have any thoughts you can share on how you make those choices? I would love to hear your ideas.”

None of us have unlimited funds in which to help the causes we’d like to, but we can help in our own small way.

There are two ways to go about this: you can either choose your main charity, and make a payment, each month or whatever suits your schedule. Or you can make smaller payments to a number of charities. Even $5 a month can be helpful.

And, re-evaluate once a year and make sure these are still the charities you wish to support. Or maybe you might change once a year regardless just because that’s the decision you made at the beginning.

Another way to help is with time. When we still lived in Auckland, I volunteered at the main SPCA once a month on a Sunday, for about four years.

And I’m sure there would be jobs you could do at home, if you were good with computers etc. There are always jobs to be done at charities, and never enough people to do them.

I also used to deliver my donations to a cat shelter instead of a thrift store, because they’d have regular yard sales to raise money. This was the shelter where my two cats Jessica and Nina came from.

Chloe :)

 

Chloe, in the photo above, who jumps in between the pillows on our bed and then flips them all over… came from the local SPCA here in Napier, along with her ‘sister’ Daphne. Adopting them is also a form of charity because you are freeing up a cage to help the next pet, and paying the adoption fee too.

And of course you can choose to donate or buy from the thrift stores which are aligned with your preferred charities. I always take my donations to an SPCA or bird sanctuary thrift store. It’s just another little way to help, and as you can see, it doesn’t always have to be about how much money you can donate.

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Little Ninacat with her twisty mouth and almost crossed eyes 😂🥰

Yes Nina is still in her collar! She ended up having to have surgery on her climbing injury and is now almost, almost fully healed.

I've taken the collar off her a few times and she starts licking the surgery area (under her arm) straight away, getting at it with her raspy tongue, so back on the collar goes.

I keep saying 'maybe by the end of September, maybe by the end of October, she can get it off'. Maybe by Christmas?

The great thing is, the collar doesn't bother her in the least, not like the sweatshirt I bought her. That was 100% a fail!

So Nina will keep on rocking her collar, and also help 'press' my mum's new navy trousers that I'm hemming for her... Yeah that's not a great combo, dark fabric and cat fur. What did we do before sticky rollers!!

 

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The other night we had the most magical moon, illuminating the sky and a few clouds. It truly was spectacular.

 

Then, when I turned in the other direction, I saw a bright star and found out it was Venus with my SkyView Lite app. Venus in Libra too. So nice to have for a Libra girl's birthday sky!

We have a four-day long weekend here in Hawke's Bay, how lucky is that? Our local show is on too.

My late dad used to tell me that the day after I was born he went to the show while mum was in hospital and said he walked around with a big smile on his face thinking about his new baby daughter :)

I hope you have a lovely weekend too whether it's long, normal, or something in between!

xx Fiona

PS. If you have Spotify Premium, you can listen to my newest book 'Financially Chic Vol. 2' for free now! Check to see if this is available in your country by going here to Spotify.

You can also purchase an MP3 copy from my eStore here.

Audible is coming soon, it always takes a little longer!

I hope you enjoy listening to this book, I especially enjoyed recording it 😊

 

Decluttering to feel rich :)

 

 🎉🎉 Reader Q&A 🎉🎉

Hello chic friends!

 

To celebrate the launch of my newest book 'Financially Chic Vol 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less', I am doing a series of reader Q&As. I received a fun question for today’s post:

“I love your concept of ‘Declutter to feel rich with what you already own.’ It was part of Bonus Tip 33 in Financially Chic Vol 2.

I’ve started doing that with my clothes during this change to season: goodbye ‘it’ll do’ items, hello ‘too good to use’ items!

It works beautifully with designing my rich lady life too. If something feels too nice to wear, I think about where ‘rich lady me’ would wear it. It’s totally free and it’s fun!

Can you give some more examples of how you ‘declutter to feel rich’, please?”

The ‘Rich Lady Life’ is such a fun filter to use when decluttering. In tip 33 I applied it to donating worn-out towels to an animal shelter and using the ‘good towels’ we already own.

Really, in any category you can think of you can do this: underwear, sleepwear, dishes and glasses, clothing, toys, just to name a few!

When you throw out or donate, you are left with your favourites, bests, and newests. You can’t help but feel richer when you are surrounded by only your nicest things 😍

Lately I’ve done it with candle holders (I had a lot!), books, magazines, and perfumes. The few I never want to wear are now room sprays 😊

I’ve just finished recording the audiobook of Financially Chic Vol. 2 today, so I will get it all sorted and off to the distributor. I’m so glad to have finished it, it always feels like such an achievement!

And please, let me know, what category would you ‘declutter to feel richer?

xx Fiona

You can read ‘Financially Chic Vol.2' on Amazon here.

 

(My Amazon links are affiliate, but the price is no different for you. I appreciate it if you choose to use my links!)

Watch my interview - live today for 24 hours!

Hello chic friends!

 

Just a quick note to let you know that today's the day my interview it up! It will only be live for 24 hours, so if you're interested, take a look today :)

You can view it here:

Watch Fiona's interview on the Emerge Stronger Summit

 

I really hope you enjoy it! It was fun to speak with Raissa :)

xx Fiona

Reader Q&A!

 

Dear chic friends,

 

It's reader Q&A time!

To celebrate the launch of my newest book 'Financially Chic Vol 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less', I am doing a series of reader Q&As.

 

And today is the first question, which is all about finances for singles.

“How to live financially chic while depending on one sole income?”

It’s hard in some ways of course, with one income not two, but in other ways it’s preferable. Being single gives you greater autonomy over your choices. You can cut back when you want to without getting someone else’s buy-in. And you can’t be held back by other’s poor spending habits.

Here are my three best tips to live financially chic while depending on one income:

1. Take a good look at your outgoings and see where you can delete unnecessary expenditures. Be really honest with yourself! Feel empowered when you cut things out instead of feeling deprived. Tell yourself you are giving that money to yourself instead.

2. Brainstorm all the ways in which you can have fun and feel rich for free (for me, using our public library, enjoying the lovely makeup and fragrances I already own, tidying up my wardrobe, going for walks in nice parts of town, making my lunch at home, making my own coffees, cooking at home in preference to eating out, and meeting friends for a picnic in the park vs an expensive lunch or brunch).

3. Look at ways you can bring in more income – a side hustle such as writing an ebook and uploading it to Amazon, renting out a room in your home if you have a guest room, or finding part-time work somewhere nice. I never saved so much money than when I worked weekends. I had no opportunity to browse the shops!

Know that everything you do, you are doing for you. You get to decide how plentiful and wonderful your future is.

I hope this was helpful, and if you have any ideas to add to this post, please do so! Maybe they are things you did as a single that really helped you feel (and be) financially chic.

 

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Here I am, walking my talk when it comes to being financially savvy 😊

These are my summer vegetable plants ready to put in once an expected cold snap next week has passed us by.

In the bonus chapter of my newest book ‘Financially Chic Vol 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less', tip no. 12 says:

“Grow what you eat. For me I’ve found the best value and easiest to grow are herbs, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, and zucchini. Herbs are year-round, and the rest only in the summer.

Don’t grow difficult things or vegetables you never buy. This is meant to be a money saver/health giver, not an expensive hobby. If you have a small piece of garden, buy a $3 plant and enjoy the benefits.

We planted a six-pack of spinach plants because we buy spinach every week for our daily smoothies. The $4 spinach investment fed us for several weeks whereas before we were spending $5-8 a week on bagged fresh spinach.”

In my little stash here (with Daphne photobombing 😊) I have cherry tomatoes, cos lettuce (two colours – red and green), perpetual spinach, cucumber, and a new try for me – orange capsicum (pepper).

Our small vegetable garden is weeded and ready to roll. Already growing are cos plants from last summer and spinach planted more recently which are both still going strong. Because we have smoothies every morning, we go through a lot of spinach, hence why we are planting more when we already have some!

I don’t even consider myself to be a garden or have a green thumb, but some things are just worth doing.

Please let me know, what are your favourite things to grow for ease, value, and yumminess?

 

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This week I got to go on a winery tour and tasting, and it was so interesting.

The underground cellar here, where wines are aged in oak barrels is kept at an even 11 deg C (52 deg F) year round. It was very refreshing to be in there 😊

We tasted three whites and three reds, and there were eight of us in the group. We got to meet lovely people from Houston, Texas, Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland right here in New Zealand.

The times I've travelled to other areas of New Zealand and done wine tastings were so enjoyable. I mean, vineyards are generally in sunny, picturesque regions so what's not to like?

Paul and I did a quick Barossa Valley trip in South Australia some years back. That was great and I'd like to go back. Some of their wines are so old they look like shrubs, not having been trained along wires like 'modern' grape vines.

I hope you've had a great weekend, I've had a productive Sunday today. It's nice to have a lazy Sunday too, but when I have a productive Sunday it really feels like I've got a head start on the week!

Are you someone who loves wine tasting? Please tell me your favourite varietal!

There are no wines I don't like, I just prefer some over others 😍

I enjoy bubbles, Chardonnay, and aromatics such as Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. And Viognier too. Does Viognier count as an aromatic?

So, whites then! Although I do feel tres chic holding a glass of Syrah or Bordeaux blend. It's just so hard to choose a favourite, I get it!

Cheers to us all anyway 😊

xx Fiona

PS. You can read ‘Financially Chic Vol. 2’ for free on Kindle Unlimited, or purchase as an eBook or paperback. Audiobook coming soon!

 

(My Amazon links are affiliate, but the price is no different for you. I appreciate it if you choose to use my links!)

Do you have a question?

 

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you've got fun plans and exciting projects on 😊

To celebrate the launch of my newest bestselling book 'Financially Chic Vol 2: How to be savvy with money in tough times, cultivate your rich lady lifestyle, and live fabulously for less', I'd love to do a series of reader posts like I did with my last book.

The difference this time is that I will be doing a series of Q&A posts. If you have a question you’d like me to answer about anything in ‘Financially Chic’ or ‘Financially Chic Vol 2’, or a money question in general, I will do my best to assist!

 

 

The vibe will be money mindset, how to reframe a situation, how to make the best of things etc, rather than actual advice about where to invest. As you know I am not a finance professional 😊

But I do like to figure out savvy ways to make the most of my money, finding ways in which to live an elevated lifestyle without spending a lot.

If there is something you are curious about, or would like some input on, ask away. Or maybe there is something in the book you want me to expand upon or explain further. You can leave a comment, or email me fiona at howtobechic dot com.

I hope I get at least one question, haha. Imagine if no-one played along. That would be funny! And not embarrassing at all 😮😂

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 The occasional happy hour is part of my 'rich lady lifestyle' 😊

 

Here I have Prosecco, grapes, olives and double cream brie.

I talk more about creating your rich lady lifestyle (on your current budget, that’s the fun part!) in 'Financially Chic Vol. 2'.

If you haven't read it yet, you're in for a treat, whether you want to improve your relationship with money or consider yourself great with money.

You can read it on Kindle and in paperback, with the audiobook coming soon!

And please let me know, what belongs in your rich lady lifestyle?

 

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I hope you've got a lovely weekend planned like I do. I have ladies afternoon coffee tomorrow, and a cozy night at home with my darling tonight. We’ve been watching ‘The Perfect Couple’ on Netflix and it’s so enjoyable. We are only two episodes in, please don’t tell me who the murderer is!

I also just finished a wonderful audiobook (below) – it’s been made into a Hallmark movie so you can guarantee no one is going to be murdered (although I do love a cozy mystery too). It’s called ‘Pumpkin Everything’ and I would heartily recommend it! (Here on Amazon.)

 

 

Even though it’s spring here, I’ll happily read an autumn-themed book for all the cozy feels! (And I couldn't love the cover more).

Wishing you a fab weekend, and I’ll see you next week!

xx Fiona

 

 

 

 

PS. The summit I am a part of starts on Monday! You can sign up here and you will be notified when I am on. It's completely free of charge. I will be joined by twenty other experts talking about how to emerge stronger after heartbreak or divorce. My interview focuses on the topic of self-care 😊

I'm so excited to share my interview with you! Raissa was a wonderful host, so poised and professional.