Reading Time: 5 Minutes (Voice on screen) “He turns, he shoots, he scores!!! GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL”. “YEAH BABY!!!” A voice in front of the TV yells. It is a young man, his face flushed, his voice hoarse – the excitement and relief is palpable. Suddenly, the young man turns… Oh, hi there folks – excuse the outburst, been meaning to play some good ol fashioned FIFA for a while now. NEED a break OKAY, deserve it. Sigh, but since you’re here, I know what it is you’re after… the latest in The Frugal Samurai right? (Looks at the TV forlornly, where a soccer game is paused mid-way through the second half). No,…
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Cannabis… The New Frontier?
Reading Time: 3 Minutes “WHEW!” The agent looks up, she is startled. “Sorry I’m late, but my name is TheFrugalSamurai and I’m here for the inspection…?” ~~~ That’s right folks! Been like a busy bee these last few days working on the next couple of real estate deals. Sadly between this and juggling full-time work, the blog has been put on the backburner a little bit – ARGH! Hate it when that happens but can’t be helped. We only have 24 hours in a day right! BUT finally have a spare couple of minutes to let everyone know that don’t worry – I’m still here, still very much alive, still…
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There’s Something Going On With This Year’s Melbourne Cup…
Reading Time: 4 Minutes Howdy peeps, how’s everyone’s week going! Yesterday in Oz, we just had the “race that stops a nation”, the annual Melbourne Cup. Although a workday traditionally (except for our Melbournian cousins – who are bestowed a public holiday, (yes gambling is so in our blood, we need a mandated day off just to gamble)), everyone knows that you don’t do actual work on the first Tuesday of every November. It would be un-Australian to do so. Hmm you know, between you and me – this year I can’t help but feel a different vibe beneath it all. I mean, in years past the day would go something like…
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From Small Things Big Things Grow!
Reading Time: 4 Minutes What’s up guys! Welcome back for another installment of your favourite Frugal Samurai! There’s a general sense of optimism in the Frugal Samurai household recently because we’ve been attending a number of weddings in these last few weeks – Kev/Di, Viv/Juju, Cosi/Nick, Spencer/Jess – all whirlwind romances. You know how it is at weddings – where the weather is glorious, the venue is amazing, people look beautiful and where, the bride and groom are radiating perfection. All that good vibes can’t help but rub off on ya right? Every time we attend one it reminds me of that magical day in April when MrsFrugalSamurai and I…
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A Day In the Life of a Stock Position!
Reading Time: 5 Minutes Hi guys! Back again for another edition of your favourite Frugal Samurai? Of course you are! What a difference a few days make eh, I mean following on from the previous post (read here), where I was around $3k in the hole from gambling investing in the stock market – the market’s turned a fair bit and now my position is sitting around break-even. Goes to show you how quickly the market can move up and down doesn’t it! And you know they always say to “never” be emotional about investing, but there’s a reason why so very, very few people actually make money in the…
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Down $3,000 in the Share Market… What Now?
Reading Time: 5 Minutes “Hurry up and get ready!” “Yeah, I will – but gimme some TIME!” “How long do you need?” “Just WAIT!” So went the terse conversation between MrsFrugalSamurai and I just then. You see boys and girls, I’m writing this as we prepare to attend the wedding of our friend Juju. That is, I’m writing, MrsFrugalSamurai is preparing. So for the last hour and a half, I’m just waiting like the sucker I am… Waiting… waiting… which reminds me of something… Ah yes! I’m also waiting on something else. I’m waiting to claw some of those dollars and cents back from the recent stock market carnage! So…
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FIRE Has Reached Our Shores…
Reading Time: 6 Minutes Hey guys! It’s finally here – FIRE has gone mainstream! How mainstream you say? Well, business insider covered an article on it (here) which starts off with: “The Financially Independent, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, strong among millennials in the US, has reached Australia. The goal of an early retirement is becoming popular among young people who don’t like what they see in the future, with healthcare and state-funded pensions crumbling, and aren’t that keen on the idea of a career for life”. That’s right, MILLENNIALS FTW MUTHACHUCKAS! We’re different from other generations in that the old, traditional race of working 40 hours a week for 40…
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What Does the GFC Have To Do With Peanuts? Read to Find Out!
Reading Time: 7 Minutes Hallo meine Damen und Herren, willkommen zu einer weiteren Ausgabe der Frugal Samurai… Warte, Warte COUGHS LOUDLY TWICE. Ah, that’s better. Apologies – I had my German voice on. Should be fixed now. Anyway… Hi guys! How’s everyone doing today? Ain’t it yucky here in Old Sydney Town – old mate Harry and his missus Meg brought the British weather down under, CRICKEY! Wait a tick, too much Aussie… COUGHS AGAIN. Sorry guys, having trouble finding my inner voice this morning… Let’s start again shall we? So this week, there’s been a bit of media attention of where the “next” GFC will come from (e.g. here…
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Australian Household Wealth Update – and How YOU Can Get There!
Reading Time: 6 Minutes Ever wanted to know how Aussie household wealth is doing? Well, it seems like the gap between the have’s (them) and the have-not’s (us) is increasing. That is to say, methinks dem rich are gettin’ richer. But don’t just take my word for it – the latest Roy Morgan (amazing research guys) Wealth Report has shown that the biggest gains in the past decade have been among the wealthy top 10%. What about us poor buggers in the bottom 50%? Our share of private wealth fell from a measly 3.9% (yes, 3 point freaking 9) a decade ago to… 3.7%. “Shakes head” Just wow, those at the…
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4 Reasons Why Property Prices Won’t Drop 40% Soon… and a Story About When They Do!
Reading Time: 7 minutes “Hey The Frugal Samurai, what do you think of the 60 minutes report?” What 60 minutes report? “You know, the one about house prices dropping 40%?” Oh… you mean this one (here)? “That’s the one”. Yeah nah, forty percent? That’s gotta be a typo. But no guys, it’s not a typo – it’s a very real and very “legitimate” story. Suffice to say, this story made sensational headlines in the media and property industry at large. Ah us Aussies – we love a good story about our real estate markets don’t we? Put any emotional words with the words “Australian” and “property” and it’s guaranteed to…
