If you have champagne tastes but your budget is more suited to beer then maybe you often experience life envy. You could just sit around stalking celebrities online and wishing things were different and you had plenty of cash to spare – or you could make that celebrity lifestyle happen for you, whatever your budget and all without maxing out your credit card or finding you need a secured loan to cover your costs.
Lifestyle goal: the celeb body
Lifestyle hack: train at home
No need for a personal trainer, expensive gym memberships or boot camp fees because, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can now get the body of a celebrity for minimal spend. Personal trainer apps such as Fitstar Personal Trainer and Noom offer the motivation and guidance you’d get from a whole team of nutritionists, trainers and coaches. These apps record progress, help you to set goals, such as weight loss or strength, and provide regular motivation to help you meet them too.
Lifestyle goal: groomed to perfection
Lifestyle hack: beauty school
Top salons can charge $100s for head to toe pampering, from massages and facials through to haircuts and beard sculpting. But if you’re willing to take a chance on a beauty school graduate you can be buffed and primped to within an inch of your life for free – or a heavily discounted fee. Those training to enter beauty professions need people to practice on. If you’re happy for that to be you then regular pampering costs virtually nothing at all.
Lifestyle goal: the high-end wardrobe
Lifestyle hack: buy less
If you’re determined to dress designer but you don’t have the dosh then you basically have two options. Either rent the outfits you love from websites like Chic By Choice – or save for them yourself. Renting outfits is great when you want to wear something on trend; saving is ideal for investing in the classics. So, set yourself a savings goal across a specific time period for that Mulberry bag or Burberry trench, for example. Then keep an eye on the sales to see if the piece you’re looking for gets discounted. If not, keep saving until you’ve got enough and then make that much-desired purchase.
Lifestyle goal: entertainment
Lifestyle hack: discounts and vouchers
Want a five star golf weekend in the country? Looking for a high-end hen weekend location? Signing up for voucher code websites and discount clubs can get you through the door of some of the finest establishments, no matter what your bank balance. Groupon, for example offers discounts on everything, from spas to exhibitions, sports events and concerts – enter the dates you’re interested in and see what’s available.
Lifestyle goal: luxury travel
Lifestyle hack: the empty leg
If you’re keen to enjoy a truly jet set lifestyle then you’re going to need millions in the bank to fund it – unless you’re smart that is. For example, every private jet journey at full price leaves an aircraft travelling back to its original destination totally empty. Companies such as Fly Victor now offer anyone the opportunity to cash in on that return empty flight (the ‘empty leg’) at up to 75% off what the flight would have originally cost.
