The Frugality #2

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

I haven’t seen the request but pretty sure that it’s a euphemism for dosh me up.

It’s also to make it seem like nothing, you’d buy a friend a coffee so she thinks you’ll feel the same about her

 

[freethe40foot1]

What’s galling is: “The last year has been a tough one for so many.....”. I have zero doubt the UK is full of people totally broke right now. Alex has shown herself eating out, buying a new top etc. Normal everyday things but not essentials.

And normalising not rushing back to work from maternity leave. That’s a great cause but also an enormous privilege.

Yep talk about tone deaf. People have sacrificed their livelihoods, their family, their income and Alex has missed out on a few blogger events, meals out and some freebies while barely doing a tap. If she needs cash she needs a steady income stream not a hobby.

 

[uberoblique]

It’s also why should you or I give money to two people to doss around their garden or go for sunny lunches. If she showed herself slaving away creating the content it’d be different. At the moment it just looks like funding two people to have an easy life. I have spare money at the moment, I’ll be giving it to charity. I’m doing a shop for a local woman in need due illness.

Exactly. I’d rather buy a coffee for a supermarket worker, or a Deliveroo rider, or a bus driver, or anyone else doing fairly thankless work to facilitate middle class lifestyles.

I’ve said it before but she is so clearly resentful that her lifestyle isn’t as affluent as her sister, parents and no doubt school friends. No recognition of course that neither of them actually really do anything except for turn up at the odd PR event and take weird, silent selfie videos.

 

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

Alice Liveing tried asking for money for her free content, saying her income had dramatically reduced and got some stick for it, mainly because in the next post she was showing off her £3k designer bag or £1k shoes....if that’s struggling I’ll take it
It genuinely baffles me how they can actually afford to live as neither seems to be bringing in much money

 

[Xanadu81]

I genuinely think the only people who donate to the ‘coffee’ fund are her fellow insta huns like Erica Davies and the like, who actually continue to enable her. Surely nobody in their right mind would donate otherwise.

 

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

Also who is Kate?

 

[Chocolate2008]

Exactly. I’d rather buy a coffee for a supermarket worker, or a Deliveroo rider, or a bus driver, or anyone else doing fairly thankless work to facilitate middle class lifestyles.

I’ve said it before but she is so clearly resentful that her lifestyle isn’t as affluent as her sister, parents and no doubt school friends. No recognition of course that neither of them actually really do anything except for turn up at the odd PR event and take weird, silent selfie videos.

I think her social circle colours her entire world view.

Want to take a longer maternity leave, free to do so, but don’t tell people you’ve had a hard year & ask for donations.

She literally just got paid by John Lewis to take a couple of photos on a presumably free couch.

 

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

I don’t really understand accounts but last years only showed assets of £25k....not sure how that translates into a salary for each of them?

 

[pancakesandspice]

Sorry, but she doesn't provide content for free in the same way ITV doesn't provide content for free. They provide content for ad revenues that they in turn use to pay the "bills" so to speak. It really annoys me when influencers act like all this hard work is for free and totally from the bottom of their hearts....It's not. And much like SKY (and some influencers e.g The Vitamin D project that she's always liking) she has the option to provide premium contact for a subscription. A quick look at The Frugality's (and other influencers) companies house records and the properties they are all purchasing show this is in no way free.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I don’t really understand accounts but last years only showed assets of £25k....not sure how that translates into a salary for each of them?

They’re a small entity so only need to share a balance sheet which is like a snapshot of one point in time, you don’t get a P&L that shows all incoming / outgoings

 

[Mogmog]

If her local children's clothes bank are in desperate need for immaculate baby clothes, she should use her power for good and ask John lewis or h&m or any other huge clothing company she's worked with previously. I know it was part of a focussed campaign but that £500 sofa could be used for a lot of baby clothes for a good cause

 

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

They’re a small entity so only need to share a balance sheet which is like a snapshot of one point in time, you don’t get a P&L that shows all incoming / outgoings

Ah thanks, so guessing they’re taking in a LOT more

 

[Chocolate2008]

If her local children's clothes bank are in desperate need for immaculate baby clothes, she should use her power for good and ask John lewis or h&m or any other huge clothing company she's worked with previously. I know it was part of a focussed campaign but that £500 sofa could be used for a lot of baby clothes for a good cause

Maybe her followers could buy them a coffee. The cynical part of me thinks both appearing on the same day could be deliberate.

I have no idea why this whole thing makes me so angry! I used to really like her content, I started following when she did her initial renovations.

 

[Dizzy]

This is completely extraordinary. The nonsense about unhealthy working habits completely got me. There’s no way she works more than a 15hr week running that blog. She also doesn’t seem to understand her own business model. She’s not making free content, she’s building and sustaining an audience which is then monetised through brand partnerships. I willingly donate my hard earned time to literally watch paint drying on a fence, so that she gets a pay check and a free sofa from John Lewis. Surely she should be grateful enough for that? There are influencers out there with Patreon accounts but many of them are putting well researched content out into the world, holding space for dialogue and discussion and really educating around e.g. sustainable fashion or mental health or child development etc. Alex literally adds no value to the space. Her writing is dreadful and her content is random and erratic. She did have some particular expertise as a stylist but she’s already being remunerated for that through affiliate links and of late does little more than post blurry pictures of household tat (CF the Tiger £1 candles, for e.g.). All in all a picture perfect example of a late stage capitalist blagger who has pushed her audience too far and who's house of cards looks likely to topple before long. Chris better dust off his interview suit and prepare for a hair wash.

This in a nutshell The entitlement, the privilege, the arrogance of these two - it’s mind boggling. Only a couple of weeks ago she’s posting about ‘normalising’ extended maternity leave, an excellent idea IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT. Clearly, they can’t!

In fairness, this couldn't be more them could it?! Parents of 2, playing at being adults and asking people for donations to fund their middle class student lifestyle.

 

[uberoblique]

I have no idea why this whole thing makes me so angry! I used to really like her content, I started following when she did her initial renovations.

me too, I used to love her blog when she was working at the magazine and when she was renovating her Tooting apartment.

She is definitely someone who would benefit from having a job that isn’t monetising their lifestyle.

 

[Xyzabc1234]

I'm getting flashbacks of the neverending hallway painting with the fence...

 

[Mustard]

Why would they think that anyone would find her/their weird fence painting story interesting? She/they have a streak of arrogance a mile wide! They don’t portray themselves in any sort of normal way and then to ask for donations for ‘cups of coffee’. Eldest is packed off to nursery, husband doesn’t work and shopping for tit is the order of the day.

 

[AutumnDays]

Looking at her buy a coffee page again, I think she hasn’t raised all that amount - 91 supporters and a coffee cup x 171. I’m thinking the 171 is total amount raised and not all her supporters donated the £3 that was set to automatically appear. Some may have donated less.

91 supporters isn’t very many out of 255,000 Instagram followers though don’t know how many of these subscribe to her newsletter.

 

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

Looking at her buy a coffee page again, I think she hasn’t raised all that amount - 91 supporters and a coffee cup x 171. I’m thinking the 171 is total amount raised and not all her supporters donated the £3 that was set to automatically appear. Some may have donated less.

I’m guessing some people have bought both of them a cup?

 

[Missmarplesknitting]

I've unfollowed I can't even hate watch her now to laugh at the state of them.