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.

This and That

This is going to be a mish-mash sort of post.

1) Picked up some cookies on the way home the other day, I should just stop buying snacks in 2016. That might not be difficult as it have sounded, my biggest hurdle would be special flavors (case in point: I just bought butter & maple syrup, and cheese). It'll be a good move to save me $ and waistline.

2) I had been surviving on breads and congees and a small bit of rice (nothing chewy), next to none veggies except for the odd bit of grapes and a few leaves. That said, I craved hot food (and normal food). While at the dental check up the other day, I passed by the canteen and my stomach growled. Had a hard time deciding what to get - whether I can eat/chew it and whether it's worthy of that money, at the end I spent $15 on getting steamed rice flour rolls which I easily slurped on, is warm (and most importantly it's no longer bread!). I was happy but I broke a No Spend Day...I would say the urge to have something is a cross between "want" and "need".

3) Speaking of (2), I must stop getting that much bread once my condition recovers. I'm not that much of a bread-eater, well depending on the type of bread.

4) My neighbor made awesome curry which I can smell from my vicinity(!), it ignited a crave, naturally. I must go have some curry once conditions improved. You see, I saw that dental extractions coming and had sushi the week before, so glad I did!!!

5) I have changed a new set of pillow, pillow case, duvet and duvet case last month, I had wanted something warmer but it was much more $$. At the end I got a cheap set for everything (the pillow case being the most expensive item out of all 4 - ha!) and it's always a good thing when you find yourself feeling cozy the moment you slump on your bed. I hardly have that feeling in the past, and the change has changed everything. I literally fell in love with bedtime now. 

(Lesson: always spend $ on things you use everyday, it pays!)

6) While at the pharmacy, I came across a cheerful pharmacist making announcements over the mic, the hall was so crowded with folks coming and going, queuing, waiting, you know, every age group. It makes me happy to see that someone is still keeping up the spirits even when under such a pressurized environment! They look like a nice team there too.

7) On the way home I saw students coming out from exam hall which I used to take my exams at. Oh the days and joy of being a Uni student! The time is yours and there's such a great sense of possibilities - arguably I have none at the moment. Being a Uni student will always be the best time in my life, period.

8) My raise has come through this week and it's literally pouring an ice bucket over my head. I really needed to do some serious and comprehensive calculations about 2016's savings and spending. There are a few things that I can think of off the top of my head already, including cell phone replacement and my new savings policy, need to budget for them.

(I deliberately put savings in front of the latter...)

9) Taking more stairs will be one of my goals in 2016...

Alright, gotta sign off and think some more!

Woken by pain...

this morning at 9am that is. Got up at 3:30am last night and popped a painkiller, rinsed my mouth with saline water before returning to sleep. It felt like somebody is chiseling away at my jaw. Well, the dentist surely was, I heard sounds from the electric drill. Face/jaw is still swollen. 

Just had my breakfast (congee), medicine and now slowly (really slowly like you wouldn't believe) chewing on grapes, my mouth immediately felt sore the moment I opened it. Great. Mom's been helpful in suggesting that I cut them in halves to make easier entry to the mouth. The pain is still putting me off from doing anything productive, so catching up with blog posts that is!

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...

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!

Checking In

Just to let anyone who is reading this that I'm still alive. Alive but busy. Busy makes a scatterbrain!

It started the week before the short trip and 1 week after the trip, things fly in from every direction. Not complaining, but definitely tired :-) Hopefully catching up with blogs (& comments) later this week or early next week.

Hope April is treating you well!

On the Agenda this week

Yesterday it occurred to me how close we are to our upcoming trip, a mere 3 weeks away!

I've flipped through the travel book borrowed from a friend and had some idea of what to do during the few days at the destination. I've also texted the driver who we would be hiring for a day or two in the trip. Normally hiring a driver for a full day isn't an option I'd consider at all, but for this certain location, I do think it's warranted, now I just need to finalize on a lot of things for the trip in the coming week:

- call up / ask different insurance providers to ask about their coverage plans, decide and buy;

- looking at sunscreens and bug sprays;

- have the currency exchanged;

- lose some belly fat before going!

- go through my wardrobe for suitable pieces to bring with me, alas I have no long summery dresses can you believe that!

- going for a facial, haven't had one in a month, am trying to delay the visit there;

- get movie tickets for weekend;

- attend dental checkup.

I started reading Mrs Moneypenny's book today and got to say I like her style of writing! Wish I had access to FT so I can read more of her work.

The free supermarket voucher came yesterday! I had doubts about the online survey company previously (still have), instead of counting them in as "side-hustle" money, I'd give the vouchers to my mom for her grocery shopping. I will keep a record of how much I was able to make across the year from online surveys though, be they peanuts, but it felt good!

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?

First day back at work

I slept very poorly last night. Not just the fact that I had caught up with plenty of doze during the 4-day weekend, but we had a nasty fight. I loathe to end my day with negativity but it's not something I can forget at the click of a button in my head.

So far 9 NSDs in February, and 3 more should happen this week *crosses fingers*. As far as the long weekend was concerned, I made very conscious effort not to spend / delay the spending. I took advantage of the 50% off discount on metro rides during Friday and Saturday, to my grandma's place for dinner, meet up with a few relatives. It seems that even though she's deemed smart at her age, she's showing signs of aging (memory getting poorer), it's really sad. Even my mom noticed it as well. 

I had a...very unproductive holiday. No exercising goal was reached, no reading had been done. And I felt terrible about it, the monthly wrap-up will come later this week.

My nightmare of not having enough variety of food at home - partly came true. That's exactly why my folks and I headed out for tea yesterday (on my purse of course), we could have stayed home and made something but since it was the CNY, it seemed "appropriate" (darn this word and the mentality behind it) to go out to treat them.

That's it for now - am exhausted! 

*off to catch up with missed blog posts and ponder on the way forward in March*

Mid Week Update of sorts

My eating has suffered in the past 1 ? 2? weeks because the schedule of my mom and mine don't sync - there are times when she's home to cook and I'm not, and vice versa. My vegetables and fruits intake fluctuated dramatically. The fruits lately sucked and I don't fancy the thought of biting into cold, dry cherries. I'll be home for dinner but not sure if she'll cook as she's just had a work shift...

Given how it is, I will make a mental note to ask her to get the house filled with greens by Wednesday as the supermarkets probably won't get restocked with nice stuff over the long PH weekend, yikes.

The weekly walks in the park has virtually fell by the wayside - no trips had been made to the park at. all. Must get back on the wagon during the weekend when out of things to do! Catching up with reading and past issues of magazines will also be on the radar. Hopefully I'll declutter a bit (WHO declutters on a New Year against the tradition?! No one.) and start getting the blog sale up. Been sitting around this forever and not started a thing.

The considerations of getting a post-grad degree had also diminished - partly because after some thoughts, I realized I am not likely to become the candidate that they're looking for - those intangible attributes that can't be bought / doesn't come automatically with qualifications on a piece of paper. The degree probably might add *some* value to my current job, but it might not. There's also the thought of taking some online courses and purchase the end-of-course certificate and add it to my CV, some certificates maybe better than nothing at all. 

Another week of February

The first week of February had seen me working extra hard and reached the peak of exhaustion. It's already taking its toll on my energy, spirits, health and what have yous. The long hard thinking about career decisions isn't helping either. Tomorrow night I'll have a meeting after work somewhere (whoever's idea of having a meeting at dinner time, that person is just downright stupid).

In other note, I've come to the conclusion that an outfit plan every Sunday is not going to work for me - not because of the weather but because it simply is exhausting my brain. On most days when I am not meeting any one after work I just wear what I want (usually is whatever that's not going to the wash). If I have things to do after work, I would have come up with what to wear day(s) before. Waking up each morning and getting dressed is a tough task, in summer it's easy. 

This week will see a family dinner, maybe I'll contribute a dish or two, but I'm going to to take things easy on the weekend. Don't think a jog or a walk can be squeezed in. so that goal has fallen by wayside! It appears that I can hit one of my financial goals of making an extra 2-3k. Only 3 NSDs so far, 2-3 more will happen this week, so my monthly total won't exceed 10, given February is a short month, but a quick trip to the numbers found me spending 60%+ of the monthly budget already(!).

I've done no readings this week and the "eat more greens" goal is not making any progress. Hope the holidays will allow catching up with the monthly goals, the weekly goals list remains pretty much the same as last week's:

- schedule dental check up after CNY (remind DB about this since we attend appointments together)

- update the balance on passbook as well as the progress bar on the blog (I just chased after someone to return the money she owed me but so far nothing is showing up)

- start small on a side hustle (...)

- read 20 pages on the unfinished book (...)

- be in bed by 2330 (this one is ultra important)
- eat more fruits / greens
- research on a few easy peasy dishes to make this weekend
- discuss with mom about food arrangement during the 5-day long weekend, don't want nasty surprises (aka freezer stuffed to the brim but falls short of anything I want to eat), shops don't open / restock, etc

I try to keep in mind whenever I sign up for more work that I must not let any other commitments in my life suffer - be it rest, time spent with loved ones, etc. So easy to say, not exactly easy to do!

Tick Tock Tick Tock

The clock keeps ticking...

and I kept working :-S

I came home past 10 on Tuesday, and was completely beat. Completely. Like someone has knocked me out, I couldn't manage anything except shower and went straight to slumberland.

It was some side-hustle post-work hours and silly me I thought I could squeeze both side-hustles and kill two birds with one stone! I ended up finishing job A, then stayed behind to work on job B. All these are done in the same day after finishing day job C. Earning money was not easy, but I'm grateful I had the opportunities to work extra by choice.

On the bright side, it means I should be able to hit my monthly goal of making extra 2-3k a month! *pops the champagne open* 

It feels really great not having to rely solely on one job only! #securityissues 

Sometimes I feel OK proud of myself for being active in seeking out side income sources, except via investment which I aim to touch on soon, maybe later part of the year. Because there's just so limited time to be completing jobs and it's better to make money generate money (be they how little).

10 NSDs and financial goals update

Achieved 10 NSDs as of today. Could have been 2 more days but mom was sick so I had to buy dinner for her and lunch myself since she didn't feel well enough to cook anything. I'll have a couple more NSDs before the end of month so looks like I would be able to achieve my monthly financial goal.

One of my financial goals (HERE) was to make extra income (2-3k) per month and with a little luck, I made it this month! Could have made more than that but I had been sitting on a side-hustle forever and not starting it. Must get that one started this week! If I added in the gifts I received this month from a side-hustle event, the total amount would double the said figure. But, gifts are gifts (can't be cashed in unless I sell them).

I talked about putting away funds to an investment account a while ago, well I popped by the bank last week and they were having an offer (no money rebate, though, just waiving *some* of the transaction fees) but I decided to wait for the next round of offer, probably later in this year. The market is not at its lowest moment right now and the banks are fully saturated with money from everyone...it's not like a once-in-a-century kind of deal so this can wait...although the earlier I invest, the better it will be.

Each penny has been tracked this month and so far the numbers looked OK. I broke the clothing ban - because I had a gift card to spend...I tried looking for something that can be topped up with the least amount of cash as possible but the brands (that site kind of suck to be honest, but I was gifted with the card so no choice) they stock there hardly fit the "quality" or "durability" bill, so I ended up shelving out extra money to get something that should last twice as long as the cheapo stuff. It fits OK but I felt kind of "cheated" by the thought of a gift card, you know...

As of today (22/01/2015), I've spent 52.23% of my monthly budget (excluding shopping for personal care items), or 64.4% if it's also factored in (I didn't set a budget for those this month). A few things to note though, since DB is working on weekends this month so we've been meeting less and less meals out; no great movies on lately so I haven't spent a dime on entertainment budget. I also put in "networking or work related expenses" in my monthly budget but IRL I'd like to leave them untouched and so it is this month! However, next month the spending on work related matters would be different as Chinese New Year kicks in...

Next week we will see a medical expense coming up, so other than that my wallet should have continuous moment of peace. Stay tuned.

Mid Week Update: This and That

As deep winter is upon us, I have a hard time falling asleep / feeling warm indoors. We had endless rain with 11-12 Celcius for the past 2 days, which makes everything colder.

I struggled whether to turn on the heater (small, portable one since we live in an Asian climate), but at the end I figured it won't be worthy to take it out from the shelf and have it open for 2-3 days and then back to the shelf again. Not worth the trouble...BUT, boy was I freezing in the bed. I had icy feet and hands after wrapping myself under the blankets for an hour = difficulty sleeping (reduced hours!). Not too sure about having a hot water bottle as I'm afraid they'll leak and I'll have burns, or an electric blanket (although I have been thinking about it A LOT). Guess I'll put on some fleece socks tonight and see how it goes. Maybe a hot foot soak before bed.

Taking a look at the figures so far in January, I am on track with the budget. My transit pass still have leftover money from last month and then at the beginning of January I topped it up as well. It looks like I'd have money left over to carry forward in February. The biggest expenditure so far (budget-wise and real spending-wise) is medical. Gotta suck it up because it should be doing me good and is necessary.

After months and months of searching, I finally found a pair of glasses, it was very close to what I'm looking for, and the price is acceptable (not cheap though), and it shall be good for 3 years plus. I also knew the shopkeeper (a coincidence...) and he gave me a discount as well. Will be picking the finished product next week. I had hoped to reduce the wear of contact lenses (made my eyes soooo dry) by getting new glasses. My old glasses are scratched on one side and looking through from it was not a good experience, and it gave me physical headaches. The new glasses had been budgeted for and will be settled by the amount I put aside, which is good because there's less worrying on finances, yay! There is a possibility that I *might* get a cheapo version of a similar frame (costs 1/3 of the price of the ones that I just bought), to extend the shelf life of the new ones. But I don't need that *right now*, so definitely will sleep on this one.

I was telling a friend today that I had NOTHING that I want. You're right, absolutely no "wants". And I have mixed feelings about it: there was hardly any time that I'm not obsessed about something I saw online/at the shop; at the same time I'm happy because this is a right move in the right direction (frugality)! I have also noticed I browsed online stores much less, and spending only on necessary things so far (food or utilities). Now, I do have a few things that I "need", but I decide to save them for another day! They are: a warm duvet, a sleeping bag, a tea strainer (maybe), a travel kettle, sunglasses.

A thought struck me the other day: nothing, no one is looking out for me. Me being the middle-income earner so is not qualified for subsidized housing (cheap rent for life at a certain flat), nor was I a high-income earner that I can just dump part of my savings as down payment and start a mortgage right away. The position I'm at is quite "embarrassing" in a sense that I'm stuck in between. And no policies are looking after the "in-betweens", the society isn't built to look after everyone. This has also got me thinking about my career (!!!), I have tried going for other opportunities but the door was closed. Since I don't have a specialty degree, there's not so much doors for me to knock on., never mind a higher salary. Well, what about studying another degree? There's something that can add value (aesthetic) on the resume but will it make me more likely to get the job that I'm after? Possibly, but it's not easy at all. Questions, more questions and more thinking on this one.

[Edit: I realized the above paragraph might come off sounding whiny, but it's all very true, day-to-day questions for someone in their 20s to think about, especially if you have 35+ years ahead to work and to make financial decisions based on the way the society is constructed. The other day I overheard a washroom janitor saying she makes 24k per month but she works 3 jobs (!) to get that amount. I don't know her family situation, but I guess my point is, the society has policies to look after people like her, but none that look after people like me. So naturally, the (financial) worries that she has or I have, are different.]

In other news, I've been more active in looking for other income opportunities...been trying some paid surveys, only time will tell if they work out. Having said that, any suggestions from those who are reading / doing this? I'm worried that some sites are just scams.

I did so-so for the goals laid out past week, here they are:

- Read 30 pages of the said book read 5...really need to get this book finished!

- Update playlist for workout 50% done

- Jog 1x (or walk if calf doesn't allow to jog) done...with inner struggle and resistance (it was COLD!)

- Hand tiny gifts to DB's mom, done bring over the mincemeat tarts hopefully soon

- Make outfit plan on Sunday I have come to realize this isn't going the way I wanted...but will try for another week

- Make a list of items for blog sale nope, but must get it done soon

- Continue the glasses search done, but need to start looking for DB's pair!
- Gather some nice food for a former co-worker for lunch next week will do tomorrow since today is a No Spend Day
- Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize (face) think this is a YES
- Get to bed by 2330 (need to get better at doing this. Haven't been getting enough sleep lately and hence crankiness) Did this only for last night, since I had icy feet and hands, it didn't help much to fall asleep quickly


Goals for coming week:

- Spend 8 hours on side-hustle (been neglecting this for a while!)
- Get the other 50% of workout playlist done
- Jog 2x this weekend (ambitious I know!)
- List items for sale
- Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, with face mask
- Get to bed by 2330
- Pick up samples and gifts from stores
- Schedule dental visit in late February
- Pick up new glasses
- Take a relative to lunch (my humble treat)
- Call / pop by the store to ask about recycling program this year

Next week will be a spendy week but I aim to have all expenditures happen on the same day: medical, meals out with friends and such. Spendy, but planned, nothing going out of the budget numbers / frivolous. The best kind, yes? :-)

In the 2015 personal development goals page (HERE), I've mentioned that I want to be surrounded by people who "do good". Well, I dropped a volunteer form to the local food bank last week (don't ask me why I have this idea...it just suddenly occurred to me), let's see if I'll hear from them later on. With Chinese New Year coming, I suspect the requests/visits they plan should be more than any other time of the year (next to Christmas), so there's good chances they need somebody to help out. It's been years since I last dabbled with the idea of volunteering, and it's a huge step for me. I'd be helping in an area close to where I live if things work out, which is always a bonus!

First week in review and change of plans

So much has been done in the past week, yet still so much to do.

While at the park for a jog yesterday, I realized the workout playlist on my phone was terribly outdated. Yep, it's been ages since the last (proper) workout. The playlist definitely needs some updating and ideally should be tweaked every 3-4 months, which wouldn't be too troublesome; plus it'll help to upkeep the exercise mojo tremendously!

I've only read 30 or so pages of the said non-fiction book. It's quite boring and at the same time needs some brain work when reading it, on hindsight I should have picked a fiction book to slowly ease my way into the reading habit.

My eyes are getting so dry these days that the glasses search becomes more and more important. But, I have looked everywhere and can't find a good pair of frames *fist pump*! And it has nothing to do with the price, either.

The outfit plan - I'm almost ashamed to say that I haven't done any planning - which I said to myself 2+ weeks ago. Really need to get this going.

The travel plans that I had for 2015 (2 long-haul trips), well, 1 of those had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Good news to the wallet, but bad news to the inner PJ that has been looking forward to it. Can't complain really, I guess.

Random trips to the supermarkets must be avoided, my last visit there had me scooping up 2 packets of Hershey's nuggets for US$1.2 each, some Walkers' shortbread (!) for US$1, and Mincemeat Tarts for US$1.5 - oh dear. They are all post-Xmas clearance items. The chocolates would suffice for Chinese New Year's candy box (thank god I can think of a way to use them instead of *eating*), and would be given out to the property guard and a colleague. They will expire in September 2015, not too shabby! The shortbread would be slowly chipped away at breakfasts :-) and the mincemeat tarts would be heated in DB's new home this week and shared!

Oh, and a frugal thing I did yesterday:

6th Jan: Had a visit to the doctor's, I was shocked (perhaps silly) to find out there's another bus reaching the same place and was much cheaper and the journey was less nausea-inducing. So glad I asked the driver out of curiosity and discovered this!

Fast-forward to goals this week:

- Read 30 pages of the said book

- Update playlist for workout

- Jog 1x (or walk if calf doesn't allow to jog)

- Hand tiny gifts to DB's mom, bring over the mincemeat tarts

- Make outfit plan on Sunday

- Make a list of items for blog sale

- Continue the glasses search
- Gather some nice food for a former co-worker for lunch next week
- Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize (face)
- Get to bed by 2330 (need to get better at doing this. Haven't been getting enough sleep lately and hence crankiness)

I've had 4 No Spend Days so far in January, being in control (in terms of finances) feels really good. The willpower muscle needs to be further flexed though!

Everyday frugality

Happy new year everyone! 

The first week of the year was a rather eventful week, so far I've done the following on my to-do list:

- Read 50 pages of the said book read 30

- Jog 2x walked 1x, jogged 1x (but my calf starts to hurt after i'm done with 1.25 miles...had to switch to walking)

- See whether DB needs help with his house move I spent much of Saturday helping him and his mom to pack and move...

- Hand tiny gifts to DB's mom handed her some, still some more

- Pick up free ticket from cinema  done

- Track refunds x 2 done

- Make outfit plan on Sunday shamefully not yet...

- Ship 2 parcels to friends abroad not yet

- Make a list of items for blog sale not yet...but needs to be done soon

- Continue the glasses search looked at a few places, found nothing, the search continues

New year calls for a new way of doing things :-) I'm noting down the frugal things I did each day this week, whether they are on purpose or not! I doubt if I can come up with a frugal thing to do on a daily basis (dig hard and deep enough?), but so far so good. As long as frugality is practiced everyday, I'm contented.

1st Jan: Went for a walk at the park, healthy and free. What's better than the feeling of getting a head start on first day of the year (health goals)?

2nd Jan: Took home from work some leftover cakes and pastries. Dad was kind of excited about one of the pastries being his favourite. The pastries are individually wrapped so they can sit for a while, yum!

3rd Jan: Took my complimentary ticket from the cinema, picked up some beauty samples. Free of course! I re-gifted a purse to DB's mom, it was new but not my taste, she happily took it, win-win!

4th Jan: Can't really think of anything - except that all my spending were on food today.

5th Jan: I could have asked a colleague to share with me the Starbucks BOGOF offer which expires tomorrow, instead I made hot cocoa using what I have. Frankly speaking I just need a hot sweet beverage as I was feeling a bit nauseous whole day. Also I also picked up some free samples on the way home from a chain store, nothing beats beauty on the cheap (free)! Will be cooking up some instant noodles tonight for dinner (1 person serving) using what food we have. Oh and I received birthday money from my distant family, this will be counted as part of the extra income made this month. [Edit: I bought some butter shortbread, mincemeat tarts, and Hershey's nuggets on clearance! The chocolates would be gifted, the shortbread would be an indulgent treat. Talk about a frugal slip! Today is not a No Spend Day hence, but tomorrow will be!]

So far so good : ) I hope everyone's got a gentle but good start of the year.

Getting ready for 2015!

It's been 2 weeks since I last reviewed the mini weekly goals *gasp*, and we're coming to a close of 2014, in fact, SO CLOSE. My dad suggested we go for a buffet to celebrate my birthday early, but I declined. You all know I am not a fan of buffet and my body doesn't need extra fat. There. I just want to stay home these days and avoid the crowds.

Beginning with the review first:

- Tidy up room (clothes and shoes) Sort of a YES

- Pick up remaining ticket from cinema Will do that this week

- Continue to search for new glasses To be continued

- Post remaining 2015 goals on the blog YES

- Outfit plan on Sunday for the week ahead Sort of a YES

- Track cashback transactions x 2 YES

- Track refunds x 2 To be continued

- Apply body cream and hand cream every night YES (and I'm writing this off for the lists to come as this is pretty much established)

And the icing on the cake: 

- Jogged 2x this week! More shall come;

- Read a few dozen pages on the book I put down and pick up a few times previously! No it wasn't a fun book to read but nevertheless I bought it at the time (now I know there's libraries I can always turn to), and so I must go through it and learn a thing or two;

- Mom mended the coat buttons for moi last night, I am so grateful for that!

- 11 No-spend days this month! Record broke :-)

Fast forward to the coming week:

- Read 50 pages of the said book

- Jog 2x

- See whether DB needs help with his house move

- Hand tiny gifts to DB's mom

- Pick up free ticket from cinema

- Track refunds x 2

- Make outfit plan on Sunday

- Ship 2 parcels to friends abroad

- Make a list of items for blog sale

- Continue the glasses search

If the progress with reading is good, I will begin borrowing books from the library. At this stage I'm not so sure of the reading rate hence I'm not confident to start borrowing as the books might get returned without a page being turned.

I can foresee a bit of cleaning is going to come as Chinese New Year advances in February. Will be meeting up with a friend from down under during that period and another friend from UK in mid January.

*the tags for the 2015 goals' posts have been changed to "2015 goals" instead of "goals" for easier review*

Goals of the week

Goals of last week:

- Tidy up room (clothes and shoes) NO.

- Clean the summer shoes and put them away YES.
- Pick up birthday tickets from cinemas Yes, took one, but another to be picked up in early January.

- Continue to search for new glasses Keep looking.

- Finish drafting up goals for 2015 and have them published here Still have some more to post.

- Track cashback sites for purchases that are made Keep tracking

- Drink more water during the day. YES.

- Apply body cream and hand cream every night. ALMOST.

Goals of the coming week:
- Tidy up room (clothes and shoes)
- Pick up remaining ticket from cinema
- Continue to search for new glasses
- Post remaining 2015 goals on the blog
- Outfit plan* on Sunday for the week ahead (see below)
- Track cashback transactions x 2
- Track refunds x 2
- Apply body cream and hand cream every night

I turned down an invitation to all-you-can-eat hot 'n' spicy BBQ with a group of friends simply because (1) the location is too far, it's not even close to the train line; (2) the BBQ style they chosen is the hot 'n' spicy kind, which is not so good for my skin; (3) the weekend getaway with the said group of friends last time didn't leave me completely enjoyed or happy; (4) that time of the year I'd most prone to various sickness, I don't want to complicate matters by adding frost to ice. Self-care is what I put first, I'm no longer a teen.

*For the outfit plan, it'll help me save so much time in the mornings trying on stuff, thinking about what to wear, and deciding what to wear. My mornings should be easier and quicker. The daily commute was rough for me so I don't think wearing tights daily are realistic, and frankly speaking this year I put warmth in front of style, putting on tights requires a few more minutes than usual (if it's not broken or torn by cuticles and sharp accessories before leaving the door...). Pants, jeans, leggings and extra padded tights with thermo layers underneath (not so easy to tear) will be my company. I've also fitted a pair of flurry fleece socks into the wellies I wear, it shall keep my feet toasty. The only gripe was that I picked the right size and it should fit, but it made my otherwise roomy wellies very tight in space! My calf paralyzed when I was trying it on and removing the shoe on the spot. #Fail I need to find out what happened and probably need to re-size the socks by taking it to the tailor... but I'd rather not.

[Ed note: I have put a new page "Outfit and temperature guides" on the nav bar. But weekly outfit still has to be planned every Sunday based on the latest weather forecast.]

I did pull out my mittens and gloves and warm base layers yesterday though :-) the clothes and shoes pile is still a mess though.

Hang in there, December!

Let's take a look at the to-do list for the past week and how I've done:

Coming week's goals:
- Tidy up room (clothes and shoes) NO.
- Clean the summer shoes and put them away NO.
- Pick up birthday perks/gifts from various stores and YES. cinemas NO.
- Scheduling a farewell lunch for a retiring colleague YES.

- Replacement of new glasses (this one will take a while...still searching for the right pair and it's not easy) Looked but found nothing that I like.

I thought December is a pretty quiet month for me, but alas, the invitations for casual lunches out kept coming in, I had about 4+ of these with 2 are pending. Let's just say that I've 3 No Spend Days so far! But I did get some good tea as a gift (for a retiring colleague and myself), it doesn't break the bank and I can enjoy it for a month. Not too bad. Met up with grannies and gave them pocket money...shipped some Xmas gifts overseas, mailed a cardigan for return and refund, fingers slipped and purchased a backpack made of leather-and-suede mix (about 30% of the price of another nice backpack I saw but made of sheep skin...) OUCH!

I did earn a $300 voucher to spend on an online clothing store (oh dear...), let's see who will be using it.

Fast forward for goals for the week ahead:

- Tidy up room (clothes and shoes). I have a feeling it's gonna be a constant item for every week!

- Clean the summer shoes and put them away
- Pick up birthday tickets from cinemas

- Continue to search for new glasses

- Finish drafting up goals for 2015 and have them published here

- Track cashback sites for purchases that are made

- Drink more water during the day. My fluid intake yesterday was soup, medicine, milk, and tea...anything but water. No good.

- Apply body cream and hand cream every night. Sounds like a no-brainer but really a challenge #Firstworldproblem

I went to the facial treatment session and left with a mega red face...pain was relieved, even though temporarily. The next 2 days I've been wearing a mask to work instead and didn't bother to conceal the large patches of redness. This saves 5-10 minutes' time in the mornings by skipping some of the makeup.

Hang in there and create more No Spend Days for the next 2/3 month!

Kicking off December with 2 No Spend Days

Traditionally, December is a busy time. Winter solstice, Christmas and my birthday. This year, I'll take it easy and slow. Christmas is probably my favorite season of the year but I'll look at it differently this year. This is not to say I'm anti-Xmas, not at all. I merely made a decision not to have a "fancy" time.

The main activities would be family winter solstice dinner, another family lunch (broken into small groups after the nasty rows we had, we won't be seeing each other in a big group this year), a relaxing birthday meal, and turning a blind eye on the sales frenzy. Oh and maybe a meal with some uni friends, but that'd just be an one-off thing and no major revelry. They're the bunch I went to the weekend getaway with, I have decided that I won't join their weekend getaway (traveling) anymore but a meal somewhere for a few hours locally is OK and still fun to do.

Most families here don't really celebrate Christmas, so you'd notice there's nothing Christmas-themed in the above; instead they are related to winter solstice. I'd like to point out that this has more to do with culture and history and the older generation. 

A lot of thinking has been going on with regards to 2015 goals, am still considering how to categorize and lay them out nicely here. But the keyword is: SAVE. Not buy. I'd be putting up a progress bar on the blog shortly, I will be track my spending, while saving towards a down payment. It won't happen next year, but it'll happen eventually so we're talking about saving for 2-3 years. The figure I'm after may look quite high but when you factor in the home decor, furniture, brokerage and closing fees, relocation fees etc, a larger picture will emerge. In fact coming to think of it, I might be underestimating the current figure...*palm slaps forehead*

Notice I said saving for down payment, not wedding banquet. That's because we both believe in a simple, beautiful but no-frills wedding.

To help me stay on track and make real progress, I'd also be posting the monthly / weekly goals from now on, now a revisit of last week's goals:

- Return merchandise to 2 retailers Done. Already had 1 reimbursed but waiting for the other.

- Visit to the doc  Done, but another visit to doc is needed, I think the cold still haven't left me

- Call up the clinic where I had blood test last week to see if the results came yet Yes, the results said negative. Need to look for another doctor.

- Track recent purchases with cashback site Done.

- Cash out amount from cashback site Done. 

- Donate purged clothing items during weekend Done. Although not donated, but sold. For a penny.

- Fix dinner dates with a school friend who lives nearby Will be rescheduled until later. I talked her into trying a restaurant that has a BOGOF offer, looking forward to it! This place is near where we both live so I did my best to make dining-out frugal!
- Go for a walk at the park I think this is a Yes. I didn't walk in the park but I walked 2+ hours (8 subway stops) on weekend...

- Fix brunch date with a uni friend (Yes) fix a tea session with a guy friend on the same day (No, will leave this idea for now), possibly dinner same night with one close relative (Will forget about this one)

- Check with a uni friend to see how her house moving is going No.

- Contact a childhood friend to see how her leg is healing Yes.

- Consolidate a group order (list of items with specifics) for friends and arrange the money transfer Will be done in the coming week.

- Fix a day out with friend to go clothes shopping (I will abstain from this)  Yes. And I managed to squeeze this in after the brunch date with uni friend! So I don't have to spend extra day out and extra commute costs! Win-win!

- Apply hand cream before bed every night Yes

- Apply body lotion/oil after shower every night Mostly Yes.
- Top-up transport stored-value card for December's commute An obvious yes.

Coming week's goals:
- Tidy up room (clothes and shoes)
- Clean the summer shoes and put them away
- Pick up birthday perks/gifts from various stores and cinemas (No spending will be involved)
- Scheduling a farewell lunch for a retiring colleague

- Replacement of new glasses (this one will take a while...still searching for the right pair and it's not easy)

I've had 2 No Spend Days in the first week of December, it requires active consciousness for the most part. Today I'll be visiting a store selling teas with a colleague, I love me some good Pu'er tea! Pu'er tea bags are just miles away from the real thing. I'm not sure how much is a good tea worth, but it's not a necessary. This will be my first venture to a tea store and I have no idea about the prices. If it's worth it I will get a tea cake /biscuit and savor it for a few months, if it costs more than what I had in mind, I'll forgo it. Actually, we had been doing swapping - part of his Pu'er tea for my chocolate drinks/snacks/Earl Grey teas. It'll be fun to visit a tea store in person to sniff at the real leaves! I've never entered a tea store on my own as I'm afraid of getting scammed because all I can read is the labels on the jars (how many years the tea is), but no real knowledge of teas. I can tell by sniffing and drinking it though, if that's any helpful at all.

Hope everyone's getting a good start of December!