An expensive mistake

I just made one, that is.

Needless to say (but I'm not giving myself ready excuses), I was tired, I bought something expensive and I regret it almost immediately when leaving the store. Now, before you ask further "just make a refund", I regret to tell you that the returns/refund policy where I live is next to none. 

Vaguely remembering there is a "protection" policy (aka insurance), an urgent call to the credit card company was made. Apparently I could return all the things to the insurance company (the broker of the credit card company) and get a refund, but I had to pay roughly 12% of the product's value (it's an exact figure, not a percentage given). I wasn't impressed.

More importantly, I'm angry and beyond annoyed at myself.

It was clearly not a need, I am not going to die if I don't have it in my life. Far from that. It's not the sense of entitlement ("treat thyself") either. I don't know what got over me and I did it. The money (any money in fact) can be put to use in a much much better and purposeful way. 

Now we're looking at 2 options - (1) I can take the products (not send...) to the insurance company and fill in forms to do a refund and suffer the 12% loss; or (2) I can go back to the store to exchange for something else of equal value or higher value, which the difference shall be paid in extra. Selling it away is not an option either.

Totally realizing I'm bringing on more trouble for myself, I don't know which is the better option. It is a very expensive mistake either way no matter how you look at it. It SUCKS to feel like this.

This lesson just serves to remind me (1) not to set foot in that store again (except should I decide to exchange products, which is likely, since I'm not going to use that darn thing if I keep it, it's too painful of a lesson); (2) be very, very judicious in making decisions; (3) leave the cards at home (I brought it with me since I had to pay for a prescription today); (4) I'm going to live just fine without it; (5) I've lost more than just the monetary value here, time and mental resources to ponder and wonder about the decisions made. Frankly speaking it's been a torture ever since that stupid decision has been made. 

Can't let this happen again!

So frugal (OMG) and note to self

I came across something mortifying today on the train.

The train stopped and a few hikers (you can tell by their gear and apparel, and I wasn't wrong!) of roughly 50 or 60 years of age boarded. The train was about 80% crowded so they stood dispersed, 2 women in front of me, a man next to me, and another man behind me. They were literally shouting (talking louder than normal) and it hurts my ears and peace. Of course the 2 women were talking at my direction since the 2 men were next to/behind me, the man behind me talked very loudly next to my ear, of course. They were talking about Chinese tea house fees, some cheap strawberries they got from so and so for how much. I winced. 

Then they went on about cutting away coupons for some chain restaurant. I don't want to repeat what they said (the nitty gritty - something about those coupons and card offers that can't be combined which adds up to maybe US$0.5), it gave me the red flag (!). While I consider being frugal is generally a good thing, the mortifying part (for moi) is that these folks have it written all over their face. It's absolutely revolting. 

Of course frugality, when done right, is nothing to be ashamed of; but there's something about their frugality being so vocalized in a public area(!) that it borders on being miserly/cheap/take it for granted/(insert your word here). 

I took time to observe their appearance, they looked like...well let's just say I definitely DO NOT want to look like them when I'm old (something about the hair and skin, and their central topic of $$$ spending and saving just turned me off). This is a huge red flag. Now, from their speaking (of their hiking hobby), I don't think they're poor folks, but rather, they're super duper frugal folks. There's nothing wrong with talking about money as a topic, but the way they talked about it made me drop my respect. Needless to say, I felt turned off and couldn't wait to get off the train. 

Has any of you come across scenarios like that? How did you feel?

On one hand, I'm very thankful that frugality is a choice that I can make, not something that's forced upon me. On the other hand, I'm not ready to give up looking decent (I didn't use the word "good"), and I believe being frugal an d looking good aren't mutually exclusive.

In other news, I did another run through my wardrobe and got rid of 4 pieces - skirts with prints that I used to like but now found them a bit old-looking (I noticed that always is the case with florals...) I got a bit of thermal layers (sale), a fleece jacket (sale) and a jumper (on clearance) over the weekend, taking the advantage of sales. Expensive? Not when they're on sale. Necessity? Not really since I already own a few (thermal layers and fleece). The fleece in question is SO SOFT and WARM that I just want to stay in it forever, period. Possibly wear it outside-the-home too (but I won't, for aesthetic reasons obviously). It is only after I got the new fleece that I realized my old one isn't so great in keeping me warm, but I am not ready to throw away the old ones, course not! The jumper was on clearance and while it's not strictly a 'keep-you-warm' item, I suppose the style is timeless so not really a problem, although I do have too many jumpers in the trove that it has to stop. Or "one-in-one-out" from now on.

December = Excess = Sick

Disclaimer: I went a little crazy during November and December and just did a huge shop yesterday - it's making me guilty, regret now due to the excess. 

I should know it's coming. Right? Right??? 

The end of the year is always the worst - different sales going on, birthday discounts, etc. Excess makes me feel sick. And I am sick of the stuff piling in my room, sick of the wrong decisions I made, sick of repeating the same route again as the years before.

Definitely some goals are in the making with regards to that, the difficult part is "how to". While it's probably easy for some people who "just don't", it's going to be a bit tricky for moi. In the past I found that too much time on my hands = more mindless purchases, fully busy = less time to shop. However just look at the past two months will tell you otherwise. Busy = stress shop. 

I start to think that clarity is the key, when my mind is clear and focused on goals, and that means really focused and determined without distractions, I generally do better. The environmental factors of course play a part, I do better on days without any credit cards around aka (limited) cash only. I also do better when I have time to connect with frugal bloggers and posts...which comes to the conclusion that while I don't really have spare time as in my previous position, and it's not a thing I have control over. I definitely can do something on my part by leaving the cards at home, go limited-cash-only on days that are planned to be no-spend. Some unsubscribing actions must be done to get rid of the distractions.  

Lastly, how do I maintain the clarity and focus? How can one make frugality on auto-pilot without the need to even think?

2015 goals reviewed and looking forward

So I had the privilege of a few days' down time chillin' at home, due to a surgical dental extraction (PAIN!!) and wound stitching (TMI!). When the anesthesia is gone, it's really painful to the point that I couldn't sleep and had to take analgesics, and keeping a liquid/soft diet. Now half of my face is swollen up like a balloon. Not pretty. Plus, it hurts like somebody had punched my face, bruised and dug a hole on it, it felt very sore. The few days off could be more productive (had plans in the household area) but the pain is keeping me off from doing anything at all. Not even Internet, but hey, I remember and cherish this little corner and you lovely frugal friends on the cyber space :)

I haven't properly posted here since April, can you believe it's that time of the year already?? The past few months had been a blur, I dreaded in going to work, once I struggled to, it's like 11-12 hours per day, go home, have supper, shower, do the dishes, then off to bed. Barely any time to wind down and do my own stuff (from idling to Internet browsing, let alone blogging). If I stayed up at night (aka more 'me' time), I'd be exhausted the next day and the cycle repeats. One thing I had to be strict about is bed time, yeah like a kid. If I'm lucky that night that we're heading out for supper, which means no dishes. The work situation really is dreadful - there's no way around it and won't change anytime soon. I used to joke that the current role enables me to save more, i.e. too busy to do any mindless shopping, but being the holiday season in November to December, it isn't helping so far, lol. We shall see.

Back to the core business. Frugal living. Makes me panic the other day when I looked up and realized I had no definite ideas of what goals to achieve in 2016. More panic when I realized the latter half of 2015 was gone and I didn't do well in terms of adhering to my budget. Here's some financial milestones of 2015:

- I had taken a baby step towards investment, e.g. buying some stocks (on the advice/recs from my dad), earning dividends. I have no intention to put more money in it now since it's a volatile market and there's a possibility I will get carried away and put more/win some/lose more money;

- I just signed up a savings plan, which I consider it a safety nest to put some of my eggs into, and will start earning some guaranteed interests (similar to dividend but it's not a stock, idk how to call it) starting the 2nd year. This is a big step for me as it means I need to be financially committed (in the form of a fixed amount) every year, also a step that I've dreaded for 3-4 years. Sure I could be more aggressive in terms of the financial commitment per year as well as the guaranteed interest rates, but then I had other plans in mind that I'd like to purchase in the coming few years such as insurance, which is why I think I'm happy with the amount signed up for now;

- Who knew I could make some extra earnings from doing surveys? I did :) and I kept a figure of how much I made, it's not much but it certainly helps;

- I discontinued a monthly subscription box which brings happy little surprises, originally a monthly treat to self, I now find my room is stuffed to the brim and don't need any wondering of 'hit or miss'es;

- I did only 2 major clothes shopping this year, aside from undergarments and replacement of PJs, not sure how it will be like next year but it certainly cheered me (& wardrobe) up without breaking the bank. I didn't buy any shoes (slippers not counted) nor handbags;

- Aimless trips to supermarkets avoided.

Things I could have done better (financial or not), these will probably be 2016 goals:

- Adhere strictly to the budget, precisely spending on entertainment, cutting away mindless/impulse buys, and stop being sucked in by the word 'sale' and 'offer' and 'gifts'. Apparently this is still a MAJOR work in progress;

- Clocked in approx 130 No Spend Days this year, could definitely do more and get closer to 150;

- Side hustles fluctuated plus I'm busier in new role right now, 2-3k per month used to be attainable but no longer, I'd be ecstatic if able to make extra 1k per month;

- Saving for down payment: see financial milestones above, still a MAJOR work in progress, I'm thinking what to do with the blog progress bar;

- Explore funds and ETFs;

- Could be more diligent in cleaning and tidying my room (dust bunnies);

- Working out what are the 'essentials' in everything: from wardrobe to timetable, to routine to life;

- Traveled more;

- Be a better listener and partner;

- Keeping up with frugal blogosphere, internalize frugal living as a habit;

- Read more books/magazines, plus I'm close to not 1 but 2 libraries;

- Reevaluate my assets distribution, particularly the retirement funds (dreaded for a few years), do a shopping on bank offers;

- Exercise!! 

- Not bringing credit cards out on most days will help greatly in driving down impulse buys;

- Clear new emails every day.

My goals for next year is loosely laid out, some of the housekeeping/personal development/health and personal care goals will be similar to that of 2015 so they are likely to stay on the 2015/6 page...all in all, it's an OK year but definitely could accomplish a lot more. As far as 2016 is concerned, I'm not sure how the struggle between work and life will be, so I tend to be on the safe side not to make goals that are too radical. The older I become, the more I appreciate certainty and routines. The adventurous side will be kept for travels :) Very often I find myself hoping for a 'normal' year instead of an exciting one. Is anyone of you like that?

Now off to do the calculations of November...

Slow Sunday

On this slow weekend, I opted to stay in and hence 2 NSDs.

A few things that were forgotten in the last post, I made a decision to quit one of my side-hustle. Although it doesn't earn much, it does take up a bit of time and more often than expected, I found myself dreaded at the thought of working on it. To put it simply, I told the supervisor that I will have an impending change on my workplace, and that will take time to settle in; secondly but more importantly, I want to free some time to pursue my projects (e.g. de-cluttering, spending time with loved ones and family, exercise, catching up with blogs, or just plain idle...). But to keep things open, I did not exclude the possibility of picking it up in the future - if my work situation allows (but I doubt). Anyways, I felt free.

Starting from April, every month went not frugally, and I intend to change that. I found that jotting down tiny frugal things every few days / per week helps a great deal in keeping me on the frugal / resourceful course instead of looking anywhere to spend. I am also considering keeping a small, palm-sized note pad (and a pen obviously) in my bag whenever I go, so when I think of something, usually a to-do item, or a vague idea like meditation, some project that needs further consideration, I will write it down. Why not use a phone as a notepad? I have done that and the list ended up with many other miscellaneous items, and I cannot cross them out after completion of certain tasks (erase is the only option), I prefer something that allows me to check, check, tick and done.

The idea of keeping a physical to-do list is beneficial in a way I did not expect: when near to tears with boredom this weekend, I looked through the list (now still shreds of papers stapled together instead of a notepad), and realized I could use the time to complete some of the stuff that I've been dragging on: finish reading Mrs Moneypenny's book, draft a letter to the building management office, a wardrobe purge (see? this thing crept up every 6 months. Bastard.), clean my room floor, to rotate shoes (#firstworldproblem), exercise (as far as I'm concerned, with the heat and rainy weather, this will remain as scribbles on the paper instead of an item...sad). 

So the easiest was of course to finish the book where I left off months ago, and I couldn't find it anywhere! Wardrobe purge: not really feel like it now. Mop the floor? The flat below me is blasting their air-con so my floor is trickled with cold water droplets because of the temperature difference (I offed the air-con when I wake up)! It would be futile for me to wipe the floor clean when such situation is anticipated to last until summer finishes.

I turned to rummage through the cupboards and then found some noodles that were close to expiry dates, had one for lunch. Rummaging through the other cupboards I picked out some tubes and jars that are unopened and won't be used, off they go to my friends then. The travel book I borrowed from a friend - it's no longer sitting on my desk but off to the bag it goes - I'll return it when I see him for a dinner or something after work. A few reading materials on the side-hustle that I was working for? The recycle bin! 

I also reserved a book on de-cluttering (the mind and the home) with a click, didn't know it was that easy! Now I just have to wait patiently since there are others who are also waiting for the book. Think this deserves a frugal point!

For the rest of today, I'm catching up with some blog reading and will be charting my frugal course for August. 

I may or may not have mentioned in the last post, that some of the items in the wardrobe are looking a bit washed out and tatty (e.g. black turned dark grey with white cast on top, colors that no longer look like when they're new thanks to the mixed color wash and transfer of dye/colors during wash, things that no longer look good because I've grown fat in the belly - YIKES especially on the last one). I found that shabby looking clothes really dampen my spirits and outlook, I'd feel shabby the whole day and felt compared to, even when my bag is new. After some analyzing that most items in my current wardrobe had lasted 1-3 years, some of them are just outdated, gone tatty, and some of them just don't look good anymore. With this in mind, I have a clothes shopping trip planned next next week, I'd be uber careful and cautious when I consider bringing a new item in, however. This is due to concerns with space, ease of washing with other items (color transfer), style in question (compatibility with my activities and other items), and material. I deliberately pushed this shopping trip later and later, frankly I just want to faint when looking at the current wardrobe, I'm not sure if I have the guts to bring anything new in before cleaning something out, this is something I dreaded on and on. Secondly, some bargains might be at their best when we're stepping into the next season. 

Also on the same note, I really need a change on my hair, it no longer looks crisp nor fresh, instead it looks out of place, still thinking on how to proceed with this one. I may change haircut twice per year to three times per year in order to feel my best. Hope this doesn't come across as vanity, but how I look really affects how I feel (low confidence, insecurity, shy away from this or that). I could no longer deny it when looking at the mirror, and this has become more frequent than before.

As July is drawing to a close, the monthly wrap-up will be up in the coming few days. I'd have a weekend getaway next week so I hope everyone has had a great month!

What are your plans in August?

Not-so-frugal hiatus

I've been MIA for a long time *gasp* and sorry I didn't mean to!!

I was simply knackered and loaded with work and it was like a battle on my work desk every day particularly the last two weeks. I came home just wanting some off-screen time, and on weekends I'd like some down time and prepare the upcoming trip, going out occasionally instead of having my eyes glued to the screen, as if I hadn't done that enough from Mon to Fri!

The other thing was that I was stressed out for the past 2 weeks too - of course the spending went a bit haywire, I'll do a post on that when I wrap up the month. At this rate, it looks like the monthly wrap-up for May is happening in late June...

Thought it'll be nice to leave a message here telling my readers that I'm not giving up this blog, this frugal journey anytime! Just give me some time, and I'll be back and tune in the frugal channel again (probably back in full mode in latter half of June!). It'll be quite a while since I have lots of blog reading to catch up, since early April, but nevertheless I am going to make it. Just want to say sorry about the lack of posts lately!

Oh and huge thanks to January for helping me to reach out to Pru, and Pru's invitation!

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2015

With plenty of blog post reading to catch up ahead, I'll first do a wrap-up of April. I felt like a naughty child who failed to do what I ought to do!

I'll start with something good that has happened this month:

- borrowed some books and finished one

- we bought a travel guidebook using a voucher and ended up paying only a few dollars for it

- bleach wiped my room once, washed curtains, hung them up, changed new bed sheets

- upgraded my credit card and makes earning points faster

- opened up an investment account, which I've dreaded, and still dreaded

- decluttered magazines, found lost photos

The not-so-good of April:

- overspent my budget

- earned very little in side-hustle front

- exercised zero times

- felt the urge to spend / shop, see yesterday's post

- terribly behind on blogs and completely fallen off the frugality bandwagon

- treated a lot of important persons for dinners, my food budget exploded
- NSDs had shrunk in number since I spent a few days away and of course, paid for food and travel day by day

April had seen me throwing my money (and caution) in the wind, since I was stressed out. I don't know about other people, but going on a trip stresses me out a lot, A LOT. There was the familiarizing with guidebooks, lots of decision making, coordinating, researching. All of these happened while I'm still working daytime, there were many times I wanted to say "I can't handle this". This feeling remained after I returned from the trip, as I am already planning another trip, and catching up with lots of things at the same time, opening a bank account, frequent trips to the bank, post office, here and there during lunch, when I'm supposed to wind down. I hope this doesn't sound like bragging (because I'm not), and whoever was the psychologist or something that says going on holidays give people stress can't say it any truer. Holidays isn't all about rainbows, and it gives you headaches not (just) because of money.

April's figures: overspent $3,366, savings rate saw a huge dip to 29.6% only *yikes*

What's in store in May?

- haircut. It's reached so long and thick that I sweated out from it more often than I thought: summer is here

- wardrobe switch. Can you believe it's the 2nd time I do this - meaning that we stepped into winter, and are stepping out of it now!

- more research for the trip, packing

- family gathering for Mother's Day (dinner)

- (another) granny's birthday dinner

- ideally I'd like to step up on the side-hustle earnings but it's out of my control, plus time is not really enough lately

Have a great weekend everyone!

What's been happening - and a few observations

If anyone can be guilty about not posting frequently in April, it'd be me. I'd also be the one who is guilty of horribly behind from all the blog reading and comments. I'll try to catch up this week and read the posts I've missed. Alas, the abstinence from frugal blog kingdom has had me fallen off the frugal bandwagon - not a nice feeling, nor a good news for my bank account.

I went on holiday for a handful of days in early April, needless to say my schedule was swamped before the days off; after the short trip, I returned drained. Coming to think of it, DB and I didn't do mountaineering nor any outdoor sports during holiday, we did sightseeing and minimal walking, under hot weather, and that's enough to make me drained for a whole week. I think I almost had a heatstroke on day 2, but recovered quickly in the evening. My sleep was poor since returning from the trip, and I had no idea why. 

At work, there's some rumors about reshuffling - to be honest I expected it to take place in the latter half of the year, but news shot up that it actually was taking place bit by bit. I was taken aback at the view of this - totally not prepared for it yet. A few discussions with my coworkers had sent me into panic mode for a while. A new meeting had landed on my plate too, and it's something I'm not familiar with. Not a good time at work indeed.

Coming back, DB and I are planning on our next trip, which will happen real soon, a month from now, actually. In the pipeline was of course tons of decision making (raise your hand for decision fatigue!), a lot of reading, researching, debating. And I'm still not there yet - not at the level that I'd prefer to be, i.e. getting acquainted with the details of our destinations. Far from it, in fact. More reading and researching is needed, and time is running out (3 weeks?). A lot of cash had been blown on the coming trip, but in consideration of all things, I hope it'll be worth it. Possibly my last long-haul trip for years to come *gasp*.

Intrigued by a book title we happened upon at the airport when returning from our holiday, I googled online and found nothing. I then thought of my uni. library, did a search, one of the books I wanted was there. Went there on a brim after work, picked up 4 books, finished 1 in a few days. But this is about as frugal as I get to this month. As far as the money aspect is concerned, I'm too terrified to do a calculation (I would do that in the Monthly Wrap-Up post to come), it's not looking good from what I can tell:

1) blown a lot of cash in the coming trip

2) overspent in April even if the trip related expenses were taken out

3) I had this terrible twitch of hands (or my mind) that I want to buy something, after returning from the trip. It's the worst feeling one can have in the journey of frugality.

A lot of things had happened and dragged me in the direction of making a move, in a pace faster than I imagined / wanted. One of these was the opening of a securities account. I planned to wait for a new customer offer, but instead I was forced into action from my folks. I managed to open it, albeit with lots of complications and hurdles along the way. It's set up now, or very close to! I really don't like to operate a new interface, seeing unfamiliar numbers that are actually my money, and buying stocks. It's all very foreign to me and I don't think I can familiarize myself with it shortly. I took on a new stock that's yet to hit the market, based on advice from my folks. The number is nothing big, but any investment (except in bonds) gave me the unease, and if you know me at all, the last thing I want on earth is to have another thing to worry / add to my mental task list. But beggars can't be choosers, I need to grow my capital, be it how little it stands at right now. It's a new thing I had to live with, learn, research on and familiarize with.

I talked about the merits and consequences of upgrading my credit card before - at the end I went ahead for it, I don't think I'll look back now. First, it allows me to visit lounges of airports, with a limit to the frequencies but it's not like I travel a lot per year, and it's a wonderful thing to have say, especially on my upcoming long-haul trip. Second, it allows me to accumulate my points faster.

Last weekend I bleach wiped my room once, washed the curtains, hung them up, it felt good to have a nice clean(er) room again, albeit I was completely exhausted afterwards. Yesterday I planned to pamper myself at home, but I had some accidental decluttering instead. Got rid of a bunch of old magazines, freed up some space and put stuff in, it felt good, but my room was still full of chucks of stuff. I hate stuff, the older I become, the less stuff I want to have. I also found some trip photos which I thought were missing, by accident! Really glad I found them, or should I say, I'm glad I wasn't stupid enough to erase them! Of course, that tired me out again. Some awful cramps had made me want to stay in today, imagine my horror when discovering I left some important bank letter in my office - I had no choice but to go there and fetch it...managed a No Spend Day for first 2 days of May.

All in all, April made me feel like a cog in a wheel, a scatterbrain pulled in all directions to move forward when I'm not ready for it, but such is life, isn't it?!

Looking forward to reading everyone's blog posts while I'm away :-) Being away from reading frugal blogs had its dire consequences, and one that I don't wish to go through if able to!

Outsourcing your time or your hard earned money?

The other day I met up with a friend who just came back from the holiday destination that I'm soon going to, and I borrowed the travel guide from him. In the past I've also borrowed another travel guide from him too! Makes me cringe to buy books of that sort...unless it's somewhere I really, really want to go, and the book is really, really helpful. But these days there's always the Internet.

During our convo, I learned that the price he paid per person, for flight and hotel, is double than the amount of what I booked per person for me and DB. Shocker, right? And my vacation dates belongs to the peak season and his was not! I was very curious so I asked him where he stayed at. He quoted a place which they booked a private pool (!) and the nights we stayed are the same. We lived in pretty much the same area I guess...his hotel was newer, but basically the "level of stars" are the same, if not half-a-star difference. To my surprise, my friend thinks this price was fair. To me, needless to say, was not. I told DB this shocking discovery, that what they paid for one person actually pays for 2 of us to go, with same number of nights spent there in a similar area! I can't remember whether they have free breakfasts included but mine surely have!

I would further add that even though the sound of having a private pool is nice, but I'm not going to use it every day while at that destination. I don't like the idea of vegging in the hotel room when traveling, so it doesn't make any difference to me (or benefit) if the hotel carries a free gym access and a free pool access. I would love the idea of having a private pool, but anything more than 1 day is too much, who am I kidding anyway? If I'm going swimming I might just as well get to a standard pool and do some laps like a pro (ok, maybe not a pro), or if I want some sun I might as well go to the local beach. Paying for a private pool which I'll not be using everyday? No thanks. And the ludicrous part was, I thought his partner did the booking for him, but no, he told me they bought the package via an agent. An agent! If it was somewhere I'm not too familiar with, not that popular with tourists, I might do the same. But chances are that 90% I would not outsource it. 

In the past I've made booking for flights and hotels via agent, but on different occasions and never booked together. One occasion was when I was traveling with my parents and they made a booking for the hotel via the agent (a place they've been to but I haven't, so I trusted their recs, the place doesn't have much "hotels" but instead "home-stays" are plenty, and I'm not staying at anything other than a hotel when I'm with my parents). The other time I booked a flight ticket via an agent because I wasn't too sure about buying it online. 

But I'm getting better at it now...once I got past the "fear of making a mistake" stage (story to come in an upcoming post).

With outsourcing I believe that depends on the age and angle where you're looking at it from. Right now, it makes sense to me that these are things that I could easily do it myself, but when I become old one day, I might just dismiss the act of outsourcing as "giving myself some free time" or "saves me hassles", or it was just something that I'm not capable of, e.g. mechanics, renovation. But for now, as far as I'm concerned, I can book tickets and hotels myself without problems, although it means I have difficulty choosing.

Over to you, what do you / will you happily outsource?

Fail to plan, Plan to fail

My previous boss used to say this phrase every now and then during our morning meetings. It stuck in my head whenever I did something stupid.

Back >1.5 years ago, I was an avid contact lens wearer, and I made use of the sale day at the grocery to stock up on the contact lens solution because I go through a bottle in 1.5 month. That's pretty reasonable and straight forward, right?

Fast forward to now, I still have 1.75 bottles left and their expiry date is March 2015. They're standing on the bath stand mocking me for stupidly stocking up. Truth was, I wore less and less contact lenses and thus did not need as much of the solutions as I thought I would. What I thought would be efficient (saves money, since I'm going to use them anyway) had ended up costing me more, because of the unused things that's going to waste. With anything that touches the eyes expiring soon, I'm NOT going to take the risk of using them and getting an infection. That'd be another stupid mistake.

With that in mind, I decided that any stocking up behavior should not be too long-term. 6-9 months' stock is OK, but anything more than that is a no-no, that includes food. I just realized I have tons of cookies, oatmeal, cereal bars that are close to expiry / expired by a few weeks, and they're still there. Another lesson not to go crazy with stocking up. I don't live in a desert or the Arctic, why do I have such FOMO or fear with not having enough? Can anyone explain that?

Another story that happened which made me want to kick myself was, a spring drizzle that I thought was nothing but enough to make my feet / shoes / coat wet! A drizzle without an umbrella and wellies is simply a recipe for disaster. As I was chasing commute today, the puddle splashed against my leggings (it's probably not good for work but it's a Friday and I don't care lol) and my feet. Talk about gross! The lesson to take away is: when in doubt (of the weather), take the short umbrella. 

Oh, did I mention someone just took my umbrella from my building? I suspected the cleaners took / stole it while they cleaned, but they (the property guards) said no. Glad it was an old one and I had extras.

Here's to no more stocking up of food for a good while until I've finished everything! For my lens solution, I'll just buy when April rolls around and won't get any more bottles until I ran out, which I expected to be few and far between.

What are your "fail to plan, plan to fail" moments?

Sometimes it's not what we think it is

A few months ago I shared that a friend of the same age (a girl), who had bought a flat with her bf and moved in together. Well, she told me she's broken up with her bf and moved back to her parent's. This was such shocking news to me, I always thought she's the one who "has it": not rich, but enough money to pay for down payment and get a mortgage (halved with her bf), a stable relationship hence the moving in part, a nice job, and a bit of cushion there from her investments.

To me, that kind of number is just astronomical (I know it was not much, but it's getting even more difficult these days). I was pretty upset at myself at that time because I kept thinking what I should have done to my money before getting a grip on it now, and how different would bank account figure be now. I still do, a bit upset at myself for what I've done with my money before. But this post just goes to show you how fickle things are...one moment a person looked like they have a stable life but the next moment they're back to square one, well, almost. At the beginning of March I had that crest-fallen feeling for 2 days and it was just enough to wreck everything - peace of mind, appetite, and health, sleep, etc.

Have you come across similar stories? Did knowing such people (and that you can be in a similar place with them, but you're not near that for now) upset you?

*To this date, I think I should thank her for inspiring me to get a grip on my finances, and started this blog. She doesn't know her story gave me such a motivation. And without this blog, I would feel alone in this journey. Thanks every one of you for reading this blog. THANK YOU.*

Something frugal, and something not that frugal

Shall we begin with the not so frugal thing about this week?

Well, I caved and bought this mook (a Japanese term referring to a book magazine with gift, usually a pouch or a tote). Do you recognize the character? She's Lilla My from the Moomin tribe! The cartoon is originated from Finland.

 

The mook is not very expensive, but surely it's not a need, but a want. The bag is made of nylon, has no zippers, but I like the way the colors combined and the cartoon on it. So much for saying to 'pay thyself' first...hahaha.

Moving onto the frugal things this week:

We went to the movies, but we chose to eat at a food court, that cut down our dinner to about US$4.5 for me, US$8 for DB. We bought bottled water because we were both coming from work, usually if it's on the weekend I'd bring my own.

I checked the travel insurance price last week from our usual provider, they offered 10% off throughout the year for their members. Today when I looked at it again, they are offering 35% off for members - YAY. It pays to wait, but I really wouldn't recommend you to wait to buy it at the last minute since the companies take time to process before they issue a green light to your insurance policy. I would suggest if you know you're needing it anyway, go check in with them every now and then, and pounce when a special offer (than usual offer) is there.

I took some time off due to a dental appointment this week, and managed to squeeze in an hour brisk walk at the park, that's gonna be the single entry in my March exercise goal, lol. The said dental appointment meant a surgery date pushed earlier (end of 2015) than the old date (2017 / 2018, which was way too far away). I have doubts about this dental operation, since it's not necessarily a life-threatening situation, and they told me they'll give me 2-3 days off after the operation. Seriously! I must have underestimated it based on my one time experience with removing a wisdom tooth. Well, at least, the operation should save me from seeking private dentist. I also scrapped plans for the dental checkup-and-wash in March, one that I have to pay for, since I have an upcoming visit to a dentist covered by my employer in May anyway. BONUS: I made progress on the Mrs. Moneypenny book (!) instead of the book I'm supposed to finish, but sorry, not sorry!

Tomorrow we'll be dining out WITH coupons, you guessed it. The other day I told DB that since we usually eat out (because we aren't sharing a home together), we might as well: (1) eat more frugal sometimes; (2) when we eat fancy / more up-scale, relatively speaking, we might as well do some hacking, that includes Super Monday deals, going on days / to places that let you multiply the points / miles on your card (travel hacking); (3) make use of coupons from newspaper and flyers. DB agreed. 

I applied for an equivalent to Nectar card in the UK - a moneyback card from a supermarket chain, I don't know why I didn't apply it sooner, I should have! I don't shop at supermarket much, if at all, but it makes sense to have it ready when I do shop there, no matter how infrequently and how small the amount usually was. I had this "ding!" moment when I was paying for the cheese fondue pack at the cashier a few weeks ago. The card took more than 3 weeks to arrive in the mail, but I'm happy that I made a sensible decision :-) Note: supermarket and grocery store are not the same thing (for me).

Upgrading my existing credit card to the "elite" status had been on my mind for months but haven't got around to actually ask about it in detail. To be honest, apart from accumulating miles quicker, it doesn't really offer that much benefits (unlimited access to airport lounges throughout the year? I don't travel more than twice a year and twice a year, the maximum amount of how frequent I can use the airport lounge with my current card, is enough for me). Second, the annual card fee was much higher than the current one, and can only be waived if I had a 150,000 spending, which is rather impossible. Don't think I'll be making the upgrade in this case.

A friend sent me some goodies from the mail - she ordered a matching set of a perfume for both of us, how sweet of her! Her parcel totally made my day week.

The past week had seen me really busy with work so this weekend will be all about catching up with blogs! This week had been not very good, hope you have a good weekend.

Aloha, spring

In this corner of the earth, Spring is finally here. With temperatures going over teens, many are losing their tights/leggings. I am terribly afraid of coldness and easily getting sick, hence have not ditched leggings yet (don't worry I wear a dress over it). 

However the warmth and heat in the air got me to thinking the time I survived solely on dresses and skirts, aka summer. It seemed like a year ago while in fact was just 6-9 months at most. The feel of sunshine on my arms, the sweat (not pretty) but most of all - the feeling of freedom. It seemed like I've been living under a shell for too long, that I forgot how it was to live the spontaneous life (read: careless/mindless about money).

While I have my vice (perfume and beauty stuff), and everyone's got their vice too; it shocked me to hear what some of my coworkers say / do. They have shellac / gel nails / manicure every 7-10 days (shocker to me! I hardly never do my nails), one of them even said she has "seasonal shoes", meaning the shoes (not cheap but not too expensive) will last through 3-4 months of wear and will be tossed. It might shock you to know that I used to think exactly like that person did about shoes, when I bought shoes made of fabric: the dirt, dust and sweat (TMI) just ruined the shoes after intensive wear for 3-4 months, they just look tatty and can't be worn any longer. This perception of shoes changed right after I encountered my first plastic pair of flats, they last and last and last. Best of all, they are more washable than fabric counterparts, if not completely washable in every part! It's a slow lesson I learned from the past year - that fast fashion is probably not good for my new found frugality, nor for the planet. 

Coming back from the Art Show

DB and I went to an art show yesterday since I got us free tickets. What I did not anticipate was that the show was commercial in nature, a certain 5-star hotel has rented its rooms to artists and galleries and the latter will put up paintings, objects they sell all over the room. On the windows, the bed, the wall, the bathroom (!) mirror and bathtub (!). Why would anyone pay to go in just to potentially buy artworks (many of them are couples) is beyond me.

Then in one display room, a studio representative was talking to us about what their studio does: take photos in different styles and have them printed. She said during the exhibition they are doing an offer fro HK$500 you get an one-hour photo shoot, and get to have one wall print of 1 of the photos (you can select which one). But they won't give you soft copy of the photos taken during the shoot! WTF is that??? I can do similar stuff with a cell phone app, Photoshop on the computer, and take it to print myself! Or I can ask friends who are good at photography to do that, even though we don't have a studio environment. The whole package offered by the representative was ludicrous ridiculous!

The commercial factor aside, the rooms were really small, dated for a 5-star hotel in a prime location. The views are awesome though, after all people are paying for a prime location! We were a bit disappointed because the show was crowded, and the place was cramped, we did get our free drinks though. Our conclusion was that art was really an subjective and therefore the price is really arbitrary. What looks like a kid's drawing can sell for a lot, repetitions / collage works can sell for a lot but you never know how much effort / time is put into the work. There were really some good paintings though!

After the show we went for a burger and ribs dinner, we really liked the place since it's high-ceiling (guaranteed good vibe in my books), it was bustling but not noisy, and its tucked away in a very chic neighborhood. DB was not feeling that full so we headed back to the hotel and there's a large mall underneath and we looked for sushi takeaway at a supermarket. He finally settled on some and I got some bread on clearance, the supermarket was rather upscale being in a prime location with a few 5-star hotels nearby, so mind you they're still more than what I have in mind for "clearance" items but considering it's half-palm sized scones and banana bread (never tried before), I paid HK$43 for more than 3 breakfasts' worth of bakery goods. Had a bit of the bread today and it was decent without being sweet at all! I wouldn't be picking up anything from the mall's bakery next time though - because the deals aren't exactly 'deals'.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Admitting my weakness

Time to 'fess up. I was doing good financially for the past week until today.

Bogged down by serious cold and flu for the past 8 days, I stayed home all weekend, aside from work trips. Didn't spend much except a lunch with coworkers that had to be done, a trip to the doctor's, some bug repellents and personal care items for the April trip. I think that's it? Then today I bought a perfume which I love that has been discontinued, a small bottle of a new perfume that I've been wanting to try (making use of the extra discount pass), and a lash serum. I've used better ones before and would like to step down to drugstore basic but that just didn't work, my lashes fall off more than before (TMI i know!). I had no intention of going back to the high-end lash serum and I bit the bullet today morning when another high-end lash serum was on special price. Swoosh! 3 items in basket, 30% off and they're on my way tomorrow. Sometimes I just hate myself for being weak. On some days I think I'm going strong. More practice makes a better, stronger willpower perhaps :-)

What's your weakness?

Slowly hoppin' back on (and THANK YOU)

And a full week ahead, may I add : /

I'd like to say a heartfelt thanks to all that has left a comment on my last last post. THANK YOU. 

I was shot to both sides of the world the past week - a swinging pendulum that gravitates towards the negative, and a lot of sadness in the mix. Things are looking better right now, although there's still a lot to follow up, I'm in a much better place now, emotionally speaking. It amazed me how everything ceased to matter (money was the last thing on my mind), when the world (almost) came crashing down. 

Developing a sore throat in the past few days, I decided the whole weekend to be a stay-in, and hopefully a no-spend as well! I had oatmeal this morning (surprise, surprise), I put water on a higher ratio than oatmeal and loved the watery consistency. By the time I had the second bowl (I used a small bowl), I threw in some dried sultanas and they are GOLD. Not that I had any problem with plain oatmeal but the dried raisins just upped the whole ante and I downed it quickly. Some almonds were also thrown in and it's delicious and balanced (I hope). Some fresh fruit would be nice, but I"ll use what I have. This combo should be featured more often everyday!

I just got a few more pairs this week (March) from another brand. I can live with garment replacements should the need arise, but I'm still saying NO to new clothes/bags/shoes. I unsubscribed from newsletters of apparel retailers sometime ago and didn't aware that I'm missing anything until they sent me promo codes a few days ago for a major sale event. Being very careful, I did not click onto the sites and see what's new and the deals, it's all the more easier to avoid clicking on it than to spend time debating and saying no. Willpower is like a muscle that has to be flexed frequently to strengthen it, too much exercising leads to fatigue sometimes. Auto-pilot is the way to go!

Also organized some papers and letters, and paid my taxes. Even though I don't have to pay a large sum this year, I dreaded on it because of the paper decluttering, today as I went through the papers I thought I might as well paid it and put the tax demand note back to the folder. Staying in might just be my new favorite hobby.

For the upcoming trip in Easter I just modified the list I drafted for my previous trip (oh USA!) and will do some final tweaking tonight. So far I still have to buy travel insurance (putting it to the last few days), schedule a driver at the destination, and exchange currencies. This trip *should* go on as planned.

The coming week will be quite packed as I've got some side hustle scheduled, dinner with a friend, lunch with coworkers (16!), reading through a travel guide book and start thinking on the itinerary. I want to pack a facial session (congested skin!) but will likely postpone it since my throat is feeling bleurgh at the moment. Spending wise, I'm still on track at the moment.

Should my body and spirit allow, this weekend should see a bit of things getting done, I try not to be ambitious here so there is no weekly goals post for the coming week (or maybe more), because honestly, in such a state, being ill and all that, I'd be grateful to just get by, instead of being hard on self for not following a list and whatnot!

How's March treating you so far?

Follow up on February's monthly Wrap-Up

I'm hoping as I write this, I'd be able to hop back on the blogging bandwagon. During the 1 week break, I still read and went through blog posts of those I follow, making a comment or two; but now I'd like to sit down and dig further into the nitty gritty of the February spending.

Here's some figures:

Jan 2015 - overspent budget by HK$813

Feb 2015 - overspent budget by HK$861

The 'slips' in February included the following:

- falling for ready-meal ("just add water") packs of flavored oatmeal, I bought 2, each costs $4.x serves 1 per meal. The slip? I could have bought 1kg of Museli or oatmeal for $30! Not in individual serving and is best accompanied by milk, but still, I loathe to pay more than acceptable just for "convenience"

- I spent quite a lot on gifts in February, even though I said no rather strictly when it comes to gift in my yearly laid out goals, and subsequently I had to spend on shipping it to a friend as well

- I made redundant trips to supermarket and got beverage sachets on clearance. Note to self: Saving money is NOT SPENDING IT in the first place, money is not saved even if you buy things with a yellow label

- I bought a perfume, a scent that I love which was discontinued, I searched high and low (refusing to pay full price), and finally found it on A**zon

- I bought snacks (chips, drinks) for the office, could have saved that money instead, and save myself some waist room

- I overspent in beauty category the most, it's my vice and I knew it, trying hard to tone down on this area

I did well with the no shoes/bags/clothes ban though! I only bought a pair of footsies (socks) in February as my old ones were slipping down as I walk.

The doctor I had been visiting has increased their fees so it's crap news, but I'd have to stick with it and scrimp elsewhere. Furthermore I had the habit of putting a cereal bar (or leftover dried fruits and nuts) in my bag if I hang out by myself during much of the day, it helps to cut down on the "hunger" spending and avoid to eat out. There's also the plus when I'm hungry, I eat everything, including the dried apricots that I've been shunning away from for months, helps to cut down food waste. 

Before you ask, YES, I finished up that bag of sucker (will not repurchase)! 

Monthly Wrap-Up: Feb 2015

February just went by in a blur. Have you noticed the lack of weekly goals post? Well, I got detracted once falling off the bandwagon of posting it weekly. Need to do better in this so the next 10 months won't go by without anything done. However as I've noted in the previous post, a few personal crises had crept up on my plate, and I found myself having poor sleep, cannot eat / no mood to eat, and generally feel immobilized due to weakness. There were times I would just sit and cry. My focus in March is on my relationship and family first. Nothing. else. comes. first. Period.

On travel-related matters, I've just realized the miles I've accumulated so far, is enough to redeem a round-trip ticket to Japan. This excludes the oil & fuel surcharge, various tax and airport taxes that I have to pay should I go, which can be often be ridiculous when they add up to about half the price of the ticket if I'd normally buy on its own! Nevertheless, free is free, as I have no plans to use the miles at the moment, I'll just let them sit for a while. Although some of it will expire in mid 2016. My original target might sound ambitious - but I was aiming for a 3x amount of miles before I redeem it - enough for a trip to Netherlands or Germany or something. But the credit card which I use to earn miles is basically earning peanuts when it comes to miles. I used to earn quite a bit of extra miles when I do my shopping via this card with a tracking website, but since I've cut the amount of shopping lately, a little bit of hacking (possibly switching to a higher tier of the card membership, dining at certain places to earn optimum miles), needs to be figured out. 

I've bought a plane ticket for April's trip and just got the hotel sorted out. It was a pain to select where to stay every time, it really is. I'm a no-fuss person and can happily sleep anywhere except on the street, but not everyone is, and I truly understand that. Crossing my fingers that the eating and getting around will be cheaper at the destination, no shopping will be involved. Even the tickets and hotel has been booked, I"m not sure if we're still going on this trip as I said, the personal crisis is major this time. 

On the extra income side, I achieved my monthly goal, am grateful for that. Also worth punching myself noting is, I need to get the blog sale up soon, the clutter is sitting around for too long. This, should be high on my list once the crises has been resolved.

Diet / healthy eating goal:

My diet has been a havoc in February, unstable schedules (both me and my mom) which means that while meal times are stable, the food I had was sometimes junk, sometimes home-cooked, sometimes eating out. This should raise grave concerns for my belly which seems to be getting more obvious. 

DB and I bought a cheese fondue pack to eat in the other night and it was a complete fail - the pack being too salty for my taste, and too alcoholic for his taste. Added to the pack we had processed food (smoked salmon and parma ham) which were way too salty for my taste. (I don't like parma ham to begin with, please don't hate me!) So the dinner was like salt on salt on salt. That's what I hate about buying processed food because I can't control what goes in there. DB suggested we DIY the cheese fondue sauce next time - we'll surely get around to do that as he loves his cheese! This will depend on whether the crisis will be resolved.

Exercise goal - absolutely zero. Again, this will be high on the list once the crises resolved.

Savings rate - dipped from 45% last month to 36% in February. This has to do with the travel expenses I made. Possibly something else, not in the mood to go through the tiny bits now as I'm near a major breakdown.

In other news, the doctor I pay regular visit to, has risen the fees. This is crap news and I hope I'll be getting better and visit the doctor less often, but for the near future I still need to pay regular visits to there. No way of getting around with it since I am sticking to this doc for now.

Hope March will be a better month!

Personal crisis

I'm dealing with a few personal crises at the moment (relationship, family) and thus I'd be posting irregularly, until the issue has resolved for the better. 

Meanwhile, a monthly wrap-up of February will be up soon. 

Would appreciate some understanding and please keep me in your prayers.

Saying NO to temptations

OK, I've never thought these to be the first pictures to appear on my blog posts but here you go...aren't they pretty?

THAT china ware in the bottom pic...priceless. Well, no, they come with a price tag. What are you doing in a Starb**ks when you are not actually a coffee drinker or a snacker? You may ask. The reason I was there was because of these - I hunted them down for my friends, but the mugs were so adorable...I found them hard to forget. But I'm trying to resist; I have too many cups / mug, I might break them since I'm careless, my home is running out of space, etc The debate is still raging hard this morning when I helped my friends to purchase them (which they'll reimburse me later), and by the way, these are "limited editions" exclusive to this corner of the earth (of course that darn word again!) and sold like hot cakes every year around this time when they are released (some of them the same, some are new designs). The whole city was scouring over these, and I just didn't buy them (yet). I don't think I will, even though I very much want to!

Now I invite you to join me to savor these pretties in a digital form...cross our arms in front of our chest and say no. No, it's not easy, but it has to be done, if we are to stay on course with frugality.

Over to you, how do you resist temptations? How do you convince yourself to say NO?

*Full collection photos HERE. Do not click if you are feeling weak. You've been warned.