Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
Welcome to theFIREstarter! If you are interested in themes such as Financial Independence, Retiring Early, Downshifting, or simply just working less and living more then please stick around, I think we’ll get on just fine 🙂
If all of that sounds right up your alley then you can follow along by:
If you'd rather have a poke around first then by all means do so! You can always subscribe later by using the link at the top right of the menu above.
If you want to get the full story you can start from the very first post here or for a more casual read, just see what catches your eye on the list of all posts page.
My thoughts and plans have slightly changed in the few years since I set up the blog, you can learn a little bit more about me and the main points on what those plans were and how they've changed here, here, here, here and finally here.
If you'd like to keep a track of new developments, money saving tips, money making tips, my adventures in attempting self sufficiency and simple living, free financial hacks and spreadsheets, and my general musings on Financial Independence, Personal Finance, investing, and the occasional humorous rant, then please consider following along. Those links again:
Well whaddaya know it’s taken me over one whole year to get one of these darn awards (and about a month to do a post about it) but I guess better late than never eh? 🙂
In all seriousness I would like to say “Thank you” to regular commenter and now blog owner Weenie @ Quietly Saving for nominating for the award, which is designed to encourage and promote up and coming blogs, which is great! The idea is then to answer five questions from the blog who nominated and pass on the award to some more blogs, and the torch is not only passed on, but multiplied. It’s basically the viral infection of blog awards 🙂 – but fortunately this particular virus has only good intentions!
Following swiftly on from the wearing stuff out post* I wanted to discuss another great money saving tactic which is buying stuff in bulk. I recently stocked up on deodorant (see the epic photo above) as it was on offer for £1, and it occurred to me that it filled the 3 primary constraints of being a perfect item to buy in bulk:
Non-perishable item
Small footprint, so easy to store in larger quantities
Something I will always end up using
There are a few pitfalls to watch out for though, and I also (as always) wanted to ask the audience for any buying in bulk tips they have themselves so we can share and learn from each other. Seeing as this post would be rather short if I let you lot go first though, I better do the honours:
My one year blog anniversary (or “blogoversary” as some like to call it) came and went pretty quietly a few weeks ago on the 3rd July, which probably means it’s time to take stock of what’s happened over the year. As well as the obvious areas of financial position and how much closer I am to my goal of reaching FI, I also like to focus on some more intangible areas such as “learning”, i.e. how much random shit have I read that has been deemed useful. It seems like a strange time to be doing a yearly update but I may as well pick the quasi-arbitrary date of my first ever blog post to check in each year on my progress towards my 5 year goal, because, well… what other date would I pick? 🙂
OK first of all I admit it… dramatic title alert! Seeing as we are encouraged as bloggers to do such things to get you reading our posts, I thought why not give it a whirl?
The short story is though; it is kinda true, a squash ball hit me in the eye* about two weeks ago, and seeing as these things rocket through the air at over 100MPH there was a fair chance some serious permanent damage could have been done.
*Don’t worry, I was actually playing squash! There isn’t a “drive by squash balling” youtube video craze going around you need to worry about.
Disclaimer: I have a strong sense that may I come across as a bit of a grinch/scrooge in this post or at least a totally ungrateful git at least :). Please let me assure you that I am immensely grateful for any gifts I receive and this is not a rant about getting “rubbish presents” but simply a discussion on the psychology and motives that we have for buying our loved ones gifts!
Have you ever received a Birthday or Christmas present that you don’t you really want? I’m sure you have. The queues at customer services on boxing day attest to this (so I hear anyway :)). It was my birthday last Thursday and it really got me thinking about this because, although I employed my gift system and asked for a few bits and bobs I really “needed”, I was also thinking I would really like to ask everyone not to get me anything this year as none of it was particularly essential. However for one reason or another, the day crept up on me so I didn’t get time to inform everyone, but ultimately I probably just wussied out on doing it. I did however go a fraction of the way by asking for no new clothes and for some second hand books, which threw up some interesting results. I guess it turned out to be a mini experiment on the psychology of buying gifts. But anyway before we see the results of that let’s have a quick look at…
A brief history of gift giving
Giving of gifts is so ingrained into our society because way back in the day, before money was even invented, this is how the economy worked. We know this because in small tribes of people discovered on tiny Pacific islands or in the Amazon rainforest a gift economy still reigns supreme. Joe the fisherman gives Bill the pottery maker some fish one day, this is mentally noted and at some point in the future Bill will make sure the debt is repaid by giving Joe a pot, some vegetables he has grown, or maybe his daughters hand in marriage, a fair swap in anyone’s book :). This worked well in small communities where everyone knows everyone else’s name*, but as soon as populations grew over a few hundred, a different accounting system was needed. Some cultures developed writing to keep track of things, while others such as the Incas used other mnemonics, who used knots tied in small pieces of rope.**
No RSS Addresses are entered to your links in the Links SubPanel, therefore no items can be shown!
Disclaimer
I am not a professional anything, and you should treat all the words you read on this site as ones that exist for your infotainment only. Even the ones in this disclaimer. I will not be held responsible for any kind of outcome from you following the advice or hint of a suggestion made on this blog, and will not be liable for any emotional damage inflicted by the stinkingly bad puns contained within. Read at your own risk. Some of the links on this website may be affiliate links, if you support me via these links I will be forever in your debt, not in any monetary sense of course. Like I'd actually put that in the disclaimer! Hah!
Recent Comments