{"id":583588,"date":"2026-04-05T10:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T10:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/583588\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T10:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T10:20:13","slug":"you-may-have-heard-of-frugal-chic-is-it-just-another-way-to-justify-buying-something-you-dont-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/583588\/","title":{"rendered":"You may have heard of \u2018frugal chic\u2019. Is it just another way to justify\u00a0buying something you don\u2019t need?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up to ST InvestMe and unlock full access to exclusive insights and financial literacy courses today.<\/a><\/p>\n

SINGAPORE \u2013 I spent most of 2025 being as responsible as I could with my money.<\/p>\n

I was considering the costs associated with giving birth and a new baby, and also budgeting for a larger car to accommodate my growing family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Did I enjoy being responsible? I think I rather loathed it because it had got to a point where I became overly restrictive with my wants. <\/p>\n

So in December 2025, when I chanced upon Britain-based finance content creator Mia McGrath \u2013 a 25-year-old who had invested\u00a0\u00a3100,000 (S$170,000) by the age of 24 and expounds a \u201cfrugal chic\u201d lifestyle that encourages people to \u201clive luxuriously\u201d while \u201cspending intentionally\u201d \u2013 I was intrigued.<\/p>\n

Her @frugalchicofficial Instagram account speaks to Gen Z and millennial women who aspire to be financially secure and independent, with posts such as\u00a05 Wealthy Habits That Made Me Richer, 20 Unsexy Money Moves That Actually Work, and 5 Books To Become Dangerously Financially Literate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is it a grown-up alternative to \u201cgirl maths\u201d or just another label to justify discretionary spending? Whatever it is, it certainly renewed my motivation to continue being financially responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

GirlMaths went viral in 2023 after New Zealand FVHZM radio hosts Fletch, Vaughan and Hayley used it to justify expensive purchases based on cost per wear or treating cash as free. <\/p>\n

I dropped Ms McGrath an e-mail, curious to dig deeper.<\/p>\n

First of all, \u201cfrugal chic\u201d is worlds apart from \u201cgirl maths\u201d, the latter of which is an \u201camusing trend\u201d according to Ms McGrath. She finds that it becomes problematic when one uses it as an excuse not to pursue financial literacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, \u2018I don\u2019t budget; I\u2019ll just use my boyfriend\u2019s credit card\u2019, or using retail therapy as a viable coping mechanism \u2013 ultimately, these strategies don\u2019t serve women in the long term,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cGirl maths is often an expression of accepting the system that women don\u2019t need to know about investing, equity or business because it\u2019s \u2018too complicated\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms McGrath was also quick to clear up a common misconception about the frugal chic philosophy \u2013 that it is an extension of the \u201cunderconsumption\u201d trend or about being cheap.<\/p>\n

\u201cCheap suggests going for the lowest price or budget option every time, even if that means more inconvenience,\u201d she explained. \u201cFrugal chic aims to pick the best value. So it\u2019s value-based spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is more about buying or investing in things that have a high return on investment in health, finances, relationships and time, she added.<\/p>\n

It is also about honing one\u2019s discernment or taste, which can be developed when one eliminates distractions and mindless spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople often think it\u2019s just about buying less but buying better. That is part of it. But reducing it to just capsule wardrobes or minimalism is a misunderstanding,\u201d Ms McGrath said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the individual undergoing a slow journey to understand themselves better, find their priorities and values.\u201d<\/p>\n

The misunderstanding of the minimalist aesthetic stems from the highly curated visuals associated with frugal chic, with clothing and styling resembling the late American publicist Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She was the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr \u2013 an American businessman and son of the 35th US president John F. Kennedy \u2013 and was well known in the 90s fashion scene for her polished grooming and simple, tailored style in neutral colours. The 2026 television series Love Story is a dramatisation of the couple\u2019s relationship and tragic deaths.<\/p>\n

This aesthetic is intentional, confirmed Ms McGrath, as Ms Bessette-Kennedy\u2019s style was not about chasing trends or having to prove anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of her role and the level of public attention she was under, everything about her felt deliberate. She didn\u2019t over-explain herself, and she didn\u2019t rely on excess to communicate status. Her image did the work,\u201d Ms McGrath explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about minimalism for the sake of it or copying a 90s wardrobe. It\u2019s about discernment. Choosing fewer things, but choosing them well. Having a clear sense of what aligns with you and ignoring the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frugal chic is also about cultivating life skills such as networking, building a personal brand and learning about business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms McGrath said that while her social circle of immediate close friends has remained the same, her network of acquaintances has grown exponentially.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to gain access to greater opportunities and increase the chances of luck and an unfair advantage, you have to proactively seek that out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething I will always remind myself is that networking isn\u2019t about who you know, it\u2019s about who knows you. It\u2019s not about chasing fame, but if one post can reach 300,000 people in one go, that\u2019s a true form of leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

She acknowledged that having her identity tied to the word \u201cfrugal\u201d can sometimes be limiting. \u201cIt\u2019s not because of the philosophy itself. It\u2019s people misunderstanding it or thinking frugal is about being cheap.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ms McGrath said that though her income in the last year has increased dramatically, her spending remains the same. But she finds that she is met with scrutiny when she indulges \u201cnow and then\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends often say, \u2018just live your life, who cares\u2019, or if I tell them about gifting or an opportunity, their reaction is just to take it \u2013 anyone else would. But for everything I do, I carefully judge how it will be perceived. I\u2019m very open and honest on my page, which is one of the reasons I\u2019ve grown, but at the same time I want to keep some things private \u2013 it\u2019s a hard line to get right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms McGrath began posting content and being transparent about her money on TikTok in June 2024, in addition to her day job and modelling on the side. She eventually earned enough to quit her day job in a fashion agency by September 2025.<\/p>\n

According to a social media post introducing herself, Ms McGrath started building her savings \u201cobsessively\u201d after two male friends at university showed her their financial portfolios.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like a secret boys\u2019 club I wasn\u2019t invited to,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

She currently promotes her frugal chic lifestyle on YouTube, Spotify and Substack, and has a free newsletter. She also does speaking engagements and offers a mix of paid and free content. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has around 700,000 followers.<\/p>\n

She earns around \u00a3500 a month from subscriptions on her Substack account and, on occasion, will do a collaboration which \u201ccould range from \u00a33,000 to \u00a34,000\u201d depending on the brief and deliverables.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having reached her initial goal of investing \u00a3100,000, her next goal is to become a millionaire in her 30s.<\/p>\n

As for me, my most pressing need was a mindset shift. <\/p>\n

I have not had to make major changes to my lifestyle, given the finance system I already have in place, but living the frugal chic philosophy in the last four months has made me more strongly convinced of the soundness of my financial decisions.<\/p>\n

With full acceptance and ownership of my spending, I also find I have fewer instances of buyer\u2019s remorse and \u201coh poor me\u201d moments.<\/p>\n

This \u201cbeing responsible with my money\u201d thing \u2013 I could even begin to love it.<\/p>\n

How I live my frugal chic life:<\/p>\n

Skincare: I stopped my subscriptions to branded skincare products and whittled things down to a three-step skincare routine. I switched to a tried-and-tested Japanese brand easily available at Watsons, and it works much better for my sensitive skin at a fraction of the price. <\/p>\n

Grooming: I stopped covering up my white hair with monthly hair touch-ups and instead invested the money into going to a hairdresser once every quarter to blend in highlights, easing the hair growth transition. I anticipate doing this three more times before I say goodbye to a lifetime of hair touch-ups and hello to a healthier scalp. I now receive more compliments on my (natural) hair colour than when I had it coloured. <\/p>\n

Coffee: My husband, who has a monthly coffee bean subscription from a local roaster, brews the perfect latte for me every morning. It is much cheaper than buying coffee from a cafe, and the consistency of having a good cup to start the day is immeasurable. And of course, it is free!<\/p>\n

This article is part of ST InvestMe<\/a> \u2014 The Straits Times\u2019 premium investment series by Invest Editor Tan Ooi Boon and the Invest Team.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sign up to ST InvestMe and unlock full access to exclusive insights and financial literacy courses today. SINGAPORE…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583589,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[45,49,48,133,131,132],"class_list":["post-583588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-finance","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}