Category Spending & frugality
The Essential Importance of Getting Your Stake Money Together
Not buying stuff is easy. It became my default mode years ago. I don’t identify as frugal…if I want something, I’ll buy it…it’s just that I don’t want more stuff. Generally, I don’t want the extra hassle involved. Everyone has a different view of what “enough” looks like. It’s all relative. Is Bill Gates being […]
Not wanting something is as good as having it
I’ve said before that there are two ways to improve your happiness. You can either get more or you can want less. Either way works. I’m not sure it matters which way is “best”. What I’m sure about is that wanting less is a whole lot cheaper than getting more. Consider the boundary case of […]
The Beauty of Minimalism
We are buying things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t even know The Minimalists At last! I finally got round to watching the film “Minimalism” on Netflix which features Josh and Ryan aka The Minimalists. I loved the film and I’m fascinated by the overlap between minimalism and […]
Do you own your possessions or do they own you?
Meet Justin and Jessica. They’ve been together for just over a year. Justin is the one wearing the ill-fitting T shirt and cargo shorts. Jessica is the immaculately groomed one in metallic grey. Jessica is expensive to run and a little above Justin’s paygrade. Perhaps that’s why he’s so devoted to her? Justin thinks he’s got lucky but I’m not so sure about […]
The inestimable advantages of paying yourself first
Paying yourself first is something that I’ve mentioned before. But I haven’t yet fully explained it’s amazing power to accelerate your journey to financial freedom. Paying yourself first is what it says on the tin. You pay yourself before you pay Netflix, the supermarket, the bank, the utility companies, the breweries, cigarette companies, gift shops, Premier […]
Get Rich with Perspective
Is it easy to save money or is it hard? Well, that depends on your perspective. If you watch TV News (I don’t recommend this) you’ll pick up the idea that modern life is tougher than ever, the world is a dangerous and expensive place and there’s nothing you can do about that. If you […]
How to give your children an elite private education (without the cost)
Let’s talk education. The Escape Artist went to Eton, the school that has educated more Prime Ministers and heads of state than any other school in Britain. And, when I say I went there, I mean that outside term time, the school is open to visitors so The Escape Artist paid a few quid to take […]
Big Hat, No Cattle
These people cannot be millionaires! They don’t look like millionaires, they don’t dress like millionaires, they don’t eat like millionaires, they don’t act like millionaires – they don’t even have millionaire names. Where are the millionaires who look like millionaires? The Millionaire Next Door So starts the book The Millionaire Next Door, the classic study […]
Cloud storage for your possessions
Imagine you want to watch a film. The cheapest way is to wait for the film to run on free TV. But what if you want to watch it as soon as possible and are prepared to dip into your Freedom Fund to get it? You have a choice. You can either buy the physical […]
How much would Sir like to pay for that?
Imagine you want a carton of milk. You go to the supermarket and pick the milk off the shelf. You’re in a hurry and the milk is not a big ticket item so you don’t look at the price, you just take it down from the shelf. At the check out, the assistant asks you how much you […]
The Escape Artist 