Welcome to the Fancy Frugal Gay blog.
I want to talk about being frugal. I don’t mean cheap. Being cheap can be lazy and lacking in taste. It can also be a waste of time. I’m talking about being frugal – wise with spending and even wiser with saving. Why? For starters, I want to be free. I’m not there yet, but I imagine a time when I don’t need to work for a paycheque. I might and, if I’m fully honest, I probably will. But I want to be in a position where I can take on a project/cause/contract/role whether or not it comes with money attached.
I’m going to talk about being fancy. Less in a show-y way and more in a ‘wow this is really fun and I can’t wait to share it with others’ way. I think about fanciness from a deeply curious and wide-eyed optimistic angle. Thoughtful ways to love life are fancy to me. Exciting adventures, moments of compassion shared with loved ones, the joy of new experiences – all fancy. Fanciness doesn’t have to be expensive (and I much prefer when it’s not), though it involves being open and appreciative to the world around you.
I’m also gay. Or queer. I go back and forth on the nomenclature. Why is this relevant? It’s relevant because it informs how I live, what I think, and how I interact with the world. It’s not the only thing about me, nor is it the most important thing about me. It is important, though. You don’t need to be queer to read this blog or absorb what I’ve learned on my journey. If you are – that’s amazing! If not, that’s also OK. Some of my best friends are straight people. I haven’t run into many LGBTQ+ folks writing in this space, and so naming my sexuality up front feels important to me.
So there you have it – Fancy Frugal Gay.
Writing is a privilege and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned around being fancy and frugal (while also being gay). I hope you’ll dive in with your thoughts and reflections as well. I have a lot to share and even more to learn, so let’s figure this frugality thing out together while keeping it fancy at the same time, shall we?
I recognize there are well-established and vibrant communities of folks writing on financial independence, travel hacking, mindfulness, frugal living, minimalism, and early retirement. There are wildly successful bloggers, writers, and talking heads all over the world who have used their personal stories and passions to create beautiful schools of thought on how to be successful, decent human beings in the 21st century. My intent is to try and pull some of these themes together into a blog that talks about lifestyle first and foremost.
What can you get out of this, dear reader? Definitely a few tidbits I’ve gathered, and hopefully much more. Writing about a Fancy Frugal Gay lifestyle – it’s my perspective, my research, and my opinions. Over time though, I want to learn from you and your approach to financial independence as we figure out this whole reaching-your-potential-and-having-fun-while-doing-it thing together. Regardless of where you are in your career or retirement; whether you’re at the top of your income generation game or working your first gig; no matter if you’re a passive income boss or still trying to slough off that nasty credit card debt… there are lessons big and small that can bring us ever closer to freedom from the paycheque.
The journey to financial independence (i.e. having enough money to say ‘no’ when you don’t want to do something work-ish or work-adjacent) is full of opportunities and fun. For me, it’s also been challenging, engaging, and eye-opening. I’m not there, yet. I’m still muddling through a lot of these ideas though I have a good feeling about maintaining a high savings rate without sacrificing quality of life. I’m confident that, if I pay attention and put my back into it, I can continue to devote time and energy to becoming a better person, surrounding myself with people who are brilliant and lovely, while also saving a whack of cash in the pursuit of financial independence.
Let’s get into it.
Fancy Frugal Gay 