Another Reason To Avoid Starbuck

Whoah - I wasn't here for only a week and the site has already "forgotten" me ? Hehe ... sorry, dearie. Too much had happened these days. Some of 'em I don't feel up to talking about.

Anyway, just came across this article which gives another reason to avoid Starbucks (and the likes), apart from the obvious reason o it being a supporter of Israeli causes.

Needs to be forwarded later to SID83 - hopefully soon.

Top Thrifty Tips

Just sharing what The Star newspaper had on Saturday. Very good and (I think) practical tips that we can certainly use. Thanks, K.H.C.!

If you aren’t from a different planet, you will have noticed how the hard times are descending upon us. It may be a while before things look up again, so it’s best to tighten the belt now.

You switch on the financial news and wonder if you are watching the results of the roller coaster rides of a theme park. The wild stock market swings can make one quite woozy these days.

Already the cost of petrol, food, utilities, and other household goods are defying gravity. Only our income refuses to budge. So before you reach for your cigarette or favourite tipple to calm your nerves, read on and save!

Remember, practice makes perfect, so if you start now, being economical can become an acquired habit!

1. Small luxuries

You could never afford a Ferrari, so you’ve been consoling yourself with life’s little luxuries — designer perfumes, moisturisers, cleansers, handbags, shoes, etc. Well, it’s time to get sensible. Make sure you make full use of whatever you’ve bought before thinking of another purchase.

Also, cut down on bar-crawling and hanging out with friends at trendy clubs, unless they are paying. Coffee culture is hip, but if you have already spent RM15 before lunchtime on beverage alone, you need to rethink your caffeine craving.

Ditto for beer and cocktails.

2. Home, sweet home

“Cocooning” is when folks snuggle at home amid nice furnishing! You won’t find a better time to learn to roost at home than now! Take turns to invite friends over for dinner and drinks rather than eating out. Have pot luck meals, with each bringing a dish.

Make full use of the microwave and TV dinners. Frozen food can be delicious. Learn culinary tricks. Patronise hawker stalls. Eating at home can be as refined or slapdash as you wish.

That goes for movies, too. A ticket costs RM10, and you would hardly go alone, so that makes RM20. Add a few more bucks for popcorn, drinks and parking, and that’s no small sum. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea to start exercising the DVD player.

3. Get the kids involved

Explain and show the kids the monthly bills like mortgages, petrol, groceries and electricity. Tell them times are getting harder. Ask for suggestions on how to save. You may be surprised at their ideas.

It will also bring the family closer as you wage war on the economic front.

No more leaving the water running as you brush teeth. Switch off all lights when not in use. Text rather than phone. Make sure to use up all toiletries before buying again.

You don’t want to deprive your kids of a great childhood, of course. Saving here and there consistently will not make too much of a difference to their quality of life. Buy the basics, and remember, what they never had, they never miss. A pair of RM650 sneakers will not make your kid an Olympic champion.

4. Wardrobe revamp

No one, however dramatic, has ever died from not buying a new dress. It is estimated that one-eighth of the average wardrobe has never been used or was worn only once.

Take out all the old garments and force yourself to wear them all, one by one. You are not running for the Best Dressed contest. Just wear what pleases you and looks nice on you. Be creative and experiment. Cut old jeans to knee length and you get a new pair. Pin on a brooch or accessory on a tired T-shirt, change the colour of your shoelaces or watch strap. You can save thousands by not splurging on clothes, especially if you’ve always been the fashion-conscious sort.

5. Not to the cleaners

Some form of pampering is so ridiculous as to be foolish. Do your own washing! I know people who drive 15 minutes and pay RM4 for parking just to collect their laundry!

If you live a normal life, you acquire “normal” grime, which means you can wear a blouse or shirt at least twice before washing. If your body does not stink and you do not emit foul body odours, neither should your clothes!

It’s much cheaper to soak clothes in a pail of detergent and then rinse them when you shower instead of using the washing machine every time. And keep dry cleaning to a minimum! Not only are they expensive, excessive dry cleaning is damaging on wool or silk fibres!

6. Pack your lunch

If walking in the hot sun, queuing up in steamy canteens or inhaling vehicle fumes by the roadside appeals to you, then you should — by all means — continue to eat out every day.

If not, bring your own lunch, and take it easy at your desk in air-conditioned comfort. Even if you are a lousy cook, console yourself by looking at this as a form of dieting! Consider going vegetarian twice or more a week. Or simply consume less red meat.

7. What designer name?

Branded medicines, toiletries and household products are not always necessary.

Choose the generic store brand instead of well-known labels. Most store chains carry their own brands, from headache pills and vitamins, to cough lotions and everything else in between.

Most formulations are the same, and you are merely paying extra for the name and packaging. Some supermarkets have their own colas at half the price. Tesco, Boots and Watson have their own range of shampoos, conditioners, soaps and household products, some in boring packaging, it’s true, but what the heck.

Be smart. A T-shirt or men’s business shirt looks exactly the same whether it costs RM55 or RM1,300.

8. D-I-Y

Certain beauty rituals can be done at home alone or with a pal. Your weekly manicures and pedicures at salons should be a monthly affair since you can achieve 90% of the results at one-tenth the cost.

The same goes for your weekly facial and hair wash. In the gym, you don’t need a personal trainer to stand next to you when you can get free advice and then work out yourself.

Groom your pets yourself, too. Does your dog require imported premium food and your cat acupuncture? I didn’t think so either.

9. Never pay the full price

There is this thing called “sale”, so keep an eye out for it. If you see a bargain in supermarkets on long lasting, non-perishable goods like toilet rolls, detergent, mosquito coil or soap, buy in bulk.

I am still using a stack of bin bags I purchased two years ago at rock bottom prices.

If a store does not give discounts, ask for gifts. They are more willing to give a free shirt or belt or whatever rather than a 20% cash discount. And don’t pay a pro to do things for you when a friend or neighbour can help. It’s better to pay people you know instead of strangers, especially when they expect far less.

Haggle. You will be surprised at how many travel agents, hotels, credit card companies and retail stores will consider your requests. You are not guaranteed extra respect if you pay the full fare without bargaining, so go for it.

10. Retrain your brain

We are so accustomed to certain labels, services and products that we assume there are no substitutes. Nonsense! Nothing and no one is indispensable!

For every item you swear by, there is a slew of cheaper alternatives. Something that costs thrice is not necessarily thrice as good! Accept frugality as your saviour and be a closet cheapskate! If anyone makes a snide remark, you might want to suggest that he or she donate some cash so you can look as gorgeous as them. That should shut them up.

Keep a list of all your expenses so you know where and when your money went last month. If you are too lazy, allocate a sum for “personal expenses” and once that amount runs out, that’s it. End of story till next month.

Use only ONE credit card. If your monthly credit purchases are RM800, it’s infinitely better to charge everything to one card rather than RM100 each to eight cards. You earn gift points faster and claim free gifts. Pay your credit card in full or as much as possible so you don’t get hammered with high interest rates.

What else? Let’s see: I haven’t used my air-conditioner in years since realising that a fan would do. Review your phone bill to check if you have been paying for services you don’t need, or worse, never use. As for insurance, are you paying for too much coverage?

Stop smoking and cut down alcohol, or eliminate it completely. Even if you don’t plan to live long, you still need money to live right now.

In truth, there is a world of difference between what you NEED and what you DESIRE. You need to pay utilities, house mortgage or rent, petrol or transport, kids’ education and food.

Anything else is secondary.

Factor in hidden costs like petrol and parking. Your condo or neighbourhood store may charge 40 sen more for a can of lychee but if getting to the hypermarket costs more, then it’s better to buy from a place within walking distance. Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish!

Speaking of which, make use of all your coins. Or throw loose change into a box and convert them into notes when it is full.

Happy saving!

Starting 'Em Young

The new school year is gonna start soon. Meaning it's time to prepare for it - the uniforms, books, stationaries etc. Which, of course, would mean that spending money (and time). Yeah, they are all rather costly these days. But thankfully, for this coming year, I had been informed that SRAH students are going to get 'Buku Pinjaman' - Alhamdulillah :-) Actually, I don't mind buying our own textbooks but since the MoE announced that all students at government schools are getting 'buku pinjaman' regardless of their backgrounds, it's became so difficult to find the textbooks at bookshops / bookstores.

Well, now that we don't hafta worry about the textbooks, there are still other things to spend money on, of course :-P Since Ahmad 'Ainul is also going to school next year, the expenses are gonna be doubled. (Money again :-P). Based on stories / articles featured by the media, I realise that some parents do face difficulties in making the preparations since they involve lotsa money. Many depend on their Dec salary and year-end bonus. I feel that it's wiser to save money all year round instead of depending on last-minute money.

I feel that the kids also should be educated on money matters especially on something that directly involve them like school items. Is it worth buying a branded school bag that costs RM100 when you can get the same unbranded bag for half the price ? What about stationeries then ? Same rule should apply. The important is, getting good quality ones at reasonable prices. Some stationeries (like pens or pencils) might be very cheap but they don't last long and then you need to buys them again - so, more money is gonna be spent. I like going to Mydin for the stationeries (excpet for pens - somehow it's hard to find good quality pens there). I like pencils and erasers and rulers etc sold there though.

Too bad there's no Mydin in Ipoh. Oh, well ... we can always go to Mydin Kota Bharu. But the crowds ...!

5 Tips for Trimming Your Grocery Bill

Hey, we're all constantly looking for ways to save money / make more money / spend less money. I know I do since both of us are civil servants, making just enough money to live life comfortably but not so luxuriously either. Thought I should start compiling whatever useful articles / tips I come across on the Net.

So, here's the first one, by Lylah M Alphonse.

1.) We use our big freezer. We have a huge freezer in the basement. I love our freezer. I buy meat and divide it into meal-size packages and freeze it. I buy extra bread when it’s on sale and freeze it. I cook extra meals and freeze them. I roast tomatoes from our garden and freeze them. I make homemade dairy-free ice cream and freeze it. On hot days, I fantasize about standing over my open freezer and gazing lovingly into its icy depths for long, cool hours at a time, but I restrain myself.

Okay, so I don't own a big freezer - but I think I can do the meat thing and the extra meals too. But extra bread ? Probably not.

2.) We buy in bulk. What, you don’t have a huge freezer in your basement? You can still buy in bulk, just buy non-perishables like toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, laundry detergent, and stash those in your freezer-less basement. You’ll still save money. (Don't have a basement? There are other places where you can stash the goods: Under your bed, on a high unused shelf in the closet, in a trunk that doubles as a coffee table... take a look around and see what space you have to spare.)

I do buy in bulk - toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags etc. But there's just no place to put 'em! I'll admit it - I'm lousy when it comes to arrang things properly :-P

3.) We buy ingredients instead of products. Those little single-serving Jell-O packs that my preschooler loves cost about $2.50 for four. But a package of actual Jell-O costs 39 cents to 50 cents and makes five to six single servings. I know that Jell-O hardly counts as an ingredient, but you get my point: It often costs less to buy the actual ingredients than it does to buy the finished product.

I don't do this often. And I think she's right. So I'd better remember this the next time I do grocery shopping!

4.) We make ethnic foods. We eat meat often, and it’s a star ingredient, but it’s not the biggest thing on the plate. The USDA recommends that adults eat five to six ounces of cooked meat a day – that’s about the size of a deck of cards, and most people eat a lot more than that in a single serving. A painless way to reduce the amount of meat you eat is by making ethnic foods like Indian-style curries or veggie-intensive stir-fries.

Ethnic food ? Heck, they're our regular meals!

5.) We shop to replenish the pantry. Aside from perishables like milk, eggs, and vegetables, we rarely shop for food to use right away; instead, we shop to replace the items we’ve used from the pantry and freezer. So, if there’s a great sale on something we use often, we can stock up without it blowing our budget.

I guess she means food items like cereal, pasta etc. Hmm ... stocking up again. Now, where can I find the space to stuff everything ? ;-P

Okay, enough tips for now. Until later, here's the ultimate tip -- make a list before going for grocery shopping!