The Frugal Explorer
  • Side Hustles
    • Free Money Offers & Discounts
    • Hustle Apps & Sites
    • Money Making Ideas
    • Hustle Income Diaries
    • Side Hustle Guides
  • Budget & Save
    • Budgeting
    • Saving Tips
    • Investing Basics
    • FIRE Movement
    • Frugal Living
  • Travel
    • Destination Guides
    • Housesitting
    • Hotel & Travel Reviews
    • Travel Hacks
    • Packing & Budget Tips
    • Travel Spending Diaries
    • Summer Camp
  • About Me
    • My Money Story
  • Side Hustles
    • Free Money Offers & Discounts
    • Hustle Apps & Sites
    • Money Making Ideas
    • Hustle Income Diaries
    • Side Hustle Guides
  • Budget & Save
    • Budgeting
    • Saving Tips
    • Investing Basics
    • FIRE Movement
    • Frugal Living
  • Travel
    • Destination Guides
    • Housesitting
    • Hotel & Travel Reviews
    • Travel Hacks
    • Packing & Budget Tips
    • Travel Spending Diaries
    • Summer Camp
  • About Me
    • My Money Story
  • Budgeting

    Income System – How I Deal With Multiple Income Streams As A Full Time Freelancer

    January 31, 2024 /

    I entered the crazy world of freelancing at a very strange time in my life. I was on a gap year housesitting my way through 11 countries and living off a pot of money I had saved during my third year of uni. So I never had to really think about what to do with the money I was earning on the side. It kinda just haemorrhaged towards whatever the priority was that month. But when I got back from my fab year abroad with the crazy thought that I could just keep going, I had to use the money I was earning more effectively. I would spend hours each…

    read more
    1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    How To Save Money and Still Have Fun

    January 30, 2021

    5 Things I Cut From My Budget

    February 21, 2022

    October 2023 Money Review

    November 8, 2023
  • Hustle Income Diaries

    How I’m Making £2000 in “Free” Money This Year

    January 30, 2024 /

    I love finding weird and wonderful ways to make money. And one of my favourite ways to boost my income without much effort or time is through free money or as it’s more commonly known interest. Whether that’s bank interest, LISA gov bonuses or sign up offers they all come under my umbrella of interest. And if my projections are correct I will make over two thousand pounds from this income stream alone in 2024. Two thousand pounds – an insane amount for someone who started out on £5 per hour washing dishes. How am I planning on making this much? Let’s dig into my plan… LISA BONUS I’m obsessed…

    read more
    4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    £10k Side Hustle Challenge Update – Month 4

    May 7, 2024

    10k Side Hustle Challenge: Month 10 Update

    November 5, 2024

    10k Side Hustle Challenge – Month 3 Update

    April 4, 2024
  • Travel Spending Diaries

    13 Day USA Roadtrip – How Much I Spent!

    September 2, 2023 /

    Hello, ello, ello, long time no blog post!! But I’m back from my best summer yet working as a camp counsellor at a sleep away camp in the West Virginian mountains. I have soooo much to share about my experience at camp and of course the finances surrounding it but I thought I’d kick it all off with a spending roundup from the roadtrip I did with a few new friends once we left camp. We spent almost two weeks together travelling from West Virginia up the coast to NYC (where we met up with some fellow counsellors, one of whom was kind enough to host us) and then onwards…

    read more
    1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    £5k Budget Update

    March Budget Update – £5k Gap Year

    April 4, 2023
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – November 2022

    December 1, 2022

    Oslo Money Diary – 2 Nights In The Expensive City!

    May 21, 2024
  • £5k Budget Update
    Travel Spending Diaries

    Gap Year Budget Update – 8 Months In

    May 6, 2023 /

    8 months done and dusted!!! That means I graduated 9 months ago 🤯 Wtf!!! I still frequently refer to myself as a student because I just haven’t got over it yet 😂 These past 8 months have been absolutely amazing and have really made me stop and think about the life I want to create going forward. I frequently change my mind on what I want to do next and I don’t think I’ll make a final decision until I absolutely have too. Anyway, enough of my indecision, the end of the month means only one thing around here… it’s time to break down last months spending 🥳 You may have noticed…

    read more
    0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – December 2022

    January 3, 2023

    Is Antigua Really The Cheapest Place To Learn Spanish?

    February 20, 2025
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – February 2023

    March 2, 2023
  • £5k Budget Update
    Travel Spending Diaries

    March Budget Update – £5k Gap Year

    April 4, 2023 /

    Already a quarter of the way through 2023 😱 Where is the time going? Absolutely insane!! But the end of another month means only one thing in the finance space – it’s time to review and reflect on the month, so here is my March budget update 😄 March has been a kinda chilled one for me, well compared to my previous months that is 😂 My big 5 month trip came to an end and I started leg 3 of my gap year, which is only going to be 6 weeks. Mostly down to visa restrictions but also because the budget is starting to look a little tight! New here? Let…

    read more
    1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    5 Nights in Marrakech – How Much Did We Actually Spend?

    March 26, 2025

    How Much I Spent Travelling the USA for 3 Months

    February 7, 2023
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – December 2022

    January 3, 2023
  • £5k Budget Update
    Travel Spending Diaries

    £5k Budget Update – February 2023

    March 2, 2023 /

    Halfway through my budget gap year and I still have some money left – woohooo!!! I’m taking that as a win 😂 February has been one hell of a good month! I got to see my parents for a weekend as the couple I was housesitting for welcomed me to have guests to stay, I ticked off two new countries, got another tattoo, saw SiX again, spent quality time with some friends and had a lot of time to read on various overnight journeys – which is always a win 🙌🏻 Mind blowing that I’m at the halfway point already and I still change my mind daily on what I want…

    read more
    2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Travel Spending Diary: House Sitting in NYC for 10 Days

    November 9, 2024
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – January 2023

    February 4, 2023

    The Actual Costs Of The Viral Spa Trip To Therme Bucharest

    April 22, 2025
  • Frugal Living,  Saving Tips

    Cheap Transportation: 7 Ways To Save Money

    January 26, 2023 /

    Alongside housing and food, transportation is usually one of the biggest expenses in most people’s budget. It might seem like a unavoidable cost of life that is just something you have to pay for but it there are some ways you can reduce the cost. You could easily save hundreds each year if you combine a few of these cheap transportation tips. Related Articles: Disclaimer: I mention TopCashback a lot in this post, they are not paying me to do so, I just genuinely think it’s a great site (which I have used for years) and cashback is something everyone needs to take advantage of. All the links to their…

    read more
    0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    How To Save Money On Subscriptions

    February 10, 2024

    9 Cupboard Staples Everyone Should Always Have In

    May 14, 2022

    9 Ways To Get FREE Books

    September 21, 2023
  • £5k Budget Update
    Travel Spending Diaries

    £5k Budget Update – December 2022

    January 3, 2023 /

    December, month four of my gap year and the first month I’ve spent fully abroad and zero nights crashing at my parents house 😂. As I’m following where the housesits take me to save on accommodation costs, I spent all of December in the Pacific North West. I’m here until mid-January then I’ll be flying over the east coast for the remaining 3 weeks of my time in the US. Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni…

    read more
    0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Is Antigua Really The Cheapest Place To Learn Spanish?

    February 20, 2025
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – November 2022

    December 1, 2022

    46 Days of Full Time Travel: Post Camp Trip Spending Diary!

    October 2, 2024
  • hands holding some dollar bills
    Budgeting

    I Saved 63% Of My Income – 2022 Financial Review

    January 2, 2023 /

    2022 has been a wildride. I graduated, read 115 books, wrote a 10 thousand word dissertation, went to 2 weddings, ate countless bags of crisps, spent 48 hours on a train, saw my first west end show, slept in an airport, started housesitting for strangers off the internet, spent 7 weeks in the US, experienced an ice storm and so so much more… hands down the best year of my life to date!! But it’s all over and you know what that means! It’s time to review every penny I earned and spent over the year. Why are you sharing this? You’re probably thinking it’s weird to share all of…

    read more
    0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    July 2022 Money Review

    August 2, 2022

    What To Do When You Go Over Budget

    May 17, 2022

    How I am Budgeting for Christmas

    November 13, 2021
  • £5k Budget Update
    Travel Spending Diaries

    £5k Budget Breakdown – October 2022

    November 8, 2022 /

    Well, October has been a spenny month! Only two months into my year-long gap year and I have already spent over 20% of my £5k budget. Just writing that percentage down is a little panic inducing BUT surprisingly my projections have me still in budget! New here? Let me give you a little context... I have just graduated from uni and have chosen to take a gap year before deciding what to do next, career wise. I will be spending the entire year travelling and have set myself a strict £5k budget which needs to cover all costs and last the entire year! Seem a little tight? Check out this…

    read more
    2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – January 2023

    February 4, 2023
    £5k Budget Update

    £5k Budget Update – December 2022

    January 3, 2023

    The Actual Costs Of The Viral Spa Trip To Therme Bucharest

    April 22, 2025
 Older Posts
Newer Posts 

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

  • I’ve Saved Over £11k On Flights Using Avios Points – Here’s How To Get Started
  • The Actual Costs Of The Viral Spa Trip To Therme Bucharest
  • Cashback.co.uk Review: Make Money Doing Easy Online Tasks
  • Is Custard Legit?: How To Make £100 On The Site
  • AmeriCamp Discount – Get £30 off the fees!
TrustedHousesitters - Explore the world with pet sitting
Buy Me A Coffee

Archives

  • Blog
  • Money Coaching
  • Get in touch!
  • Cookies Policy
  • Privacy Policy
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNo ThanksPrivacy policy