How To Live Richly (And Eat!) On A Budget
Fanny Camota Interview

Fanny is the author of two Amazon best-selling ebooks – Eating Organic on a Budget and Eating Gluten-Free on a Budget.

She is also the Editor-in-Chief at Living Richly on a Budget, a blog dedicated to living a more meaningful life while finding ways to earn and save money.

Camota encourages you to figure out what’s truly important to YOU and your family. She says “It’s not about copying or comparing yourself to someone else because YOU are different! When you prioritize your money to reflect your needs and wants then you’ll feel a little “richer.” (Yup, keeping up with Jones doesn’t make us feel better, instead, feel poor and sorry for ourselves!)

I met Fanny about 10 years ago at the Food Blogger Festival. Recently I signed up for her freebie and was amazed by her resources.

Those of us who live in so-called “developed countries”, especially Americans (especially in the Bay Area!), tend to leave a lot on the table, wasting a lot of money and time here and there without even knowing, and wondering why we are so stretched… And when that happens, we get stressed out. Our happiness goes away. We feel resentful.

Can you relate?

I felt more people need to hear what Fanny teaches, and enjoy their life and feel richer, so I decided to interview her.

Read on to learn more about Fanny, and her advice for people on how to start living richly on a budget.

Fanny, what makes you passionate about budgeting, meal planning, and cooking?

There was a time when I ate out a majority of my meals because I didn’t know how to cook many things beyond spaghetti. Learning how to cook good food, that isn’t too complicated, was the next step to saving money. Budgeting, meal planning, and cooking all play a big part in saving money. Food is a major expense.

How are you different from other people who teach about budgeting as well as meal planning and cooking?

I’m different than others because a lot of my posts come with videos. Every Instant Pot recipe has a step-by-step video. I feel like when you can see how something works, you’re more likely to try it.

What are your pet peeves about the meal planning and cooking business or industry?

My biggest pet peeve is when a recipe isn’t detailed enough or tested thoroughly. Like when I first made Instant Pot Popcorn, every other recipe online said to use coconut oil but didn’t specify what kind of coconut oil to use. After testing it many times, I found out that one type of coconut oil worked better than the other and no one talked about that!

What is your favorite way to engage with your customers/followers? What do you like about it?

I love YouTube and just making videos. I love helping people understand how to do something by showing a step-by-step tutorial.

What are the biggest obstacles your customers have, when it comes to cooking at home and saving money?

I think the biggest obstacles are managing your time and energy.

What do you think is the root cause of those challenges, and what would be your #1 advice to these people to overcome them?

You have to account for what’s going on in your life and what you can realistically handle. Let’s say that Wednesday nights are the busiest night because your kids have martial arts practice. I wouldn’t try to cook a complicated recipe with 10+ ingredients. I’d heat up a frozen pizza or make hot dogs! Cooking at home doesn’t have to be fancy.

Who are your favorite experts, most influential podcast/blog/author, etc in saving money and cooking/meal planning? And why?

I like Crystal of MoneySavingMom because she’s transparent so you see the good and the bad, a whole person. I also like Nami of Just One Cookbook because she thoroughly explains everything, the differences with each ingredient, and options for shortcuts or doing it the traditonal way.

You created two resources that you sell in your shop – a budgeting tool and a meal planning tool. What led you to create those amazing resources for your readers?

I’ve always felt that cute and colorful printables make things seem less overwhelming. 20 years ago, when I searched for budgeting tools, all that was around was Quicken and black and white budget worksheets. Neither one motivated me to create a budget! My budget binder and meal planning binder, which include cute printables and a step-by-step guide, help keep me organized and motivated to stick with budgeting and meal planning.

Can you elaborate on why you think the Instant Pot is such a great tool for people on a budget?

The Instant Pot makes it easier to cook since you don’t have to nurse things over the stove anymore! I use it a few times a week to cook for my family. And because you can saute in it as well, you don’t have to use as many pots.

What’s the best place for people to connect with you online?

Blog: https://www.livingrichlyonabudget.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LivingRichlyonBudget 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingrichlyonabudget

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingrichly/

Thank you, Fanny!

Talking about ending up buying something unnecessary because of a sale, I actually bought an Instant Pot. It was cheap, $25 off! Just $65 at Costco!

But guess what? I returned it before using it. After I “tested it” with water, then made rice using a Japanese person’s recipe but hugely disappointed because my decent sushi-grade rice tasted like a cheap take out version! (We Japanese are very particular about our rice.)

I just didn’t like the fact that I had to start using the recipes again to cook something, plus we didn’t have any space on our counter for something so big that I don’t use, nor in our cupboard, closet, nor storage room, so I returned it after a few weeks. Maybe I was wrong.

I took this photo and posted it on Facebook on the way to Costco (don’t ask me why I did that right before I returned it), and look at what I found on my wall later…