Living as a Frugal Minimalist in Australia

[@RowenaMarie]

Do you feel like the odd one out from everyone you know, being frugal, being a minimalist, being plant based or all three? I would love to know your experiences with this and for us all to build a community where we all feel "normal" 😊

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Michelle, thanks so much for stopping by to say hi. Yes it does include our mortgage payment 😊. I have a video that goes through the entire breakdown of our budget, so feel free to check that out to see how we spend our money. 🌸

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Michelle, hopefully I can help you find some areas to cut some costs 😊🌸

[@cherilewis2899]

There's an American couple their channel is called Under the median, they are plant based also,and are happy mortgage free debt free,you would like them,I do,I enjoy listening to you I'm in Vancouver Canada

[@michellepaul6097]

So nice to finally find someone I’m Australia who chats all things frugal. So much more relatable. Hi from Melbourne 🙏🏻

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Michelle and hugs from Perth 😊🥰❤️

[@marekabrown2427]

Yes someone from Australia and especially from Perth! U now have a follower from Perth x

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Mareka l, thanks for saying hi! Hello back from Perth 😁🥰

[@rkh7904]

Hi from SA, I too have a vegetable garden front and back, plus follow frugal and trying to be a minimalist which is still a work in progress. Love your channel.Thanks for creating it.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Rosemary, thanks for saying hi, always lovely to hear from you…a home garden is definitely a much better use of land imo….my husband has just got a hydroponic system for the home so we are looking forward to seeing how that goes. 🥰

[@PGBlanks]

Just found your channel! I’m also a aspiring minimalist youtuber but based in Sydney. It is super interesting for me since I came from the Philippines where min wage is around AU$400 a month, yet in Aus, so many still live paycheck to paycheck just due to very bad spending habits. And tech like how easy online shopping is / Afterpay makes it worse!

[@millygit]

Excellent video again Rowena, we live in Canberra a very expensive city but have always been frugal compared to the average. We have always had low incomes, which necessitated finding ways to budget effectively when within first five years of having our mortgage interest rates hit 16% we had friends losing their homes as they couldn’t manage their income well. We paid off our home by the time we were forty, we still live in the same home in the suburbs, like you bought where our budget allowed and never upgraded, we have no ensuite, just a small home, but after our children left home we have plenty of room. We retired early and started housesitting within Australia so we could travel for free other than our petrol, which we loved. We hardly ever eat out and I spend under $70 a week for both of us on groceries but we eat well, several meatless meals a week. To others our life seems restricted but we see it as a rich life full of wonderful experiences and not a lot of useless stuff. Now in our sixties I wouldn’t change how we lived the decades. Yes at times it seemed lonely not knowing others like us but being able to retire early on a low income has been all gain for us. Keep up the great work

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Michelle, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful inspiring story. Just like you I love our life. We have enough of everything and I never feel deprived. It’s so funny you mentioned house sitting because my husband and I talked about that as an option in our future, and hearing how much you enjoyed it it’s definitely something we will consider. I agree with you entirely that a whole lot of useless possessions don’t make for a fully and happy life. It’s so wonderful hearing from like minded people like you. Have a lovely night 🌸

[@millygit]

@@RowenaMarie thanks Rowena, yes housesitting is an amazing way to travel, we did want to do it overseas before covid hit, maybe one day. We have made many new friends with the house owners and have a favourite housesit near the beach so it’s like having a holiday a few times a year plus it’s only three hours from home

[@britjj5126]

It helps that you have a partner who has the same values, mindset and was on board with the lifestyle you have. I’m not married yet but I hope to be one day and want a lifestyle where I’m not tied to lavish material things, big house with a big mortgage, lots of kids etc. Unfortunately I have yet to meet a guy who shares my goals.

[@eloiselebler3045]

I'm in Victoria, maybe it's a different lifestyle here but we have community gardens & lots of people I know grow food as their parents & grandparents did. Maybe it's something about living in Perth ? The harsher climate ? In Victoria this type of living seems fairly common.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Eloise, no we don’t have community gardens here, I wish we did! 🥰

[@FrugalFunMum]

We have heaps of community gardens in SA

[@lynnoorman2144]

Following you from the UK- we too have the 'keeping up with the Joneses' here too. I don't know anyone in person who is frugal and aspiring minimalist - there is a small UK community on line but I am often regarded as strange in real life! I retired early at 58 - 5 happy years so far. ( retirement age in uk is 66). Keep heading for your goal - it is so worth it.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Lyn, welcome to the strange club 😂🌸 early semi retirement at least is definitely the goal. I love hearing from like minded people, thanks for sharing 🌸

[@sarahbee8064]

Great video! Fellow frugal Aussie over here - I grew up like this (not eating out, secondhand etc) and it just feels so normal! Now married with my own household I've continued all of that. I'm often amazed at what people spend money on!

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Sarah, thanks so much for dropping bye and saying hello. I think once you live this lifestyle it just makes perfect sense because you find out there is no deprivation, just a full life without all the useless stuff 🌸

[@joanneh6879]

Finally! Lovely to hear somebody here in Australia talking about this way of living. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@FrugalFunMum]

Great video! I'm from Adelaide so hi neighbour I'm also really frugal and we are beginning to grow our own food too, I always buy second hand and shop all the markdowns for meat!

[@gailtester8749]

Hi Rowena, first time seeing your channel and subscribed after the first few minutes. I feel very aligned with you. We are retired frugal minamalists in Salt Lake City, Utah. Whole Food Plant Based, buy used as much as possible. My husband has end stage Parkinson's so we are stuck at home...but to us home is the nicest place on earth. I do get careworkers in to give me a break and our savings makes that possible. Looking forward to more of your content!

[@deniseking3422]

Thank you, lovely to there are other people in Perth being frugal and growing some food organically

[@debaustralia2320]

Thank you for sharing. We are a family of 5 in QLD and have been frugal for many years. I'd like to be more minimal and have been slowly reducing the amount of items in our home. Food is a huge expensive for us but we never eat out and take picnics with us especially when traveling! You've definitely inspired me to grow more of our own food.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Deb, food really is expensive and even growing just a small amount helps and it’s fun! Seeing the seeds become plants and then using your own produce in your meals is so satisfying. Good luck on becoming more minimal, I highly recommend it for a more mindful and peaceful life 🌸

[@rebacarmack8335]

Binge watching today!❤️❤️❤️

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Reba 🥰

[@MaxineAnne77]

Thank you, this was a nice video. We are a family of three, living a frugal, minimalist lifestyle. We also choose to eat plant-based meals prepared at home, and wouldn't have it any other way. Watching from Southern California, USA.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Anna, so nice to hear from a fellow frugal minimalist plant based friend. Is it as rare in California as it is here? 🌸

[@MaxineAnne77]

@@RowenaMarie Rare as proverbial "hen's teeth", lol!

[@Rise2392]

Thanks so much :) !! you have motivated me to start thinking about sem-retirement at an early age!! Saving money makes me happy as well!! additionally i can totally relate to you regarding the whole "keeping up with the joneses" culture here in Australia :D its ridiculous!!

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi SS, early retirement is a great goal 😊. “Stuff is often not worth the cost on multiple levels….but time to do the things you want in life is always worth it 🌸💕

[@gisellavelasquez1566]

Rowena I love your videos ... thank you so much!

[@artfulbible8440]

We choose to live frugal because it's a less stressful way to live, for me it's a challenge to achieve and frugal living takes intelligence (that's why I subscribed to your channel)! Seemingly everyone knows how to blow money.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Artful Bible, thanks for saying hi. It definitely takes more effort to save money than spend it 🙂.

[@artfulbible8440]

Yes, indeed. Somebody once said, "A penny saved is a penny earned".Ben Franklin

[@filausopoako]

Great idea having a front lawn with vegetables.

[@jowoodward1757]

Thank you that was very helpful 😊

[@meowmeow1stgen668]

I love that there are more Australians talking about this lifestyle because I feel like it would be something that not many people would understand and that they would frown upon. I am a very frugal person, not necessarily a minimalist, but there doesn’t seem to be much support or information for Australians to live this way and I think that’s really sad. You are right, Australia is a very consumerist culture and they are very absorbed with external validation.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Meow Meow, (love the name btw 😻). I think it's pretty rare in Australia, I certainly have never met another minimalist or frugal person here, which is a shame because it really is a lifestyle that makes sense. It's both good for the person and the planet. hugs 🥰

[@my2cents178]

I'm in Adelaide im frugal and minimalist i have 3 kids and my family think im crazy lol. I havent met anyone else around me that is frugal or minimalist

[@ivanahanus5101]

Hi Rowena. great video. I also grown some produce in the garden. it helps with frugal lifestyle. I also bake my own bread. Gosh ,your rents in Australia are very expensive. I am very fortunate that we have paid of our home in just under 10 years, so now are rent free for a long time, that helps a lot. Most of the time we buy used as well. Our medical insurance is very high in South Africa, but being frugal helps weigh the needs versus wants.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Ivana, rents are really high here and getting higher. Australia is quite an expensive country to live in. That’s great to have paid your house off so quickly, 🤞ours will be paid in 4 years 😊🌸

[@arlinemoore7276]

Hi Rowena 🌷 I recently discovered your channel and thoroughly really enjoy it 🤗❗️ Arline Moore in Ohio 🌷

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Arline, thank you so much for saying hi, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it 😊🌸

[@anthonytumeth1074]

Thanks Rowena well done.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Anthony and thank you 😊🌸

[@vivianaldana5810]

Bravo, thank you for being so informative and brave. Much respect, live long and prosper!

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Vivian thank you 🌸

[@claytonhufford6922]

Outstanding! So happy for you! We are in the same boat. Trying to semi-retire while we are still upright and mobile!

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Clayton, thank you. It just makes so much sense to us to live this lifestyle which is both kinder on the planet and purse and allows us to live well below our means. Good luck on your early semi retirement journey too 🌸

[@claytonhufford6922]

@@RowenaMarie Indeed. I wish I was living this lifestyle 20 years ago.

[@farmgirl1560]

Loving all your videos. I’m from Perth too :)

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Kerstin, thank you and so nice to have another Perth person here 😊🌸

[@abidashah4943]

Thank you for sharing .love watching you .God bless you and family with joy peace and happiness always keep safe take care love always ❤🧡💛💚💙🙏🙏🙏🙏🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Abida and thank you so much for this kind comment, my best wishes to you also 🌸💖

[@CristinaEvans-w2m]

Watching from Queensland ❤

[@EdenBaynes]

Just found your channel tonight, so hi from New Zealand 😊 I am turning 30 this year and I purchased my first home by myself at 26, my goal is to pay it off ASAP but no one my age or my family has this same mindset so its always an awkward conversation. Along side that I also invest at least 25% of my income and try to live as frugally as possible while enjoying my youth.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Eden…that’s super impressive 🌸 well done! I can really relate to nobody around you having the same mindset, luckily for me, hubby does so there’s no disagreements there 😊. Thanks so much for taking the time to say hi 🌸

[@EdenBaynes]

@@RowenaMarie yes I am very thankful my now fiance is like minded to me. We live together in my house and once we're married things will be a bit different. He's agreed to a frugal wedding in our back yard in order to save money so iv been doing lots of research 😊

[@RowenaMarie]

Yes Eden it’s so important to be with someone like minded, must be so hard for people who are married to a spender. My hubby and I got married in my mums backyard. It’s was lovely and intimate and frugal 😉🌸

[@EdenBaynes]

@@RowenaMarie I tend to spend more than he does even though I'm trying to be frugal so he's really good, he spends almost nothing. Iv loved to spend on makeup but I am trying to break the habit. I'm so excited for our wedding, my bridesmaids dad has a beautiful back section with a beautiful gazebo we will have a small ceremony at then we will go back to my house as the yard is larger for the reception. Iv never been one to want to spend on a big wedding.

[@RowenaMarie]

That sounds really beautiful Eden, I think weddings like that are the best 😊., I’m like you and never wanted a big wedding either. When are you getting married?

[@rubymones8933]

Hubby lives frugal, all our car are second hand, he hardly do take away, but I do once a week lol. We own our forever house no mortgage, we bought our air bnb/holiday house and nearly paid off. All our appliances are second hand. Hubby is semi retired but I am working its really my choice since I've got a mum that I helped in the Philippines. We've got 3 kids 2 of them went trough expensive orthodontist (braces) but I did save for this.it. We are not rich but we don't have any debt either. Do love your channel.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Ruby, thanks so much for sharing your story and saying hi. Sounds like you’re doing great…so nice to hear 😊🌸

[@sharonrose3871]

The one comment 2 years later is, I am stunned that you are saying a plant based eating plan is not widely utilised. I beg to differ. I would say 20 plus years ago it was not catered for or supported widely. However now, it is a vast culture. Especially in my region of Tasmania. Curious to know how that may have changed for you.

[@prasadpatel6508]

Loved it :)

[@jamie-leewatson3565]

I live in NSW... I'd love to grow food but every time I try, it ends up being eaten by little critters. I've spent too much money trying 😭

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Jamie-Lee, yeah they can definitely be a challenge, we are often out of a night picking snails off of our plants 😂

[@suedaugherty5549]

This was a very interesting video. I think Australian culture sounds very much like the culture here in the US, unfortunate as that is for the health of the planet.

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi Sue, I think our cultures are very similar and I couldn’t agree with you more, so unfortunate for our planet! 🌸

[@dchrysostom]

70 😩😳. Wow it’s 65 here in Canada.. but I retired at 49… I’m 53…

[@RowenaMarie]

Hi D Chry, yeah it’s ridiculous here. Impressive retirement age, you definitely did something right 🙂🌸

[@virginiacervantes2110]

👍🌹

[@RowenaMarie]

Thanks Virginia 🌸

[@suellensellwood5854]

What happened to your channel?

[@janetbransdon3742]

G'day from regional Australia NSW. 🦘