The Frugality is an affordable lifestyle platform, that opens up much-needed conversations around money and budgeting.

We're big fans of The Frugality at Emma, so we were v pleased when we saw Emma was mentioned on their site as one of the best apps for budgeting.

We reached out to Alex from The Frugality and she kindly agreed to a quick chat.

1) Hi Alex, can you introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Alex. I am a stylist with a background in editorial and I now work full-time on my website www.the-frugality.com - although I'm soon to be on maternity leave!

2) You launched The Frugality in 2012 - could you give us some insight into why you started?

When I started my site, there were no sites or blogs discussing the reality of living, working through a recession, struggling to get to payday and making your lunch for work everyday.

I was living a happy life but working on magazines, my glamorous work-life didn’t reflect my real one.

So I started a site that was still glossy but addressed a more affordable lifestyle.

3) Since starting The Frugality, have you noticed any changes in the way people are managing/ thinking about their money?

Oh totally, there is a real empowering side to discussing money right now, especially amongst women and on social media - it’s brilliant!

4) You're all about sensible spending and saving for the things you love. What one item was worth saving for the most?

I don’t think I can pin it down to one thing, but putting all of our money into our renovations and more recently, a working kitchen, has been life-changing!

5) What does the future look like for The Frugality?

I’m expecting a second baby soon, so we’ll actually be winding down a bit. We’ve worked full throttle for the last 8 years so it’s nice to be able to step back a bit. But we do have a few exciting launches before then...

6) And lastly, if you had to describe your finances using one emoji - what would it be and why?

🧐 because I’m quite a Hawkeye through my outgoings and bills, I can spot an erroneous direct debit a mile off!

We hope you enjoyed reading this interview with Alex from The Frugality. Make sure you check them out on Instagram.

As mentioned earlier, Emma was featured on The Frugality this August as one of the best budgeting apps. You can read the full article here.

Emma is a money management app that connects all your bank accounts to track your monthly spending and subscriptions. Emma will help you visualise and take control of your finances. Make sure you aren’t overspending and show you practical steps to start budgeting effectively.