Meet A Curious Reader from Hong Kong
Today's interviewee goes by "A Curious Reader" in the comment section, and she asked if she could keep that moniker for her post. And of course, I said yes, because everyone who participates in this series has their own internet privacy comfort level, and I want to respect that.
So! Here is A Curious Reader:
1. Tell us a little about yourself
I'm a European living in Hong Kong. I moved here for an internship when I was in university, and more or less never left afterward.
Our famous Victoria Harbor
My boyfriend and I live in a tiny 450 square foot, 2 bedroom apartment. It's small, but we're up pretty high (we live on the 28th floor; our building has 50!) and have a beautiful sea view. Earlier this year I left my job to start a business in my professional field.
Before I moved to Hong Kong, I always pictured it as a concrete jungle, and that's definitely true in some parts. However, about ⅔ of the area of Hong Kong is covered by country parks: we have beautiful islands and beaches, hills (up to around 1,000m) and fascinating wildlife - for example, a very high variety of butterflies! Hiking and camping are popular hobbies. Depending on the hike, you can enjoy city views, "mountain" views or beach views.
One of the highest peaks in Hong Kong is an island called Lantau. It doesn’t look like much, but hiking it is quite exhausting as it’s all stairs.
You can swim at the bottom of this waterfall!
My favorite beach in Hong Kong – there is no cell phone service there, so it’s a good spot to go camping and relax. Bonus: You can go back to civilisation by way of speedboat!
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I don’t remember exactly when I started reading The Frugal Girl, but I’m pretty sure I came across it looking for a recipe. I think it was in 2013-2014! I was a quiet lurker for many years before deciding to comment every once in a while. I love reading everyone else's comments, so I thought it was only fair I’d contribute.
My favorite posts are the WIS, WWA; I always read all the comments on those.
I wonder how it feels for Kristen to have silent fans all over the world!
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
Hong Kong is an incredibly expensive place to live, mostly due to the insane cost of housing.
50% of my income went to housing when I first started my career – and that’s because I was lucky enough to have a boyfriend to live with. I had to figure out a way to save money in other areas to compensate.
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
The first reason is many things that save money are also good for the planet: consuming less, avoiding food waste, etc. I’m not perfect with this, but I do try to be gentle with our resources – that’s what my mother modeled for us growing up.
The second reason is that living below my means and having savings allows me to have peace of mind and options for how I want my life to go.
For example, I was fed up working for my last employer, and I knew working for another company in our industry wouldn’t be much different. Having a cushion of savings allowed me to take a risk and start my own business, knowing I won’t be able to draw a salary for a while.
When I think back to my early 20s, where I sometimes struggled with money, I don’t miss the stress and sleepless nights, worrying about how I would pay rent!
Temple entrance
5. What's your best frugal win?
Having a great landlord!
Our landlord has replaced our washing machine when it broke, fixed the toilet seat several times, had our apartment painted the colour of my choice, had our ACs serviced, etc. I had some pretty bad landlords before and ended up paying for stuff that should have been their responsibility (e.g. a new washing machine for the building).
A good landlord can save you a lot of money!
6. What's a dumb money mistake you've made?
Not having a budget when I moved out for university.
I’m really ashamed to admit this, but my grandfather had given me EUR 10k when I graduated high school, and I can't really say where it went. That’s a lot of money to just disappear!
I didn’t understand the concept of “money out < money in” and I used that fund to supplement my living expenses throughout my undergrad.
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
In normal times: travel. We usually travel twice a year to visit our families, and a few trips here and there to explore Asia. I get the cheapest flight, but I have a weakness for fancy hotels and indulge when I can.
During COVID: I sometimes treat myself to the fancy version of a regular item.
For example, I got myself a really comfortable athleisure set for my birthday, and I have been buying kitchenware without worrying about the cost too much. I figure it’s worth it to spend the money on something I use every day, rather than something I only use every once in a while!
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Electronics!
I use my electronics until they fall apart and only have the basics - phone, laptop, and (my boyfriend's TV). I don't care at all for gadgets like smartwatches, fitbits, consoles, etc.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
Put it my savings to eventually draw on for living expenses – I’m not sure when I will be able to pay myself a salary again! I’m currently saving all the business’ income to invest in staff.
10. Share a frugal tip with other Frugal Girl readers
If you have a friend group who typically does expensive things together (going out for dinners, etc), proactively suggest other outings! I find most people are happy to change things up and doing something frugal (say, meeting for a hike), you just have to be the one to suggest it.
You can then skip the pricy outings without missing out on social time.
(Note from Kristen: That reminded me of this post, where I said that if something matters to you, you have to take the most responsibility for making it happen!)
An abandoned Japanese style Garden
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
Eating out at small eateries can be cheaper than cooking at home. The meals I make at home are typically more expensive than what's available to buy in some restaurants because I use mainly Western ingredients (especially dairy) in my cooking and they tend to be extremely expensive.
The most budget-friendly way is to skip grocery stores and get most of your food from the “wet markets”. They are usually housed in municipal buildings and sometimes in small streets.
At a wetmarket
They are called “wet” markets, because the floor is usually wet as the meats and seafood are displayed on ice which melts on the floor and they also hose down the floors to clean frequently. They usually have one floor for meats and seafood (some of it still alive, e.g. chickens), one for fruit, vegetables, fresh tofu, and such products, and another floor with cooked food stalls.
For those of us who don’t speak Cantonese, it can be a bit of an adventure shopping there – I sometimes end up with a different cut of meat than I set out to buy.
This lemon graffiti always makes me smile when I see it.
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Thanks so much for this post, Curious Reader! I loved getting a peek into life in Hong Kong, which is a place I know little about. You said you wondered what it was like for me to have readers all over the world, and I'd say it feels both lovely and surprising. And when I ponder it, I almost always come away thinking about what an amazing thing the internet is; I could never have imagined something like this when I was a kid!
A question for you: can you tell us about the weather where you live?
I visited Hong Kong in 2017. It certainly was an experience as I have not Cantonese or Mandarin. I explored the city by myself and I don't know if I would really recommend that but I survived. I loved the beach I visited and explored a supermarket with interest. Call me weird but I do so like to investigate these sort of places when overseas. I didn't try wet market as I have so many allergies and sometimes being near those things is enough to set the allergies off. I gratefully returned to the Queen Mary for my dinner.
Thank you for sharing about your life. I have to agree that I like to keep my phone and computer for as long as possible.
@Suzan, I agree: I love visiting supermarkets, department stores in other counties to see what they carry. Also smaller cafes and eateries in off the beaten track spots. I always ask the hotel/B&B staff where they go to eat with their families.
@Erika JS, I love your idea to ask the hotel staff where they like to go out to eat. I am filing that away for future travels. 🙂 I also like to visit grocery stores in different countries. We visited Hong Kong in 2017 and enjoyed walking through some of the outdoor markets. Hong Kong is a beautiful, vibrant city!
It is great to meet you! I did not realize that Hong Kong had so much green space surrounding it. It’s beautiful! I always visualized it being more like Manhattan in landscape but even more expensive.
Since Hong Kong is an interesting hybrid of eastern and western cultures, I wondered if you found it to be as status oriented as western countries. Is there anything easier about living in East as opposed to Europe?
@Bee, Im a minority in my home country and face some prejudice there as people could tell Im from an immigrant household based on my name. However, as I am white, I suddenly enjoy a lot of privilege in Hong Kong. It's easier for white foreigners to get jobs, get a higher salary, etc. I'm not saying its justified, but it definitely opens doors!
Hong Kong is definitely more status oriented than my home country in Europe. I was just talking about this with a local friend a couple of week ago. She lived in my home country for a bit, and she noticed how nobody there carries designer bags, unless you are truly wealthy. In Hong Kong, its very normal for the middle class to have $2000+ bags, even if that's more than your monthly salary. It matters a lot where you went to high school, uni, where you live, etc.
@a curious reader,
Thank you for sharing. I have never visited Asia, but hope to one day.
Nice to hear about life in Hong Kong! I always wondered about why wet markets were called "wet". It makes sense now. I was also interested in hearing about the nature in Hong Kong, I never knew there was so much. What other places in Asia have you visited and what have been your favorites?
@Kristina, I have lived in Mainland China, and visited Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Vietnam and the Philippines were planned for last year, but alas! I was pleasantly surprised by Korea. I just spent a few days in Seoul and it was so quaint and charming. Lots of cafes to spend a few hours in, something I sorely miss from home!
My son spent the summer of the protests studying finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He fell in love with Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, and loved taking part in the protests, telling locals America stands behind Hong Kongers.
Just one question: are you concerned about the corrupt PRC absorbing Hong Kong way faster than it is supposed to?
@Rose, I went to the same university at the same time!
I actually used to live in the Mainland for about a year, and planned to live there long term. I moved back to HK only for bureaucratic reasons. It definitely has its challenges, but it also has huge rewards. From a business standpoint, I sometimes don't love the policies coming out of the Mainland. For example, our borders in HK are still closed and will be for the foreseeable future, in line with the Mainlands Zero Covid policy. And of course, the political establishment in Mainland China is quite different from what I grew up with in liberal Europe.
That said, I try to separate the people from the politicians. After all, most of us don't agree with what our governments get up to all the time! The people I have met in Mainland China are very smart, driven, friendly and curious. I hope the younger generation can establish and maintain a dialogue on both sides.
Oh, I'm so glad you shared! I knew that there was a reader from Hong Kong but couldn't remember who it was. Now I know!
My in-laws lived there for 5 years (just moved back to the U.S. a few months ago) and we visited in late 2017. I loved seeing the pictures you shared of your beautiful country! I, too, was surprised at all of the green space and beautiful, isolated beaches. We swam at Lamma Island and were all by ourselves - though it admittedly was much too cold to swim for people who are used to warm weather. But it was a fun experience to get there by ferry and hike to the beach.
And the thing about eating out being cheaper than making meals at home - such a huge change for my family! It's still hard to wrap my mind around.
Thanks again for sharing!
(
Ohh, that's right! I remember you saying your in-laws lived in Hong Kong.
@Ruth T, ha, you caught us in the few cold months in the year! That brings me to Kristen's question - It is very hot and humid between April/May and October. Lots of rain and even typhoons during that time, too. Then we have the most beautiful fall from October-ish to about Christmas, with mild temperatures and crisp air. Then it's "Winter" for a couple of months. It doesn't actually get that cold (the lowest is about 10C a few times a year), but we don't have heating, so it tends to feel colder than it really is when youre just sitting at home.
I usually tell people to visit in October/ November, as its warm enough to swim, but not so not you can't go on a hike.
Well, I'd definitely want to visit sometime when it is not April-October. Ha. We all know how I feel about humidity.
Thank you very much for this peak in your life! Somehow I always imagined Hong Kong to be all bricks and concrete, but your lovely pictures show that there is much more to it.
Would you expect to live there for the rest of your life?
@J NL, it's difficult to say! There are so many more places I would like to explore, and I think Hong Kong is too expensive to retire in. I also can't imagine I'll ever be able to buy property here. That said, my whole network is here, it's a beautiful place, and taxes are low. I guess I have dreams of moving for a new adventure at some point, but its not exactly a plan at this point!
I've seen a lot of films made in Hong Kong (particularly from the 70s and 80s) and it's not high up on my places to visit.
The lemon graffiti did make me laugh a bit, though.
@Battra92, If you're interested but not enough to deal with the foreign language, the mess, and the unrulyness, you might try Singapore instead. I call Singapore the Disneyfied Hong Kong: more locked down, safer, tidier, more sanitary, and English is the most common of the four official languages.
@Battra92, ha, we just watched one of those a couple of days ago. It's very different nowadays - though I do think the cityscape looked cooler back then (more neon!)
Nice to meet you! I learned about wet markets!!!
I want to know more about your budding business, Curious Reader!
This is so interesting! Your pictures and descriptions are enlightening. And I love your phrase "be gentle with our resources." Thank you for sharing!
Hong Kong is one of my two favorite cities in the world (the other is Marrakesh). I love wondering around, going to the markets that the locals go to, following hard-hatted workmen to have lunch where they do, and standing behind someone's chair waiting for dimsum (that's not rude: it's telling the other people waiting that you're taking the seat next, and doesn't serve to hurry the eater at all). I may never go back because of the mainland's recent take-over of the city and if so, I'll miss it all of my life.
Oh wow, I can't imagine standing behind someone while they eat! It is fascinating how our culture affects what we see as rude or not-rude.
Curious Reader: your sharing made me homesick for Hong Kong (HK). I grew up in Manila, just 1.5 hours flight to HK. My parents would fly us to HK for the holidays and summer breaks for the fantastic Chinese food and shopping. My British hubby worked for a HK-based hotel group so we lived in HK for many years. Yes, living there is fun but expensive. Eating out for two can be cheaper than cooking at home. HK has great public transportation so we didn’t need a car. We now have one each back in California. HK has never stopped evolving. I am sad that China is ruling it with iron gloves, and the high price of real estate is driving even the higher-paid expats to the outlying towns. HK people are typically hard working and efficient. You can find anyone to repair almost anything. You can find almost anything in HK. I will love HK forever!
This was fascinating! Thanks Curious Reader and Kristen for this series. We’ve traveled to a number of other countries, especially with our kids so that they would have broader experiences, but there are so many places we haven’t gotten to—and this is one of them.
I, too, wonder what your business is and if you believe that it can thrive better there than, say, in the country of your origin if you moved back home?
Hello
Lovely to hear about your life in Hong Kong. I visited HK back in 1989, landing on 10th November I always remember the date as when I took off on the 9th the Berlin Wall was standing, after the flight it had come down and the newspapers were full of it 🙂 🙂
I so enjoyed my visit and today still have an exquisite beaded evening bag that I use on special occasions which I purchased (after haggling the price down) at the night market!
The green spaces and abundance of waterways was also a surprise to me too!
As I stand at the majestic height of 4ft 11 and 3/4 inches I really felt at home in HK and as a bonus the clothes fit me well too!!
Hi, Curious Reader, thanks for joining in! Count me in as someone who thought of Hong Kong as just all filled with buildings - what lovely views your pictures give of the surrounding natural areas!
Do you think you will stay on in Hong Kong, or eventually return "home?"
Curious Reader, if you have an interest in Hong Kong during other time periods, my favorite book of all time is "China to Me" by Emily Hahn, written in the 1940s. She begins her story when she moves to Shanghai, but the really fascinating part is her later living in Hong Kong, with her newborn daughter, under the Japanese occupation. Her struggle to get food, stay out of the camps, and also feed her British officer boyfriend, who is in a prison, is absolutely fascinating.
Fascinating! Tell us more about what language you primarily speak there and how you manage language barrier issues. I enjoyed this post thoroughly!
@Kris, Most people speak great English, with the exception perhaps of some older people (65+) who weren't able to get an education back in the day. Some younger people much prefer to speak Cantonese rather than English, for example at the Wet market, just because they are more used to it.
In fact it is so easy to get around with just English that almost no (white) foreigner speaks Cantonese. I do plan to learn it some day, it's just so difficult! I took a few classes when I first moved here and the pronunciation is so different from what I am used to.
Many people also speak/ understand Mandarin, but it is seen as the language of Mainland China, and some people have a bad reaction to someone speaking Mandarin.
Hi Curious Reader. Thank you for sharing your life in Hong Kong, I enjoyed reading your replys. We visited there in 2017 and 2018. I would love to go again. Your pictures are beautiful.
One day we took a ferry over to one of the islands and rented bikes to ride around for the day. It was so beautiful. I remember the beach had shark nets around them, that was interesting.
We toured on our own and didn't have too many issues with the language. The one time we didn't know what was going on, I just asked a child and she explained in perfect English, her parents seemed happy we asked her. I think they are teaching English in school there now.
We also love to just explore the markets and see all the interesting foods.
Very interesting!
Oh wow, what a fascinating post! I love getting to travel via blog posts like this. Thank you for sharing this glimpse of your life, Curious Reader! A few years ago, I would've been a little frightened hearing that you live so high up, but I had the good fortune of attending a friend's son's birthday party at their apartment, which was on something like the 20th floor of their skyscraper apartment building and the view was absolutely gorgeous and after seeing that, I wasn't quite so scared of living in such a tall building. 🙂
great post. when I first moved to NYC there was a tiny chinese take out place. I stopped in there every night. I hated cooking just for me. It was very reasonable. Of course it doesn't exist anymore. I am now in the same apt with hubby, 2 kids and we will be getting a puppy when he is old enough to leave his mom. we have 750 sq. feet.
Loved reading about Hong Kong!!
I would have thought it was a concrete jungle before reading this post.
Thanks for sharing
Longtime lurker, first time commenter here. I just wanted to say how much I am loving this series.
I am delighted to hear this!
What a beautiful looking place! So interesting to hear about Hong Kong -- and the wet markets look fascinating. Crazy that it can even be cheaper to eat out than to cook -- that would thrill me 🙂 Lovely to meet you and thank you for sharing those beautiful pix!
*waves from Macau*
I came across this blog while searching about boiling whites (laundry disappointments with our cold-water-only machine) & decided to check out the home page for any tips that might still work over here... big surprise to bump into a neighbor! 🙂