Ex-Bay Area resident lives the (almost) frugal life in France

July 27, 9:53 AMSF Personal Finance ExaminerBarbara Bryn Klare

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Recently, Kelly Rigotti, the creator of the blog Almost Frugal, wondered aloud to the Twitter world, "Why do people want to have (financially) right away what took their parents 30 years to build? Is this the cause of all financial problems?" I was intrigued, and I caught up with Kelly recently and asked her more about this and about her blog, France, and living the (almost) frugal life.

Barbara Bryn Klare: Tell me more about yourself.

Kelly Rigotti: I'm American, and grew up in Los Angeles, and then lived in the Bay Area (San Rafael and Oakland) for four years before moving to Grenoble France (home of the '68 Olympics) in January 2000. I work as a marketing and communication consultant, specializing in social media and internet marketing for a company that does localization of products for markets such as the Middle East or Central Europe. I got this job in large part thanks to my experience writing Almost Frugal.

BBK: When did you start Almost Frugal - and what was your motivation?

KR: I began blogging for the same reason as many other people - to let my family and friends back in the US know what was happening in my life. At the same time (summer 2007) I was on maternity leave with my third baby, and money was tight in our household. I started reading lots of personal finance and frugality blogs in an effort to learn how to manage our money better, as I have never been very good at money management! As time went on, I discovered that I was leaving longer and longer comments on other people's blogs, and decided to start one of my own. I began Almost Frugal in December of 2007.

BBK: What makes your site unique compared to other frugal sites?

 KR: Well, I think that I am the only American blogger living in France and writing about personal finance and frugality, so I have that niche pretty much covered! But beyond that, I feel like I am able to offer readers the perspective of someone who is in the same place as they are: I am not perfectly frugal, I don't have my financial house in perfect order, I haven't been able to meet all my goals yet. I have a lot of student loans, like many do, and it's hard to resist the urge to buy on impulse. I think that a lot of the 'bigger' bloggers in the personal finance blog world are inspiring to people because they have managed to meet their financial goals, but that can also be intimidating to some readers. I don't position myself as an expert, I'm still only just almost frugal.

I also talk about life in France and what it is like living here. I know that there are a large number of readers that keep coming back for the cultural conversation as well, both because they like France (or maybe live here themselves) or because they like the perspective offered by an American living outside the culture. It's hard for a fish to see the water at times, and living outside my home culture has taught me a lot about the United States, including its consumer behavior and spending patterns.

BBK: What other frugal sites do you read/recommend?

KR: I started my introduction to personal finance by reading I've Paid for This Twice Already, Frugal Babe, Being Frugal and Breaking Even. I still read them all the time. In real life, I have a bunch of friends who are better with their money than I am (not hard to do!), so I often talk to them about money and use them as inspiration.

BBK: What did you learn from your own parents about being frugal and saving for the future?

KR: My mother is as frugal as frugal gets - her tightwadish behavior has allowed her to save thousands of dollars on a pretty basic salary, plus indulge herself in travel, books, going to the theater and so on. She's a real inspiration.

BBK: What is your overarching personal financial goal?

KR: My overreaching goal is to be financially secure. To me that means having savings, retirement savings, enough money to help my kids and have our debts paid off (including those horrendously huge student loans). I'd also like to be able to buy something without worrying about it (within reason).

BBK: What is it that makes blogging so satisfying and compelling?

KR: I like to write, so writing a blog is a real pleasure for me. I'm also a bit of a know-it-all, I like to tell people what to do, so in that sense, it's satisfying for me to pull value lessons out of stories about my life and share them with others. The most important thing about blogging for me is the ability to meet other people with who I never could have connected otherwise - I have readers all over the world, and I've grown quite close to some of them.

As I said earlier, blogging has also helped me in my career, and I'm so thankful. I love my job with a passion, and I could never have gotten here without starting my blog.

You can see Kelly's latest musings at her blog, Almost Frugal, or follow her on Twitter.

Barbara Bryn Klare is a finance writer and communications consultant at CafeFAQ Communications, an online information management firm. Check out her blog, The UpSide of Money, for an UpBeat approach to your finances.

 © 2009 Barbara Bryn Klare. All Rights Reserved.