Lately: Blogs I Like, Travel Planning, and Controversial Money Tips

Happy weekend! Today I’m doing something that’s a little bit different. Lately I’ve found some interesting nuggets around the web that I’ve been dying to share with my readers. The problem is, I felt like I didn’t really have a space to share small ideas that aren’t full-on posts. So last week, I brought up the idea of adding these little thought nuggets to my newsletter. Many readers wrote back and seemed interested, so I’m now experimenting with a weekly round-up. Once a week, I’ll share things like, recent articles I’ve liked, upcoming sales, my favorite products, quick money tips, etc. Today I’m sharing the very first edition with you! Since it’s the first one, it’s super long, but future roundups will be more condensed and posted to just the newsletter. If you want more content like this, subscribe below:

Oh, and of course I meant this to be a quick round-up, but you should know by now that I can’t write anything that’s sub-1000 words.

On Competition

In my survey from last month, a comment caught my eye:
“Even though it may risk your niche/competition, if you know any other luxury personal finance bloggers/instagrammers etc, I would love to see a piece on them.”

Here are my thoughts:
I don’t see other bloggers as competition at all. In fact, you shouldn’t get all your info from just one blog. And if you like reading my blog, it doesn’t mean you can’t read another and still enjoy both. Think about it. Do you read just the one blog or watch just the one Youtube channel? There’s room for everyone. And honestly, if you are a blogger who chooses not to network or engage with others, you probably won’t get very far. So today I’m happy to share with you other similar blogs that you might like.

How to Find Other Personal Finance Blogs

If you ask me about how to handle daycare costs, you’ll be met with a blank stare. Since I like writing about my own personal stories, my blog’s helpfulness is limited to my own experience. This is where Rockstar Finance comes to the rescue. If you haven’t heard of Rockstar Finance, it’s an aggregate site where you can basically find every single personal finance blog in the universe.

I look at the ‘new posts’ feed every morning and click on what sounds interesting to me. At the top of the page, you can use the filters to drill down to what you’re interested. In Canada and want to read about debt? There’s a blog for that. There are over 1,300 personal finance blogs, so you’re bound to find one that resonates with you.

But I don’t read just personal finance blogs. I think it’s important to read things outside of your niche. Otherwise, it can feel like a big circle jerk. Below I’ve curated some of my favorites I think you’d be into.

If You’re into the Luxe Life While Saving Money

OK, so the reader from the survey asked me for blogs similar to mine, and honestly, there aren’t that many. However, I’ve dug around and there are five that stand out to me.

Youtubers

These ladies are the most similar to my blog in terms of philosophy. They love luxury handbags and fashion, but they are selective with what they buy, and seem responsible with their money. I totally respect that.

Joanna’s Logic vs. Luxury

Joanna is also a New Yorker and her channel is luxury-focused with a few super practical tips on money. I find her philosophy on money and spending to be the most similar to mine. Like me, she also doesn’t value spending money on expensive rent.

Recommended:
Investing 101: How to Get Started Investing in the Stock Market

Money Lessons from My Twenties, Budgeting and Saving for Luxury

Chase Amie

Amie is based in London and loves handbags and shopping. But she also argues that you kind of have to be good with money to actually be able to buy those things. I agree!

Recommended:
How to Afford a Chanel Bag

What I Earn & Where I Get My Money From!

Sugar Mamma

Another Youtuber you might like is Sugar Mamma. One day I noticed some site traffic coming from Youtube, and after investigating, saw someone had linked to my blog in the comments of one of her videos. Her channel is much more finance focused than the other two, with a sprinkle of fashion and lifestyle topics.

Recommended:
How to Get Rid of Credit Card Debt Fast

How to Budget!

Blogs

Finally, there are two other blogs I know of that talk about personal finance and fashion/style. They have tons of great posts to go through, so I’ll simply link to their blogs.

Invincible Summer Blog

Xin is a lawyer in New York City who happens to love fashion and style. She writes honestly about trying to shop more thoughtfully while managing student loans.

Save Spend Splurge

I dress super casually, but if you are looking for more workwear inspiration, this is the blog for you. Sherry is a boss at negotiating, and I also love her blunt, opinionated voice.

If You Want Smart Writing on Fashion and Personal Style

I don’t read fashion blogs anymore, because many of them basically look like giant ads. But I DO enjoy reading about personal style. There are a handful of blogs that smash the narrative that having in interest in fashion means you’re automatically frivolous and unintelligent. Here are a few that stand out to me:

To Universe with Love

Love, love, love this blog! One of the very few blogs that isn’t just “shopping hauls,” but deeply explores personal style. She’s not afraid to question things, like, naming brands that are overpriced.

Sophie with a Blog

I was browsing Bloglovin’ one day when Sophie’s blog popped up as a recommendation. I was immediately intrigued, because she lives in NYC, too. Then she won me over because her pictures weren’t overly glossy, the price points for her clothes weren’t unattainable, and she even wrote a post about how to cover up acne spots. In a land of overly manufactured bloggers, there was something real about her.

The Essential Man

Peter is a personal stylist for men and is the king of creating outstanding epic guides. I always value what he has to say and learn from his content. If you have no personal style and want to get some, check out this post for beginners:

A Beginner’s Guide: 16 Essential Style Tips For Guys Who Want to Dress Better

Guys are his target audience, but there’s no reason why women can’t gain style insights from his blog (I do!).

If You Want to Go Down a Rabbit Hole

Have a few hours to kill? You know the Lay’s potato chip tagline, “You can’t eat just one”? Well, visit these blogs, and you’ll have no choice but to binge read.

Paris to Go

Ever been curious about zero waste? Love Paris? Ariana is an authority on secondhand designer items and is very picky about what she buys.

The Origami Life

I recently came across this blog through Google. The Origami Life is a minimalist travel blog with personal finance posts mixed in. Usually I don’t like short posts, but for some reason, I find theirs to be super addicting.

Currently

Planning our honeymoon trip to New Zealand! I’ve spent most of the week working on this, because, man, planning a road trip in another country requires a master’s degree in logistics. We also happen to be going during the most popular season, so that means hotels and things get booked quickly. At first I tried piecing together my own itinerary, but then I thought, this is crazy. There has to be an existing itinerary that checks off all our boxes: casual hikes, mountains, lakes, and stunning landscapes.

And then we found this two-week South Island itinerary that sounds perfect.

Only one problem: I want to go to Abel Tasman, too, which isn’t on the itinerary. Readers who have been to New Zealand, or live there: Can we squeeze it into a 10-day trip? Is it worth it? I wanted to Tongariro National Park in the North Island, too, but judging how far it is from the airports, I don’t think we’ll have time. I welcome any thoughts!

My Favorite Reader Comment

It makes my day when people take the time to comment on my blog. I read every single one. Some of my reader comments are basically blog posts in themselves. And some of them are hilarious. In case you never read the comments on my posts, I thought it would be fun to feature some of the ones that stand out to me. This one from my latest money diary post made me laugh out loud.
Eddie said:

“Hey Luxe, I saw red flags flying as soon as I read “car sit.” I do not trust myself with anyone’s valuables.”

Inspiring Money Article of the Week

I really love it when people aren’t afraid to take risks. Hasan Minhaj’s money story got me all nostalgic about when I made seemingly stupid decisions in my early twenties. However, after reading his article, I started to see my past decisions differently. Maybe they weren’t stupid after all. Maybe they were, in a way, investing in myself by not settling.

The Money Tweet That Blew Up

By the time you’re 30, aim to have 1x your annual income set aside for retirement. At 40, 3x; at 50, 6x; at 60, 8x; and by retirement, 10x.

— Jean Chatzky (@JeanChatzky) November 1, 2017

If you were on Twitter this week, you may have seen this tweet from money expert, Jean Chatzky. Well, Twitter blew up in a fit of disbelief and rage at how impossible it was to save 1x your salary at 30. Here were some of the comments:

“Yeah, it must be nice to be rich.”
“Can anyone do this in America?”
“Are you aware how irrelevant this advice is for actual 30-year-olds up to their ears in student debt?”

I’m curious to see how different people react to the this money advice. When I see benchmarks like that, it makes me want to strive. What about you? Do you see the benchmark and think it’s impossible and give up? Or do you try to save whatever you can, even if it’s not the perfect amount? For the record, I didn’t have 1x my salary at 30, but I got my act together and will definitely have more than 3x my salary by 40.

Online Sale Pick

If you’re looking for a silk blouse (classic!), my top pick is the Equipment Slim Signature Blouse, which I have in black. It’s currently 30% off from Neiman Marcus in the pretty blush/nude color. The Slim Signature is cut more narrow than the regular Signature Blouse, and is a much better fit for me. You’ll be able to find the regular Signature Blouse secondhand pretty easily, but not the Slim Signature Blouse (trust me, I tried). This is a good sale opportunity!

NYC Sample Sale Heads-Up

NYC friends–if you love 3.1 Phillip Lim and have been wanting some of his stuff from the past few seasons, then hit up his sample sale on November 7th.

And that’s it for my first GIGANTIC weekly round-up! I hope you guys liked it and found it helpful. I look forward to sharing more with you, so if you liked this, make sure to subscribe below!

What are your favorite blogs to read?
How do you feel about “unrealistic” money guidelines?
Have you been to New Zealand? What do you think of my itinerary?

Image: The Luxe Strategist

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