Interview with a blog writer

Today we are interviewing the writer and creator of Frugal and Thriving.

Interviewer: So tell us a little bit about yourself.

Blog Writer: My name is Melissa. I live in sunny Queensland, Australia (although today it is pouring with rain!) with my husband and fur child The Cat.

Interviewer: What made you decide to create the Frugal and Thriving website?

Mel: My husband and I (for a variety of reasons) have never been high income earners. Actually, we have never even been “average” income earners. My husband is working, and I am a “stay at home person” at the moment. Yet, we do pretty well on what we earn. I am always surprised at how hard people find spending less than they earn, especially those who earn much more than us. I thought I would write about it and try to show how it is easier than we think. I want to create a resource for frugal living and financial management. Also, being frugal is a whole life attitude as well as a budgeting decision. It’s about conserving resources, being creative, thinking about what is really important in life beyond consumerism and it’s a topic I want to explore in my personal life. I want to keep a record of that in a blog.

Interviewer: And are you some kind of frugal expert?

Mel: Far from it. But I confess, I am a tightwad at heart and have spent nearly all my life, scrimping, saving and penny pinching, so I have quite a bit experience in frugal living. And I love it. I love everything the frugal philosophy embodies. Most of all I love the freedom that comes from not being a slave to debt.

Interviewer: So you’re totally debt free?

Mel: No we have a mortgage. I’m dreaming of the day when we are debt free again. In the meantime, I am hoping this blog, among other things, will track that progress.

Interviewer: What is your most frugal moment?

Mel: They say the best things in life are free! I love freebies. However, my most frugal moment was when we were at a picnic with friends. They had brought along disposable plates and cups (and I’m not talking about the cheap and flimsy kind, either!) At the end of the day they went to throw out the plastic and instead I took it home and washed it up. We now have a very nice plastic picnic set. They thought I was a little weird, but what a waste if it had just ended up in landfill, just to save a 3 minutes washing up.

Interviewer: What do you mean by thriving?

Mel: The studies have shown that the happiest people on the planet are amongst the poorest. Thriving is about being rich in other ways besides money. However, I also want to look at ways the average jane like you and I can increase our financial knowledge and make better financial decisions. Most of us are in the dark when it comes to money. The flip side to being frugal, is investing our savings for a better financial future, free from debt.

Interviewer: Thankyou, that’s all we have time for today. Good luck with your future blogging endevours.

(Mel was interviewed today by herself.)