Eating out at a fraction of the price

I went to Nando's for lunch yesterday and had a meal and bottomless soft drink for RM5.30.

I used one of the RM20 Nando's vouchers which I redeemed from Bonuslink something like two months ago! In fact, I redeemed my Bonuslink points for two RM20 Nando's vouchers which means that I've still got another one  :) It's a meal for a fraction of the price and I'm not complaining!

Paying Me

This is what I do nowadays: for everything that I save when I shop or when I get a service done which I would otherwise have to pay someone else to do (i.e. manicure, pedicure, hair color, etc), I put the amount that I saved away into my savings account. In that way, I'll not only be buying things on discounts but I'll also be building up my savings at the same time.  

Mon Meill Swarovski Zirconia Earrings and Necklace

Yay!!! My Groupon order arrived this morning! It was delivered Pos Laju and the mail man was super nice and friendly :)

I redeemed the Groupon on September 11 and got a confirmation email from them saying that my order had been received and that I would receive my order "within 14 working days (not inclusive of Saturdays and Sundays)". So going by that, I received my order on the 14th day which falls within the 14 working days delivery mentioned in their email to me.

I purchased a set of Swarovski Zirconia necklace and earrings set in 18 karat white gold plated 925 silver sterling. I don't know how true the 18 karat white gold plating claim is but time will tell --- if it changes colour, then I'll know that I've been short changed but hopefully, everything will be as stated in the deal and all will be fine (Insya Allah). So take a look at it...

It comes in a gift box

 The back of the jewellery pouch

The earrings and necklace --- nice!

I like that the necklace has two rings along the chain where you can hook the clasp to which allows me to have two lengths to choose from when wearing the necklace. I prefer to wear mine shorter. Solitaires look so much nicer when they sit in the hollow between your collar bones.

And now, it's onto the test to see if it will tarnish over time or not... hopefully not!

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

Truth be told, I read this book a few months ago but I guess I never got around to blogging about it until now (yeah, that's the procrastinator in me!).

Anyway.... this book, written by Sidney Poitier, is a memoir of his life. Written in the first person's voice, he looks back on his life and career.

He was born and raised in a small island named Cat Island. He had an idyllic life as a child growing up on the island. By thirteen, he had dropped out of school and was working on construction sites. Worried that he would end up in jail, similar to his friend who stole a bicycle for fun, his father sent him off to Miami to live with his elder brother.

He started in his acting career when there weren't any black actors working along side white actors. It is about him breaking barriers and never accepting limits that were presented to him. He has certainly come a long way from his hard beginnings and has made it big. It is most definitely a story of the American Dream. It's an inspiring read.

love

"A woman carries her pet cats as she wades through a flooded street during#typhoon #Nesat in San Mateo, #Rizal, east of #Manila on September 27, 2011." http://twitpic.com/6rgtmb

Something about this picture speaks of love.

The Big Bad Wolf Sale

The much awaited for sale is finally around the corner. I'm looking forward to making my annual book purchase. This time around I'm on the lookout for personal finance books as well as novels.

For those who are contemplating on whether or not to go, listen, it is worth your time going there. The books are dirt cheap (paperback novels at RM8!) and they are new.

This time around, Big Bad Wolf promises an even bigger sale with 1.5 million books! I've been going to the BBW sale ever since it started and during each sale period, I've made two to three visits. One visit is never enough!

The books that I purchased have given me many hours of reading pleasure. If you're like me and you absolutely cannot imagine life without books and you want to stretch your budget, this is the book sale that you MUST go to to stock up on books.

Yes, I've heard some people moan and groan that it's in Serdang, but you know what, Serdang is not out there in the sticks as some of you may want to believe. It's only 20 minutes from KL if you take the PLUS highway. Have a sense of adventure and venture out to this new location. You just might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

Will I see you there???

an apple in my oatmeal a day

I've always not liked any form of mushy food. I don't like melted ice cream, so when I do have some, I make sure that I finish it before it melts. I don't like milk in my breakfast cereal, I have mine dry, yes, dry! I don't like porridge because they're mushy.

This week, I hit a personal milestone, two, in fact : 1. I actually was brave enough to purchase a whole box of instant oatmeal when I was at the grocery store earlier this week, 2. I actually found that it's not too bad. Yes, I discovered that if you add apples to the oatmeal, it disguises the mushiness. So in the mornings for the past week, I've been having my instant oatmeal with one chopped up green apple thrown into the mix.

Why am I doing this? Well, don't know what inspired me to stop in the cereal aisle in the supermarket next door and take a look at the contents of the instant oatmeal mix, but I did, and guess what I discovered --- it has 20% iron in each serving! Okay, being anemic, that was enough to convince me to give it a go. What was the worst thing that could happen if I didn't like it, I asked myself --- that I would just give the rest of the box to my mom? I took the plunge and am glad that I did. Now, I just hope that this is getting me closer to my goal of getting my body to consume and hopefully retain more iron. I am tired of being tired (no pun intended there).

LOREAL Stock Clearance Sale

I went to the Loreal Stock Clearance sale in Sri Petaling Hotel today. Okay, granted that it was quite a drive for me to get there but I thought that I'd go to check it out to see if I could pick up some treats at a discount so that I wouldn't kick myself so much if the products didn't work out.

I haven't been to the Loreal Stock Clearance sale for quite a while now and I must say that it has changed quite a bit. Their warehouse sales in the past have been quite a mad house with loads of women pushing their way to get to the products. Back in those days the sales were often held only on one day and some women would take the day off from work just to go to it. Today, shopping was a breeze.

The products are no longer as cheap as they used to be, I'm afraid. I remember the days when the Maybelline  lipsticks used to be RM 10 each. Now, they cost RM19 each. Kinda pricey for a drugstore brand sold at a warehouse sale, if you ask me.

I recently bought the Maybelline Angel Fit Foundation at Watsons for RM32 (and that was a discounted price, the normal price is about RM40). I saw it at the sale today and it was selling at RM22. Strangely enough, it didn't have the same names that they have for the products in the stores. The bottles only had code numbers which can be difficult to buy especially if you're thinking of picking up a bottle after having tested out the colours at the stores earlier on.

Here's what I bought:
1. Loreal Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother (Gel Cream) for RM27 (This product contains Hyaluronic Acid and it was a curiosity purchase as I've read so many good things about Hyaluronic Acid)
2. Loreal Touche Magique Concealer for RM20 (I've read great reviews about this product)
3. Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (Waterproof) in 01 Black for RM23 (I've read great reviews about this product too). The package includes the gel liner as well as its own eyeliner brush.
4. Maybelline Clear Skin Minerals BB Cream in Fresh  for RM14 (This was my curiosity purchase. I've tried out the testers at the store many times before but never got around to forking out around RM20, normal price, for it. It's a small tube that's easy to carry in my bag and it comes with SPF 26)
5. Two Maybelline Eyestudio Eyeliner Pencils for RM6 each (for my mom)
6. Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Permanent Hair Color for RM14 (This is my staple purchase)

The good thing is because everything was kinda pricey, I wasn't going crazy and getting EVERYTHING I saw. I was quite reasonable in selecting my purchases.

If you're thinking of going to the sale, it runs till Sunday, September 18, 2011.

Learning Photography

Knowing how to REALLY use a camera and being able to take good photographs is something that has always been sort of a mystery for me. So... I've decided to come out of the darkness and learn how to operate a camera. As always, I went to youtube.com (Thank God for youtube --- where would I be without it???).

I found this channel called PhotographersOnUTube and have so far watched 3 of the videos and wow... it suddenly is all making sense to me!!! They make fantastic videos for newbie learners of photography. I would strongly recommend that you watch their videos if you're interested in getting started with photography.

Buying Stuff on Sale

How many times have you bought something that you didn't even know you wanted before you saw it on sale at the store? I know that I have been guilty of the crime one too many times.

Buying things that you want and need on sale makes a lot of sense and yes, you're saving bucks. On the other hand.  buying things that you don't really need just because the price has just been slashed 50% doesn't make sense --- that would only mean that you spent money on something that you didn't even know that you needed before you set foot into the store.

Be aware of what's going on when you step foot into a mall or a store. Millions of money are spent researching the psychology of spending. There is a reason why stores are such comfortable places to be in --- they try to keep you there as long as they can. Remember, the longer you're in the store, the more likely you are to spend money on things that you don't really need.

The solution? Make a list of the things that you want. If there's any new product that you want to research on before buying, go to the store during a normal day when there isn't a sale (you're less likely to spend minus a price discount). Make your decision and then walk out of the store and wait for the next sale (in Malaysia, sales are often, so you wouldn't have to wait too long for the next one). Sometimes, if it's something you really didn't care about very much for in the very first place, you might even forget about wanting it at all in the very first place (yay! money saved!). If you still decide to make the purchase when the next sale rolls around, remember, anything not on your list shouldn't be purchased no matter how good a deal it is.

I normally go shopping to do my research on new products that I want to purchase during normal days. I have to make sure that I've done enough research before I purchase anything so that I won't be cluttering my home with things that don't work for me.

Recently, I've been going to drugstores to try out anti-aging serum testers. I know that I want to buy an anti-aging serum as my current serum looks like it will last me another month or so. Since there are so many brands and products out there, I'm using this time to do my research and make my decision. When the next sale comes around, I'll be ready to purchase the product that I want.

One thing to note: The product that I'll be buying may not be the cheapest on the market. The cheapest product may not be the best product (nobody wants premature wrinkles.... hey, nobody wants wrinkles, period!) as I'm making an investment on my skin and how I look (yes, vain thought, I know!). This will be a long term investment in me!!! Why wait for a sale, you ask? Well, that will be when I'll be purchasing a product of value and one that I need at a lower price and thus saving money! 

nail trimmer

i keep losing my nail clippers... yup, don't know where they're all hiding.  i had to go out and buy another nail trimmer since my nails were getting really long and they were getting to the point where they were bothering me and getting in the way of me using the keyboard comfortably. I got this set from Daiso (where else???) for RM5.  i figured that i might as well get the whole set since it was going at the same price as purchasing just the trimmer.  a spare tweezers might come in useful on those days that i can't locate my existing ones!  hopefully i won't misplace this set!

IT Fair in Mid Valley

Thought I was early for the IT Fair in Mid Valley (I arrived at 10:45 AM for the 11 AM opening) but it seemed as if the rest of the world beat me to it (check out the pic)! People were waiting in front of the still closed shutters!!!

I purchased the three user Kaspersky Anti Virus programme for RM72 (normal price RM99). It's another investment on my business.

Merdeka

Happy Merdeka Day Malaysia!

Pagi Raya Aidil Fitri

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Ayah. Ida mintak ampun Ayah. It's been four years (I only know this because Ita mentioned it). I have lost count of the number of years. I don't want to think of the number of years that you have left us. Pagi Raya is just not the same without you, Ayah. I miss you dearly.

Dubai Visa Information

Thought it might be useful for you to know that Malaysians get a 30-day visa upon arrival at no charge. Here's the full list of countries that qualify for the 30-day visa upon arrival:


Australia, Andorra, Austria
Brunei, Belgium
Denmark
Finland, France
Germany, Greece
Hong Kong
Iceland, Ireland, Italy
Japan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malaysia, Monaco
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway
Portugal
San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
United Kingdom, United States of America


According to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai website, the Tourist Visa can be extended for a further 30 days for AED1230 (approximately RM1000/ USD333) and you're permitted to extend only once.

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

This is another one of my many bookcrossing finds. The book begins and ends with the same line, "I am a man you can trust". The story is about Barnaby Gaitlin, an average and ordinary man. He is sort of the family black sheep with a successful dad and older brother who are both doing financially well.

Barnaby works in a company owned by Mrs. Virginia Dibble called Rent-a-Back that helps the elderly or disabled move things around their homes and other sorts of chores that they need help with. When Barnaby was younger, he used to break into houses with his friends but once they were in the homes, he was more interested in looking at the photo albums and personal belongings of the people who lived there rather than steal. On one of these occasions, he was caught and his father had to pay $8700 for the things that he had stolen. This $8700 has always been a point of contention not with his dad, but with his mom who would bring it up ever so often.

Tired of having to put up with his mom's constant reminder of the $8700 that they wasted on him, Barnaby decides to pay her back. He starts to save money by asking for extra hours at work. On one day, one of his clients who happens to be his girlfriend's elderly aunt lost the cash that she was saving in the flour bin and accused Barnaby of theft. His girlfriend Sophia decides to replace the money back without the aunt's or Barnaby's knowledge as she wanted to "clear" his name. To Barnaby this only indicated to him that Sophia too thought that he was guilty of having taken the money from the bread bin. The aunt later finds her money and remembers that it was she who had changed the place where she hid the money earlier on.

Sophia then keeps reminding Barnaby that she had used her own savings to replace the "stolen" money and that she has no money to buy what she wants. Tired, Barnaby then goes to Mrs Glynn's house with his colleague, Martine, and takes the money from the bread bin and returns it to Sophia in an envelope with a note that says,"Sophia, you never did realize. I am a man you can trust".

There are a lot of real life observations in A Patchwork Planet. Society is so quick to judge you by your past and will always remind you of your past even though you have moved on and have changed your ways. Status is also very important to many people in life. In this book, Barnaby's mother seem to love Barnaby's best friend, Len, better than she does him. She doesn't let Barnaby cut his own birthday cake before Len arrives. Again, you are not really loved if you aren't as successful as your siblings. Such is the case between Barnaby and his brother whom his mother seem to prefer since he is successful.

Ways I Save Money

Here's a list of some of the things that I do to save money:

CREDIT CARDS
1. Kiss Annual Credit Card Fees Goodbye
I was paying RM180 per year for my annual credit card fee. I have recently migrated to another credit card and saved RM180 a year in credit card fees! The banks are already making so much money from charging you interest, why pay them more in the form of annual fees?

2. Pay It in Full
If you can, pay your credit card bills in full each month. You wouldn't give the guy on the street RM20, would you? So why are you willingly giving it to the bank???

3. Transfer It!
I have used zero transfer programs in the past and it has saved me quite a bit of money in interest. The trick is to pay off in full at the end of each month and I know this is hard, to not use the now free on your credit card to buy more useless stuff that got you into the credit hole in the very first place!

4. Check It!

I check my credit card statements for the following:

a. to make sure that there isn't any mistakes made on them. I normally keep all my credit card receipts and check them against the bill when it arrives.

b. to make sure that all the rewards points have been credited into my account (they add up substantially)

c. to ensure that any cash back rewards have been credited into my account

BANKING
5.  Save with an Online Bank

When I say "online bank", I don't mean online banking. I mean "online bank" as in there is no brick and mortar bank for you to go to. The only Online Bank that I know of at the moment is Maybank's m2u Savers account. Online Banks have less overheads and can therefore pay you more in interest. You can read more about the  Maybank's m2u Savers and how to go about opening an m2u Savers account here.

Do you know how much you are making in your savings account? I did --- apparently not much, in fact the way it was going, I was doing the bank a favour by putting my money in the bank and not getting much back for the service that I provide them. I just recently opened a Maybank m2uSavers account. It gives me more interest per annum compared to other savings accounts.

ELECTRICALS
6. Cable TV? Who needs it anyway???
With Astro planning to increase their charges, who needs it anyway??? I disconnected my cable tv service a few months ago before the price increase charges talk began and saved RM 49 per month, RM588 per year. Besides, Astro is going to increase their charges soon and while many people are complaining, I have no worries as I disconnected my Astro service a long time ago.

7. Switch It Off!

This is something I learned from home: Switch off all lights and electrical appliances that you're not using.

8.  It's Cool to Use the Fan

Honestly, I don't know about some other people but for me, the fan is just fine. If it gets too hot, take a cold shower!

9. Let There Be Light!
I use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They are brighter and energy efficient.

10. Hot Water Heater --- Really???
The hot water heater is really not necessary when living in a hot country like Malaysia. Okay, there are a few cold days when it rains non-stop but for most days, it's pretty hot and you don't need to use the hot water heater. You'll find, as I did, that if you stop using the hot water heater, your electricity bill is reduced quite drastically --- a plus for your wallet.


READING
11. Read More
Reading takes up more time and is much cheaper than watching a movie. Besides, reading is more fun as it allows you to "see" the story as it unfolds for yourself instead of seeing it through the eyes of some movie producer/ director.

12. Shop at Discount Book Stores

Why shop at full price when you can get them at discounted prices? Book Xcess... need I say more?

13. Don't pay full prices for books

If you're like me and you just love reading, you might want to be a member of Popular. For a small upfront fee, you are entitled to 10% off all of your book purchases on normal non-sale days and 20% off all of your book purchases during sales period. In addition, they often have member's discounts each month which you can purchase at 20% off the normal price.

14. Shop at Warehouse Sales

I normally wait for the Big Bad Wold Warehouse Sale organized by the same people at Book Xcess to load up on novels. At RM8 to RM10 a book, you get the books at a fraction (approx 25%) of the normal prices. 

15. Bookcrossing

I'm a bookcrosser. Free books are my favorite. Bookcrossing is a community of people who believe in making the world one big library. It's about educating the world and keeping the world literate. It's like a treat every time I find a book on my wish list at the Bookcross Zone in 1-Utama. MPH is one of the prominent bookcrossers and I have been lucky to have been able to stumble upon quite a number of spanking new books put up by MPH in the bookcrossing zone. Bookcrossing lets me explore reading books by authors that I wouldn't normally read and many times, I have been pleasantly surprised to find authors whose writing I enjoy. Remember though, bookcrossing books are for reading only and have to be released to the wild once you've done reading them. 

MOVIES

16. Pick Your Movie Days

At GSC cinemas, the lowest priced tickets are on Wednesdays and before 12 Noon on weekdays excluding public holidays.

ICE CREAM
17. Pink Wednesday
Whenever I feel like having an ice cream fix, I go to Baskin Robbins on Wednesday. All you have to do is show them something pink and they'll give you two scopes of ice cream for the price of one.

18. Baskin Robbins 31% Off
A not to be missed event if you're a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream fan. They offer 31% discount on all of their ice cream on the months that have the 31st. I'm lucky that there's a Baskin Robbins just a stone's throw away from where I live. I normally go there early in the day to avoid the crowds.

SHOPPING

19. Group Shopping Sites
This seems to be pretty hot now. The number of group shopping sites seem to have sprung up out of nowhere. Some to mention are Groupon, We Buy, Milk a Deal, Everyday, My Deal, Deal Mates and the latest kid on the block, Jigo City. They offer daily deals from restaurants, spas, holidays, hotels, fun experiences, name cards, photo books, photography sessions, etc. at substantial discounts.

I personally like the restaurant deals as it lets me sample restaurants that I wouldn't normally go to for a fraction of the normal price for a meal. One word of caution though, purchase only what you need. I read somewhere recently that statistics show that 20% of all coupons purchases online go to waste. Don't let yours go to waste. Buy the coupons only if it's around the area that you normally go to (ie on your way to work or to somewhere that you normally go to, you get the idea).

20. Say NO to Clothes/ Shoes/ Bags Shopping
Okay, this one wasn't so easy for me as I have this tendency to pick up something every time I go out to the stores. I recently had a look at what I've purchased and realized that I have loads of stuff which I just recently purchase and have not yet worn (some even still had the price tags on!). So every time I feel like buying something, I think about all the stuff that I already have at home. I find that if I spend time to visit what I have and style them, it's as good as going shopping for new stuff.

21. Cooling It Off!

See something you like in the store? Don't purchase it yet. You may find that you would have forgotten all about it by the time you get home.

22. Don't Pay Full Price

I used to work with a retailer. I know what their markups are on the merchandise which are mostly fabricated in China and there is no way that I'd want to pay for those markups. See something you like in the store? Wait for the sale, hey, there seems to be a never ending stream of sales in Malaysia. Missed the last one? No worries, the next one is just round the corner!

FOOD

23. Put on the Apron!
You know what, if I can do this one, so can you. Yes, I don't like to cook but since trying to cut back on my spending, I've been cooking. If you're like me, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised how cooking your own food might not only taste better (as I was!), it's also probably healthier as you have control over what goes into your food. There are lots of recipes online that you can google up. I recently found this fantastically yummy burger recipe online (click here to get it).

24. Leftovers

If you have any leftovers, transfer them into food savers and put them in the fridge. Hey, that's at least one less meal that you have to prepare later! Some food actually taste much better the day after too.

25. Pack lunch for work
Preparing lunch for work saves a tonne of $$$. It doesn't take a lot of time to prepare, just some planning. I normally make sandwiches for work.

CAR
26. Car Wash
Okay, this one, I have to admit, I have yet to do but I'm happy to announce that I have just bought a pack of car wash and wax last Monday. I normally pay RM10 per car wash and instead, picked up the car wash and wax liquid for RM15 and it's going to last me a very looonngggg time!

27. Fuel Up Over the Weekend
I fuel up my wheels over the weekend and make sure that I pay with my Maybankard 2 Amex card  since I get 5% cash back subjected to a maximum cap of RM50 per month.

28. Hold Back on Buying New Wheels

I've been holding back from purchasing new wheels for a number of years now. The thought of having to pay for something that I know will depreciate in value while I'm still paying the bank back is difficult for me to accept. I'd rather put the money away into a retirement fund.

29. Drive Less, Walk More

I'm lucky that I'm living in an area where the supermarket and banks are within walking distance to me. I save on fuel and parking fees, contribute less to global warming and get more exercise. Win, win, win.

GROCERY SHOPPING
30. Check Your Pantry/ Fridge First
Before you go shopping, make sure to check your pantry and fridge first to see what you're running out of to ensure that you only buy things that you've run out of/ are running low on.

31. Grocery Shop with a List
Going to the supermarket with a shopping list ensures that I stay with the plan (and not picking up just about anything and everything along the way) and don't forget what I went there to buy in the very first place.

32. Time Your Shopping
I shop during the weekends because my Maybank2 Amex card gives me 5% cash back on all of my weekend purchases (it's capped at RM50 per month though).

33.  Avoid Buying Bulk 

Yup, I know, I know, I can hear you say, "but buying bulk saves me money!". Yes, that's true BUT only if you use every last bit of it. No point buying in bulk if you only need a bit and then let the rest go to waste. I personally just buy on a need basis.

34. Load Up on stuff you know you will use
Check the flyers and load up on dry goods that have a long shelf life that you know you'll definitely use.

35. Buy Supermarket Brand Names

I don't know about you, but some of the supermarket brand name products are pretty good. I personally like the First Choice Multigrain Bread sold only in Giant and Cold Storage (they both belong to the same mother company --- Dairy Farm) I've also bought Giant's brand name spices. Some of the Tesco stuff are pretty good too (I've tried some of their cookies, olive oil, jam, cereal, chocolate, sardines, chicken curry, wet wipes, aluminium foil and cling wrap in the past).

36. Check Your Receipts

You might find that the cashier made a mistake when ringing in your purchases or maybe the scanned price doesn't match the shelf price or the price on the flier.

37. Don't Shop on an Empty Stomach

This is sooo true. I recently went shopping on an empty stomach and  found myself buying a lot of stuff! Make sure you have food before you shop. 

38. Shop at Places that have Free Parking

I normally go to Tesco because I get free parking when I shop there.

39. Avoid Trolleys

If you're shopping for one, avoid the trolley and instead reach for the basket as trolleys are a marketing ploy to get you to buy more than you intended to. When the basket gets heavy, you know it's time to head for the cash register.

BILLS

40. Pay Bills during the Weekends
I get 5% cash back by using my Maybank2 Amex card (subject to a maximum of RM50 cash back per month though).

41. Pay Bills Online
The beauty of online banking is that you can pay your do future payments for your bills. No more queuing up, paying your bills late, having to pay for checks or paying for stamps to send your payments.

42. Check Your Bills

Astro was still billing me even when I had terminated their services! Make sure you check your bills to make sure that something like this doesn't happen and if it does, get on the phone with their customer service rep to rectify the problem.

COFFEE/ DRINKS
43. Starbucks
Don't pay full price. Use your Maybank Amex to buy any Starbucks drink and you get another one of the same or lesser value for free (this promotion is good till 31st October, 2011). Click here to see the promotion.


TOILETRIES
43. Cut the Tubes
When you get to the end of your to toothpaste tube, don't throw it out without first cutting open the tube. You'll find that you probably have another 4 to 5 uses still. The same goes for anything else that comes in a tube (ie conditioners, cleansers, body lotion, hand cream, etc).

44. Upside down Bottles
I turn the body lotion bottles upside down when they are near the end to get to most of the product in a bottle.

45. Add a Little Water
For things like shampoo and conditioner, I normally would add a little bit of water to the bottle, close it and then shake it in order to get every last bit out!


NEWSPAPERS
46. Don't buy newspapers
You can always read the news online. I only recommend buying the Saturday newspapers for the appointment pages if you're job hunting as there might be ads advertised in there which are not available online.

47. Read Free Newspapers
Free copies of The Sun are delivered to my condo every week day.


KITCHEN
48. Don't buy garbage bags
I reuse the plastic bags that I get from grocery stores instead of garbage bags.

49. Use half of what you normally use
I pour some of the dish washing liquid into an empty pump bottle and mix it with equal amount of water. Let's face it, we sometimes use way to much detergent when doing the dishes.

50. Reuse Kitchen Towels
I sometimes use kitchen towels to dry my pans when I have just washed them and want to use them to cook immediately. I don't throw the kitchen towels out. I save them to wipe the spills off the stove surface after I'm done with my cooking.


REWARD PROGRAMMES
51. Credit Card Reward Programmes
My Maybankard2 cards come with reward programmes (every RM1 spent = 1x Treat points for my Mastercard and every RM1 spent = 5x Treat points for my Amex) so I make sure that I utilise my Amex card as  much as I can in order to earn more points which basically translates to more rewards.

52. Reward Yourself
Rewards programmes are great if you frequently shop at certain places. I'm a member of Bonuslink, One Card and Tesco Club Card. I also have a card for a juice bar that lets me collect points when I make a purchase. I have used rewards points from Bonuslink as well as my credit card to get stuff and vouchers for the stores that I frequent. I've just traded some of my Bonuslink points for a RM40 voucher from Nandos. Prior to that, I traded some of my credit card points for vouchears from Popular, Carrefour and Ayamas.

You've got to check if there is an expiry date on your rewards points (Bonuslink points are good for only three years) so you've got to make sure that you reward yourself before the points expire. My Tesco Club points as well as my One Card points don't have expiry dates --- they're the best since you'll always have them there when you need to use them and not have to worry about them expiring.

53. Sign up for Rewards Programmes
I'm a member of Bonuslink and Tesco Club Card and I make sure that I collect points when I shop at any of their stores/ affiliates.

54. Time your shopping

Shop on days when you can earn more points on your card. For instance, Parkson, an affiliate of Bonuslink, gives 5X points on Bonuslink members pre-sale days.

WORKING OUT

55. Forget the Gym
Why pay expensive gym membership when I can use the gym in my apartment complex for free? What I normally do nowadays though is I workout at home with a gym ball, a yoga mat and an elastic band. There are loads of great workout clips on YouTube that can give you ideas on how to structure your workout.

56. Walk More
I normally listen to my phone when I go out to do errands on foot. It lets me kill two birds with one stone --- I get my errand done and I get to work out without feeling like I'm really working out!


LIFESTYLE HABITS
57. No Spend Day
Try observing a No Spend Day at least once a week. You'll be surprised how much you'll save by just not spending in one day.

58. Journal It
I journal everything that I spend on a spread sheet on Excel. It's amazing how seeing it on a spread sheet controls your urge to spend unnecessarily.

59. Give yourself a daily budget
Set a daily budget and see how much you can save at the end of the day/ month.

60. Bring your own water

I used to buy water when I got thirsty. With a little planning, I fill up my own reuseable bottle with water at home and take it with me when I go out.


RECYCLE

61. I take aluminium, tin, plastic, paper and cardboard down to the recycling center in exchange for cash.

62. Paper

I use both sides of printed paper when I'm printing.

63. Paper Again

I also use the other side of printed paper as a note pad.

REPURPOSE
64. I use what I already have around the house before I go out to buy more. I reuse takeout food containers as trays in the refrigerator to keep things like sauces from spilling.

65. Before you throw something out, take a good look at it and think about how you can repurpose it.
You know that bottle of conditioner that didn't feel so great on your hair? Well, I use mine to shave my legs instead and it's lots cheaper than having to go out and buy shaving cream. You can do the same with the expired body lotion/ cream.

Shampoo that you get from the hotels can be used as a body wash (that is if you find it too nasty to use on your hair) when you go to the swimming pool/ waterpark or when you go travelling.

The body wash that looked better while you were in the shop rather than when you were in the shower can be poured into pump dispenser bottle and diluted with some water and viola! you have hand wash!

The hand cream that you don't really like can be used as body lotion or foot cream. Slather it on before you go to bed.

The face moisturiser that you no longer fancy using on your face because you found a better moisturiser for you face can be used as a hand cream instead.

Got nail polish you no longer use? You can use them to paint your keys so that it would make finding the right keys quicker (particularly if the keys are all about the same size and you've got a bunch of them!).

BEAUTY
66. Foot Spa
I do my own foot spa treatments for a fraction of the cost. There are lots of videos on YouTube.

67. Oil Blotters
I buy my oil blotters from Daiso (yeah, the everything is RM5 shop). The last time I bought oil blotters, I got 300 pieces of oil blotters for just RM5!

68. Cleanser
I happened to try a Rice Bran cleanser which I purchased from Daiso (at only RM5) and was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it!


HAIR
69. I no longer use hair dyes as I normally colour my hair dark brown or black anyway. Instead, I have swapped my hair dye for henna which is not only ammonia peroxide free, but also costs only a fraction of the hair dye color!


CLOTHES
70. I mend my clothes to get more miles out of them.


GEEK
71. Save the Trees

I try as much as possible not to print on paper if I can. Instead, I try to save as much info as I can in soft copy on my external hard drive.

72. Learning
Is there anything that you wish you knew how to do? Before you pull out your wallet, consider learning it off the web first. I learned to use Adobe Ilustrator, Photoshop and refreshed my 10 years of unused AutoCad knowledge from YouTube. You can find some pretty amazing instructional videos there.

73. Free Software
There are many free softwares available on the web for FREE. So before you go out and purchase any programme, make sure to search online to see if you can get the software or compatible programme for free.

74. Share
I download free chic litt books (in PDF) online and that saves me a tonne of $$$.

PHONE CALLS
75. International Calls
I use Skype for international phone calls. Why pay telco prices when I can do it over the net for nothing more than the price of the broadband service which I'm already paying for anyway.

76. Mobile Phone
I subscribe to a prepaid plan that allows me to purchase air time as I need.

77. Mobile Phone Reward Points
Don't forget to take advantage of your mobile phone service provider's reward points. I use the reward points that I have accumulated to trade for free air time or sms.

78. Time Your Top Ups
Top Up when there is a promotion. A few days ago, I got a message from my telco saying that they would give me RM10 free if I topped up RM60. One word of caution though: only act on this deal if you need the credit. Otherwise, give it a miss. I have taken up on this deal in the past when I needed the credit but I'm giving it a pass this time around as I still have quite a bit of credit left on my account.
  

Trading Up by Candace Bushnell

This is another one of my bookcrossing finds.

Janey Wilcox is a blonde Victoria's Secret model who aspires for more and what she's willing to do in order to  climb the social ladder to the much aspired high society life. Her favorite lipstick shade is "Pussy Pink".

Parallel Play by Thomas Rayfiel

This is one of my bookcrossing finds. This book examines the idea of motherhood, you know, how moms are supposed to be so into their babies and kids. In walks Eve, the main character in this story, a girl who used to party who suddenly woke up one morning to find herself not wife to a stable doctor,Harvey, but also mom to a baby, Ann! How did it all that happen???

Eve sits in the park with her baby with other mothers and wonders how they are so into their kids as she often doesn't feel all the sickly sweet things that other moms do towards their kids. In fact, Eve has a love hate relationship not with her baby but with the whole idea of motherhood as she seems to lack the maternal instinct that is supposed to kick in the minute you have a child.

I think that this book looks at the whole idea of motherhood honestly. I'm not a mother but I'm sure that there are times that mothers look at their babies and wonder what they have gotten themselves into and that it's perfectly normal to feel that way. Written in a humourous manner, I enjoyed reading this book.

Cleaning and the Meaning of Life by Paula Jhung

I purchased this book from BookXcess in April, I think. Well, what can I say, I just love Personal Finance and Organizing books.

This book is written in short bullets and easy to read and refer to. Paula writes the book in a humorous manner making reading about cleaning and decluttering your space a fun read. There are lots of ideas on how to organize, declutter and simplify your life in this book.

Tuesday is Spa Day!!!

I'm declaring Tuesdays as Spa Day where I treat myself to some home spa pampering. Today, I'm giving myself a Tropical Peel Off mask treatment.

I bought this tube of mask during my last trip to Dubai. It costs around AED 18 which is about RM14.50 and one tube promises 10 applications. This mask is made up of a mixture of red grape and mango.

For less than RM1.50 a use, I'm not only saving loads of money (compared to going to the saloons out there), I'll also get to give myself a treat and have super soft skin at the same time! :)

Make your Credit Card Work for YOU!

Credit cards are not bad things if you use them wisely. I pay mine in full each month as I see no reason why I should let them charge me interest for my purchases. I make sure that I have the money to pay for whatever I buy each month which means that every purchase needs to be thought of in advanced, in short, planned.

Let me tell you this: I didn't start out this way. I have had my fair share of credit card debt in the past which I worked very hard to pay down and off. I put a running tally of my credit card balance on my fridge. It gave me a constant reminder of why I should control my spending and at the end of each month, I would happily extract the amount that I paid and watch the outstanding balance reduce. For me, that was motivating.

Well, all that, I am proud to say, is in the past. Now, I make my credit cards work for me. I'm currently using my Maybank Amex a lot as each ringgit that I charge earns 5 treats points. I also pay my bills using my Maybank Amex whenever possible such as my Streamyx, phone and DBKL bills. In addition, I make sure that I pay my bills and make purchases over the weekends so that I get to enjoy the 5% cash back rewards. The cash back is capped up to RM50 a month and that adds up to a savings of RM600 a year!

The 5 treats points given for every ringgit spent adds up pretty quickly too and with 2000 treat points, you can redeem a RM10 voucher from one of the retailers participating in the treats points program. So yeah, if you're like me, you'll be saving a huge amount of money if you make your credit cards work for you instead of what most people out there do, work hard to pay off their credit cards.

In case you belong to the latter group, you might want to think about going on a shopping diet and concentrating on paying off your credit card debt instead. You'll be surprised to see how paying twice the minimum payment is going to cut down not only on the length of time that it'll take you to finish paying your debt but also how much less interest you'd be paying the credit card company. There are many calculators out there to help you figure out how long it'll take you to pay off your debt. Click here for one such credit card calculator.

Another way you can save on paying interest on your credit cards is if you use the zero% balance transfer programmes that banks offer from time to time. You've got to be very disciplined though. No going out on ANOTHER shopping spree just because credit card A's balance is zero now. Remember, if you use your credit cards, make sure that you have the means to pay them off NOW. Don't think about paying for purchases that you make now with future income because what that's going to mean is that you'd have even less to spend when the future comes because you have to pay for a purchase that you made months ago. Wouldn't that be such a drag?

Use your credit cards wisely. Make them work for you. Don't work for them! 

Chris' Bay Area Burgers

I found this recipe for burgers online (click here for the recipe) and it was absolutely delish! The burger was nice, and full of flavour. It tastes like something you would have in a nice restaurant.

I had an extra serving which I put in the fridge and had it for lunch today. Yum!

I thank Allah for this phase of my life when I have the time to explore recipes which in the past I never had time to do.

The New Frugality by Chris Farrell

This is another book which I purchased in order to educate myself on personal financing. Some things I learned from this book about how to be frugal with regards to investing:

• Keep fees razor thin
• Use dollar cost averaging which basically means putting the same amount of money into an investment regularly over a long period
• Rebalance your portfolio regularly
• You have to realise you can't consistently beat the market.
• Invest in index funds; don't bother with actively managed mutual funds.

Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly

Past Secrets is about the lives that we lead and the secrets that we keep. The story centers around the women who live on the same street. Yes, it is kind of like Desperate Housewives and Wisteria Lane where everybody appears normal but actually has secrets.

There's Faye, a single mom, and who appears to be serious and boring to her daughter Amber but is she really serious and boring or is she keeping a secret away from Amber?

There's Maggie who came home to look after her ill mom but did she really go home to look after her mom and help her dad around the home? She'd been putting up with the wrong man and accepting less for herself for years due to her lack of self confidence. Will she be able to change her circumstances?

And then there's Christie, who possesses the gift to see the future and who everybody seems to go to with their troubles...only that Christie too has her share of secrets to keep and as secrets go, she is afraid of what others would think of her when they find out about them.

This was one of my many bookcrossing finds :)

Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny by Suze Orman

This is one of the many books that I read two months ago but failed to blog about until now.

I went out specifically searching for this book at my favorite discount bookstore, BookXcess, in Amcorp Mall. I guess it was my lucky day 'cause they had it in stock! In case you're wondering, the original price of the hardcover book which I purchased was RM99.90 but I got it for RM19.90 at BookXcess.

This is my very first Suze Orman book although I have watched her giving financial advice to women on Oprah numerous times in the past.

Women & Money contains loads of helpful financial advice. Suze wrote this book especially for women because many women are clueless when it comes to financial matters. She explains, for example, the difference between good debt and bad debt.  We hear people talking about good debt and bad debt often but do you know what they really are? Good debt is money that you borrow to buy an asset which will appreciate in value over time. Bad debt is money that you borrow not used to buy an asset. The ultimate example of bad debt is credit card debt. Going by this definition of bad debt, borrowing money to pay for a car loan constitutes as bad debt because a car doesn't appreciate in value! Now, isn't that an eye opener!

She covers a lot of areas in this book such as retirement investing, must-have documents, protecting your family and your home and the financial aspects of commitment which includes relationships/ marriage/ kids.

No doubt that many of the advice written in this book is for the American woman, but I found many of the advice useful as I only have to adapt the same concepts into my local context. It is about how to think about finances is what I take away. After acquiring the bigger idea, I can adapt what I learned to my day-to-day living.

In short, Suze asks women to imagine what's possible --- to imagine what life would be like when we make the choice to take control of our finances and not remain clueless. Power to women!

Donations and decluttering

I finally went to the charity donations box in Centrepoint today. I am happy to announce that I donated 12 pairs of shoes and 2 bags of clothes. I hope somebody makes good use of them.

I have other clothes and shoes that I intend to donate but I was thinking of taking them to the SPCA as they now have a charity shop and I thought that I'd take my nicer stuff to them so that they can sell them and make some money for the animals. I just love animals and hope that my donation will help them some.

Online Savings Account

Maybank's m2u Savers account is an online savings account that allows you to earn higher interest rates (2.1% - 2.3% per annum) compared to the conventional savings account (0.15% - 1.4% per annum).

It's easy to open an m2u Savers account if you're already a maybank2u user. You open the m2u Savers account through your existing maybank2u.com account. It took me no more than 3 minutes to set up my account (honest!) and you will see your new account in your next log in on the maybank2u.com website which is great! (Yes, I actually logged out and back in again to check that (1) the new m2u Savers account had been created and (2) that the amount that I transferred from my existing savings account is registered on my new m2u Savers account).

The new m2u Savers account that you set up is linked to your other existing savings/ current/ credit cards maybank accounts. It is also linked to your existing ATM card. 

The minimum deposit amount to open a m2u Savers account is RM250. RM250 is also the minimum amount of money that you must have in your account to keep it going.

In order to earn high interest rates, you need to have at least RM2000 in your m2u Savers account. The interest rates that you will earn is as follows:

RM2000 - RM 50000     2.1% per annum

Above RM50000            2.3% per annum

The interest is calculated on a daily basis and is credited into your account on a monthly basis. I'll be looking out for my first interest credit at the end of the month.

Keep in mind that Maybank is offering this high interest rate as this is an online banking account which means that you are not supposed to utilise the bank's over the counter services as all of your banking will be conducted via their ATM/ Check Deposit/ Cash Deposit machines. 

Maybank will impose a RM5.00  fee for the following over the counter services:

Withdrawals of less that RM5000

GIRO transactions of less than RM5000

Fund transfers of less than RM5000

In short, any transaction shy of RM5000 DON'T do it over the counter at the bank! Go use the machines!

The RM5 fee, however, will be waived if the transaction that you need to conduct amounts to RM5000 or more.

Should you not be impressed with the m2u Savers account after you have opened the account, keep in mind that a RM20.00 charge will be imposed should you want to close the account within 3 months of opening it.

Ayah

Happy Father's Day Ayah... I miss you terribly. I wish I had told you "I love you" more often when I could. You are always in my thoughts.

No more clothes and shoes shopping!!!

I've discovered many new things in my wardrobe that I haven't worn, some even have price tags on them still. So this is what I plan to do --- I'm going to put a hold on clothes and shoes shopping for awhile until I have exhausted my current supply or until I feel like giving some of my present stuff away to charity. There is no point in having an abundance of clothes and shoes and not using them. I figured that I could save a lot of money by just chilling and not going shopping as I had normally done in the past.

I am also, at the same time, weeding through my clothes and putting away the clothes that I no longer use away to be donated to charity.

Enter Half Naked and Leave Fully Dressed

As much as I simply love clothes and shopping for them, I'm not this is something I'd ever do ...

The Desigual stores in London, Stockholm and Berlin offered the first 100 customers today who arrived at their store half naked in their underwear free outfits of their choice to walk out with. The same promo is going to take place in Madrid on June 21st and Prague on June 24th. Would you dare to bare for fashion?

Or Rau by Kuan Guat Choo

This is another one of my BookCrossing finds.

This story was set in Penang. Or Rau, a girl who came from China with her family, worked for a Chinese family which consisted of only women. The Chinese family members treated her badly to the point of her wanting to commit suicide with her two young children. Lucky for her, she was saved by a teacher as she was walking into the sea with her children.  The portrayal of the first Chinese family is believable as there are still Chinese families today who abuse their maids.

I personally found this book depressing. Although I know that there are people out there who treat others badly, and that the writer's portrayal is accurate, I just feel that it's not right for any one of us to treat others so badly. What right have we got to treat others so badly that their only choice of finding freedom is in committing suicide? 

Aroma Thai

I went to Aroma Thai located in Damansara Perdana for early dins yesterday evening (as I didn't have lunch) to redeem my WeBuy voucher which I purchased (I paid RM10 for a RM25 voucher). It was quiet when I arrived at around 6 PM. In fact, I was the only customer there. People did start coming in at around 6:30 PM though.

I ordered Seafood Tom Yum (since I read many great reviews about it on the net), Fried Beef in Red Chilies, steamed rice and Lemongrass Juice. The lemongrass juice was refreshing. Unfortunately I found the beef tough and the tom yum was alright but not brilliant --- I guess that is what happens when you've been to Thailand and had the real McCoy!

The bill came up to RM35 and I topped up the RM10 at the cashier. As I was leaving the restaurant, I spotted a roach (a small one) on the floor!

Decluttering Shoes

I just watched Enough Already! With Peter Walsh on decluttering footware. Watch the video.



The woman in the video had 42 pairs of shoes to begin with and in comparison, I hate to admit this, but I have waaayyy more pairs than she does (I don't even want to count!). Yes, I'm a shoeaholic!

Inspired by Walsh's video clip, I immediately got down to decluttering my shoes (not all, but some...hey, that's a start, isn't it?) and I'm proud to say that I managed to toss out 16 pairs so far. My aim is to toss out 24 pairs...got to be more discerning when deciding which pairs to keep and which should go into the donation bin. Will keep you updated on how I get on with that goal of mine.

Kitsch Cupcakes

super yummy cupcakes

I mentioned about Kitsch Cupcakes in my earlier blog post. My very first encounter with Kitsch Cupcakes was on my first visit to Dubai last year. I happened to be in the Dubai Mall and saw this cupcake counter within one of the stores (Candylicious) and decided to buy a few to try them out. They were so pretty to look at and I was sorry to have to eat them (but I did!). Let me tell you this...It was love at first bite! The cupcakes tasted as good as they looked. The frosting tasted just the way I like it --- not too sweet.

Ever since then, whenever I am in Dubai, I make it a point to have Kitsch cupcakes. No visit to Dubai is complete without a visit to Kitsch Cupcakes.

So imagine my disappointment on my latest visit to Dubai when I discovered that they were no longer in the Dubai Mall and I had made that visit to the Dubai Mall just to buy the cupcakes!!!  Not willing to give up, I goggled them up and discovered that they had moved to new premises and are now located in their own store on Jumeirah Beach Road. I only managed to go down there a day before I was to leave Dubai but it made it wait even more worthwhile when I bit into the cupcake... ahhh...it was simply divine.....mmmm....

If you're ever in Dubai, this is a MUST have! They cost AED12 each but believe me, they are worth every Dirham that you pay for them! Yum... just writing about them is making my mouth water! Can't wait to have them again.

Tea Republic

Remember the WeBuy voucher I bought for Tea Republic in BSC (Click here if you missed it earlier)? Anyway,  I went there to redeem it today.

The Tea Republic is nicely tucked away somewhere in the back corner on the second floor of BSC's new wing  making it a nice and quiet spot. When I arrived (it was around 3:30 PM), there was only one other customer there.  I sat outside on the balcony as it was raining and the air condition inside was pretty chilly.

The quiet balcony

I had the Starfruit Tropicalitea Blend and two chicken mushroom pies for tea.

A Starfruit Tropicalitea and two Chicken Mushroom Pies for tea!

They were supposed to give me a RM5 voucher for my next visit but I think they ran out of it. The waiter suggested that I take something away worth RM5 and I chose to try the cupcake. The cupcake was not too highly exciting (not after having discovered Kitsch in Dubai!) though it did look pretty. The cupcake was packed in an eco-friendly cardboard  box for me to takeaway.

The cupcake was packed in an eco-friendly cardboard box

The takeaway cupcake

Like I said in my earlier post when I purchased the voucher, it is a good way to experience new places without having to fork out too much money. Would I go back there again? Sure! I like it because it's quiet and the Starfruit Tropicalitea concoction is great!

The best part of the deal today? I didn't even have to part with a cent. Everything was already paid for and I even found a space outside BSC to park (yup, couldn't believe my good luck coz that area is always pretty busy and the carpark in BSC was quite busy at that time as well) and so, I didn't even part with a cent today! :)

Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn

I haven't been blogging recently and I'm a little bit behind with blogging about the books that I've read so you can rest assured that I'll be playing catch up in my next few blog posts.

I happened to chance upon this book while I was in the bookcrossing zone in 1-Utama. I've never read any book by Julia Quinn before this though I'm aware that she has written several.

I enjoyed reading this book. It's a romantic comedy set in Jane Austen times but with present day chic litt humour. 

Make Money Not Excuses by Jean Chatzky

This is another book which I picked up at the last Big Bad Wolf warehouse sale.

This is a personal finance book written by a woman for women. Most women make excuses as to why they are not actively involved in the management of their money and what this book does is tell women to stop being passive and start taking an active interest in managing their money.

This book is full of financial advice that are do-able. She gives a breakdown on how you should funnel your expenses according to the various expense categories:
Housing               35%
Saving                 10%
Living                  25%
Transportation     15%
Debt Repayment   15%

Housing includes not just the mortgage payment for your home but also the cost of living there such as taxes, insurance, utilities and repairs.

Living expenses include things like clothing, food, donations, entertainment, gifts, travel, etc.

Transportation includes not just payment for your wheels but also gas, insurance and maintenance.

Debt Repayment are payments for debt which don't include payment for your home or your car.

There are also maps to a million throughout this book that illustrates how much you'd earn if you put in a certain amount of money away to invest each month and shows what the amount will be in 10, 20, 30 and 40 years' time.

For example, if you could save $10 a day, which is $70 a week, and you put it away to invest at 8 percent, it would be 55,615 in 10 years, 179,062 in 20 years, $453,069 in 30 years and $1,061,266 in 40 years. Amazing, huh?

I'm inspired to save!!!

And oh, by the way, she has a website (click on the link) where you'll be able to find more money advice.