The Frugality #3 content is free, don’t care if it’s drivel, shopping in Sainsbury’s, pretending it’s Lidl

[AutumnDays]

She makes it all sound very dreary. Holidays without kids are different to holidays with kids but they shouldn’t be as dismal as she suggests. Why the need to order chips and bread, if they wanted salad or whatever, why not order that? Spanish restaurants are generally welcoming to families, you’d wonder how she felt she was being ignored. If they had the kids in bed every night at 9pm, they were doing well and should have been able to relax for a few hours.

Or maybe it’s just not a suitable place to holiday with kids, so maybe find somewhere more suitable next time. I’m guessing her family apartment might be small and not really suitable for toddlers.

 

[JustMetotoday]

She’s not selling holidays with children yet in reality they can be very enjoyable! Our children have adapted to late nights, trying new foods and embracing the change of routine/normality. Ours take to holidays really well and often we are out till 10/11 and we’ve holidayed since our children were babies!
Everything with her is negative and weary…

 

[Mustard]

She makes it all sound very dreary. Holidays without kids are different to holidays with kids but they shouldn’t be as dismal as she suggests. Why the need to order chips and bread, if they wanted salad or whatever, why not order that? Spanish restaurants are generally welcoming to families, you’d wonder how she felt she was being ignored. If they had the kids in bed every night at 9pm, they were doing well and should have been able to relax for a few hours.

Or maybe it’s just not a suitable place to holiday with kids, so maybe find somewhere more suitable next time. I’m guessing her family apartment might be small and not really suitable for toddlers.

I’ve been to Nerja where she went on
holiday quite a few times. Lots of families go there including Spanish ones. They have an afternoon siesta, bath or shower and then go for a promenade and then out to eat. Lots of children sleeping in chairs pushed together or in their pushchairs. They don’t go to eat until about 8- 9 pm. Just in case anyone didn’t know that is what often happens in Spain….

 

[Venuslurker]

God she really does drag me down with her posts, hardly surprising that holidays with small kids aren't relaxing, but it doesn't mean they can't be fun, just adapt a bit, was she really making sure they got back to the apartment for the nap schedule? Jeez highly strung or what. Just let them nap later, then you can have dinner later rather than at 4.45pm (are you bleeping kidding me??) .
CHILL OUT basically

 

[Libertine]

The Frugality we all wistfully remember, with the beautifully put together outfits and stylish home, was firmly an aspirational lifestyle account. It featured lots of travel, weekends away, meals out, on trend clothes and gorgeous, impractical interiors.

On reflection, probably 90% of that lifestyle was achieved with gifted or discounted stuff. Alex was just in the right place at the right time and she rode that influencing wave hard.

I feel businesses are becoming more discerning with where their influencing pounds go and that combined with the constraints of small, demanding children means her lifestyle is no longer enviable for her audience. It’s very ordinary and boring actually.

Alex seems resentful that her influencing career and lifestyle have been impacted so much by having children and I know I didn’t follow her for bib recommendations. She’s no longer frugal, stylish or interesting.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

The Frugality we all wistfully remember, with the beautifully put together outfits and stylish home, was firmly an aspirational lifestyle account. It featured lots of travel, weekends away, meals out, on trend clothes and gorgeous, impractical interiors.

On reflection, probably 90% of that lifestyle was achieved with gifted or discounted stuff. Alex was just in the right place at the right time and she rode that influencing wave hard.

I feel businesses are becoming more discerning with where their influencing pounds go and that combined with the constraints of small, demanding children means her lifestyle is no longer enviable for her audience. It’s very ordinary and boring actually.

Alex seems resentful that her influencing career and lifestyle have been impacted so much by having children and I know I didn’t follow her for bib recommendations. She’s no longer frugal, stylish or interesting.

100% agree. The floor has clearly fallen out the mama market, brands are savvier now and actually measure performance and expect to see comparable ROIs to other channels, which most of these guys clearly can’t provide especially for the high ticket items they were once being gifted.

I’d be seriously worried if 100% of my household income was from one dwindling source, although at least they’ve got her family money to see them through.

 

[Pixie06]

Her toes are really gross.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

What is wrong with her? She comes across as so resentful. And seems very focused on what she doesn’t have. In her head it’s like she’s so hard done by compared to others. Well guess what… there will always be people with a lot more than what you have, that’s life and focusing on what you perceive you lack (ironically, when you are rich in several different ways) will make you bitter and angry. She seems to really enjoy going through performative suffering as well? Life is often only as hard as you make it.

You need a certain temperament for influencing I think. Easy to stray into envy & paranoia about what your peers are up to, fretting about tech trends and what the future will bring, how one mistake/reveal could scupper your career. Not everyone is cut out for it. And being showered with free stuff you didn’t ask for constantly might sound like a dream but I imagine it can do strange things to people of a particular nature.

also.. there are people who have the gift of sharing honest experiences and it comes across as insightful and real. Alex does not have this gift

 

[PastorBake]

I’ve been to Nerja where she went on
holiday quite a few times. Lots of families go there including Spanish ones. They have an afternoon siesta, bath or shower and then go for a promenade and then out to eat. Lots of children sleeping in chairs pushed together or in their pushchairs. They don’t go to eat until about 8- 9 pm. Just in case anyone didn’t know that is what often happens in Spain….

The way she describes it you'd think they been participating in that Bear Grylls show where you get dumped on an uninhabited island.

 

[skyehigh]

I kind of agree with Alex about holidays with children that age are hard work (as in children that age are hard work in general and on holiday there is less of a break as you don't have childcare etc!). Also not all children / babies sleep take to sleeping on the go etc. so totally depends on their temperament.

BUT why does she have to focus solely on the negative stuff? It's so draining.

Our holiday this year (I use that work loosely as we stayed with family in the midlands) with children the same age was bookended with sickness and bronchiolitis and I could still say more positive things than Alex has managed! This should be the fun content as a reward for sticking with her through the tiling / face painting dross we've suffered.

 

[Greencatfysh]

The way she describes it you'd think they been participating in that Bear Grylls show where you get dumped on an uninhabited island.

As someone who doesn’t have kids yet reading her description was very depressing. I literally love a Mediterranean holiday and won’t be changing that once I have kids. However, the reason I love them is because I’ve been going since I was a baby and all three of my siblings and I were taken out to the beach all day, no parent took us home for a nap. We’d then have dinner at 8/9 and the youngest would sleep in the pram if needed. How does she make it seem so horrific?

 

[Libertine]

100% agree. The floor has clearly fallen out the mama market, brands are savvier now and actually measure performance and expect to see comparable ROIs to other channels, which most of these guys clearly can’t provide especially for the high ticket items they were once being gifted.

I’d be seriously worried if 100% of my household income was from one dwindling source, although at least they’ve got her family money to see them through.

It’s not just the children that have ruined her account’s ‘vibe’, it’s this. It’s fewer pounds having to be shared amongst more influencers.

She isn’t going to regain that fabulous lifestyle once the kids are older, and you know, most people in their twenties don’t get to enjoy what she had in her twenties.

Welcome to reality, Alex!

 

[Chocolate2008]

Controversially the holidays with kids is hard thing doesn’t really annoy me. Although I do think the bit about the waiters is very funny as if a family with two small kids is something they don’t see every 5 mins.

But back to my bugbear - the coffee! I ain’t buying no coffee in exchange for someone telling me about going on holiday with small kids! Alex herself would t dream of paying for her own newsletter. The woman has done multiple Prime free trials and sees the tapas provided by Spanish bars as dinner. Meanwhile her baby is wearing a £7 bib & Peggy is wearing Liewood sandals. Which reflects her frugality MO - don’t pay for the small stuff so you can buy the nice stuff you really want. But despite her creators should be paid for their content mantra everything I have seen indicates there is no way she would pay for content if it was optional. She loves a freebie!

As for the glasses crusade I feel like suggesting the time devoted to the cause could be better spent discussing the working conditions of Amazon workers, or the impact of Covid on the Spanish tourism industry.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

Which reflects her frugality MO - don’t pay for the small stuff so you can buy the nice stuff you really want. But despite her creators should be paid for their content mantra everything I have seen indicates there is no way she would pay for content if it was optional. She loves a freebie!

100% this! And the other comment re less money spread around thinner between more influencers.

Tbh Alex’s approach to personal finance gives me anxiety and in a post Clare Seal (my frugal year) world feels a bit passé now? I’m horrified to hear she’s carrying a credit card balance for a kitchen, whilst buying pointless bibs and holidays. Her style of interiors isn’t even cool or what you’d expect - like reclaimed or repurposed or vintage, it’s just a cheapy kitchen anyone’s mum could have? But you’re also privy to the family debt they’ve taken on to fund it? yikes. The style statement applies to all influencers tbh, when somethings entirely free it’s easy to go all out and pick mad colours and styles, when you’re paying for it and wondering about the ROI when you come to sell your house you end up with a Howden’s show room number.

It’s just all a bit naff now. And sorry but if you’re in a position where you can’t pay a tiler or a handyman £200 to sort something that could potentially cause damp on your walls or a kid to slip then you cannot afford to get the work done, so just wait? They’re having to wait a year now anyway?!

 

[BlairWaldorf86]

The waiters probably didn't want to serve them because they looked so miserable! And why do her kids only want bread and chips - they go to nursery don't they? I credit my son's nursery entirely with making him a good eater - he'll try anything! (He's similar age to Peggy)

Everyone else already summed up my thoughts brilliantly - the resentment comes through loud and clear with her post, she is either trying to be relatable or self-deprecating as someone said, but all she's achieved is making it obvious she's seething. I bet all she does is compare herself to her (perceived) peers all day long and wonder why she doesn't have their lifestyles. She probably wishes she was in an all inclusive in Ibiza rather than having to slum it in her family's holiday home.

 

[Boutros-Boutros Ghali]

Given their love for beige food I suspect it’s them that wanted the bread and chips, maybe no ‘free’ tapas this time so going for the cheapest option and blame it on the kids

 

[amayamay]

I don’t know if she did the ‘parenting on holiday is hard’ to seem less braggy or more relatable but it made me cringe. If your holiday with your kids is that hard work to you, you’re doing it wrong and implies to me she’s either a. uptight about naps, food etc or b. has no gumption or backbone - it’s a beach holiday with 2 kids, not gulag- get real!

 

[Pixie06]

The tiles sent me over the edge. It put me in such a pissed off and angry mood when she said the few tiles that needed laying would have to wait until next year when the weather is tropical in the South. I can’t be following someone who enrages me like she does. Drippy, miserable pair of cunts.

 

[Just watching it all]

She's actually pathetic. She wants everything for free, but expects people to pay for her content! Mind boggles to her logic. The 'free' tapas isn't actually that, the waiters prob want the miserable cheap fuckers to go so they don't sit there nursing a coke for hours to get 'free' tapas. She's in the family home, if you're that hard up get food from the supermarket and cook in the free apartment you're in.

she's just a miserable moaning resentful cow.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

She's actually pathetic. She wants everything for free, but expects people to pay for her content! Mind boggles to her logic. The 'free' tapas isn't actually that, the waiters prob want the miserable cheap fuckers to go so they don't sit there nursing a coke for hours to get 'free' tapas. She's in the family home, if you're that hard up get food from the supermarket and cook in the free apartment you're in.

she's just a miserable moaning resentful cow.

Especially with the family home local you’d imagine they’d have built a rapport with local restaurants? It’s embarrassing they haven’t tbh? But like they say if you sit there nursing soft drinks for freebies, just want to buy a few sides, probably don’t tip and I can’t imagine they clean up the kids’ mess so you’ve got the poor waiters having to scrub soggy bread out a high chair on top of it all it’s no surprise they’re not served to the standards they want?