The Frugal Explorer
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  • About Me
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  • Side Hustles
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  • Budget & Save
    • Budgeting
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    • FIRE Movement
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  • Travel
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  • Travel Spending Diaries

    How Much I Spent Travelling the USA for 3 Months

    February 7, 2023 /

    After years and years of dreaming about travelling the USA, I finally went and did it!! I just spent almost three months following housesits across the country and pretending to live in a bunch of different cities. It was amazing!! Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn an commission if you follow them. This is at no extra cost to you <3 Where did I go, you ask? Whilst in the planning phase for this trip, I made the decision to follow wherever the housesits took me. This meant I would get free accommodation for most of the trip but it didn’t leave me a…

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    3 Comments

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    Jess on Brooklyn Bridge

    2 Nights in NYC – New York Money Diary

    November 29, 2022

    How I Plan To Only Spend £5k On My Gap Year

    July 7, 2022
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – January 2023

    February 4, 2023
  • Travel Spending Diaries

    How Much I Spent Travelling The UK For 2 Months

    January 28, 2023 /

    I took the first 72 days of my gap year slowly and spent half my time housesitting across my home country and the rest spending quality time with friends and family. My schedule was so jam packed throughout my entire last year of uni so this was a perfect way to slow down. It was also a great way to begin travelling as I never more than 3 hours away from my base incase something went wrong plus I’d never been on an extended solo trip so I wanted to do a test run in a country I am very familiar with. Housesitting in the UK took me to places…

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    16 Nights Exploring Italy – How Much Did We Spend?

    November 8, 2023

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    May 21, 2024

    Is Antigua Really The Cheapest Place To Learn Spanish?

    February 20, 2025
  • House on the beach
    Housesitting

    Complete Guide To Housesitting

    January 25, 2023 /

    I have been housesitting almost full time for the last four months and whenever I mention it I always get a tonne of questions. Trust me, I was exactly the same when I first heard about it. Like, you can stay in someones house while their away for free? Crazy!! Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 In the past four months I have spent a week in Chicago, a month in Seattle, two 5-day stays in Portland, a week in Cambridge…

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    10 Comments

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    Three Years of Housesitting and These Are My Top 6!

    February 20, 2025

    Tips To Secure Sits on Trusted Housesitters

    July 26, 2022

    Travel Spending Diary: House Sitting in NYC for 10 Days

    November 9, 2024
  • Jess on Brooklyn Bridge
    Travel Spending Diaries

    2 Nights in NYC – New York Money Diary

    November 29, 2022 /

    I recently spent two wonderful nights in NYC but as the budget conscious traveller I am, I was a little concerned about its spenny reputation. If you’ve read my plan to only spend £5k on my gap year, you’ll know that I only get £10 per day spending money. Obviously this wasn’t going to cut it in NYC. So I started hoarding little amounts each day in the two months ahead of the trip. By the time the trip rolled around I’d amassed a nice little pot of money and was ready to explore. So here we go, my New York money diary. Exactly how much I spent during my…

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    1 Comment

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    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – January 2023

    February 4, 2023
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – December 2022

    January 3, 2023

    How I Plan To Only Spend £5k On My Gap Year

    July 7, 2022
  • airport interior
    Travel,  Travel Hacks

    Everything You Need To Know Before Sleeping At Heathrow Terminal 5

    November 23, 2022 /

    As I am writing this at 6.35am from a bougie lounge (thank you Trusted Housesitters for including lounge passes in your membership!) in Heathrow terminal 5, it is safe to say that I survived. Want to know how it went sleeping at heathrow terminal 5? Keep on reading! Disclaimer – this post may include some affiliate or referral scheme links. This means I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you! I had a nights gap between a housesit ending and my flight to NYC so I initially looked into airport hotels. Wow they are so so expensive! We’re talking over £150 for a room. One that I…

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    4 Comments

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    Wowcher Mystery Holiday Review – Is it worth it?

    May 1, 2020

    9 Things I Learnt from Travelling Alone for the First Time

    April 25, 2020

    9 Easy Ways To Save Money On Travel

    May 1, 2021
  • Housesitting

    Tips To Secure Sits on Trusted Housesitters

    July 26, 2022 /

    In the 50 days since I joined Trusted Housesitters, I have applied for 33 sits, had 4 zoom calls, been rejected 12 times, been ghosted more times than I can count, withdrew 7 applications and finally I have secured my first international housesit! I’ve actually got two 🎉 Disclaimer – This post contains some affiliate links meaning that I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 Words cannot describe how excited I am that my plans are finally coming together – one piece of the puzzle at a time.  Whilst, I have only just secured my first international sit, I’ve already…

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    3 Comments

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    Travel Spending Diary: House Sitting in NYC for 10 Days

    November 9, 2024
    House on the beach

    Complete Guide To Housesitting

    January 25, 2023

    Three Years of Housesitting and These Are My Top 6!

    February 20, 2025
  • Travel Spending Diaries

    How I Plan To Only Spend £5k On My Gap Year

    July 7, 2022 /

    Yes, you did read that correctly! I am planning to spend only five thousand pounds on my gap year. Which will be a yearlong round the world trip. That works out to just over £13 per day! Want to know how? Keep reading. In this post, I am going to share five things that will help me stick to budget and still enjoy every single moment!  Disclaimer – This post includes some affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 Firstly, I must acknowledge that I only feel comfortable setting such a tight budget because…

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    28 Comments

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    Oslo Money Diary – 2 Nights In The Expensive City!

    May 21, 2024

    Wowcher Mystery Holiday – How Much It Actually Cost!

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    Travel Spending Diary: House Sitting in NYC for 10 Days

    November 9, 2024
  • Travel Spending Diaries

    Wowcher Mystery Holiday – How Much It Actually Cost!

    June 10, 2022 /

    Back in January 2020, yes a lifetime ago, my mum and I embarked on a Wowcher Mystery Holiday. I paid for the holiday the previous August as a birthday gift for my mum. We finally got the call in September telling us where we were going and the dates. Incredibly by chance, we got assigned Venice, a place which had been at the top of my mum’s bucket list for decades and we were travelling the weekend before her birthday 😱. It couldn’t have worked out better!! I wrote a full review back in 2020, weighing up whether it is actually worth it for the £99 price point. To follow…

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    4 Comments

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    Jess on Brooklyn Bridge

    2 Nights in NYC – New York Money Diary

    November 29, 2022
    £5k Budget Update

    I failed… My £5k Budget is Gone

    May 2, 2023
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – December 2022

    January 3, 2023
  • Budgeting

    How Much I Spend – Student Money Diaries #2

    July 7, 2021 /

    Back with another instalment in the student money series, where I share how much I spend as an ordinary student living in a UK city which has an average cost of living! Highlights of this week were a cocktail night and a day trip to Windermere! MONDAY No spend day!! Spent Monday working on my blog, doing reading for my dissertation and general lifemin (e.g. watering my plants and dusting my room). TOTAL = £0 TUESDAY 8am Wake up early and spend the morning working through my to-do list.  1pm Nipped to Aldi at lunchtime to pick up something for lunch and get some alcohol for later.  £3.12 4pm Decide…

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    January 30, 2021

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  • Travel

    Wowcher Mystery Holiday Review – Is it worth it?

    May 1, 2020 /

    Disclosure: Please keep in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. I link to these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours. £99 for a week in Bali, New York or even Dubai!! This deal is a budget travellers dream… or is it? Here is my Wowcher mystery holiday review. When I saw this deal going around on social media, I thought it was a scam. It sounds far too good to be true……

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    April 26, 2020

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HELLO!

Hi I’m Jess, the one woman show behind The Frugal Explorer!

I am obsessed with finding the weird and wonderful ways to make money online, stretching that money as far as it’ll go and travelling on a budget.

I am on a mission to visit 100 countries before I turn 30 whilst also working towards big money goals!

The Frugal Explorer exists to empower & help curious, budget-conscious adventurers to earn more, spend smart, and explore the world without going broke or sacrificing financial freedom!

Recent Posts

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