Stretching Ringgit Without Hurting

World become so expensive, and our buy lists are keep expanding compared to years before.

Bill getting expensive and the "kind-of-bill" is getting way too many.

I remember when I was kid we only pay two bills: Electricity and Phone.

We have jet-pump water to bring spring water out from earth as supply, we have garden to supply daily veggie, etc.

Now the "need-to-pay" list are getting longer year to year start from phone, gas, electric, water, maintenance, astro, internet, car, house, land, plantation, farm, bigger house, travel, etc etc etc... errgghhhhh...  seems like any single kind of salary won't be enough to pay.

I read many blogs about how to stretch the money to fill ALMOST all they need, and still manage to put some change aside.

1. BRING MY OWN COFFEE

Each morning, I commute from home to work. I took three different public transport start from Bus, 

continue to train, then take another bus. In between of waiting my bus I like drink coffee or munch something. Before, it cost me from RM 1.80, Rm 4.00 or even RM 12.00 depend on what I bought. Brought my own coffee only costs me about RM (I don't know) I made at home from my own good 

coffee, proper milk, and a jar..!! By the end of the month, my coin jar filled extra RM 50.00 just because I stop bought coffee from the store. 

2. SAVE THE CONDIMENT I GOT FROM FASTFOOD

At home only me who like to eat with chili sauce, the rest relies on ketchup. It seems to be wasting when I bought a big bottle chili sauce, and left them old which by the end I will throw before even finish it. With keeping condiment from Junk Food I bought, I can have my fresh chili sauce each time I want it.

Nando is also becoming all life time favorite, but call them for delivery when we want to eat 1-2 slices chicken sounds unfair for both the delivery man and for me paying too much delivery charges. One night I tried to imitate the roast chicken using Nando's peri sauces and it came not far away different *wink

I put aside RM 20 / month and say goodbye to both regular bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce and Nando Peri Chicken.

3. BRING MY OWN LUNCH

I need a proper carb and meat in my daily food. To cook them each morning would be a hassle. 

The easiest way to bring lunch is by investing on a nice Tupperware / durable plastic container, cook an extra amount for dinner, chill them, and reheat them on the next day. How much you pay averagely everytime you had a lunch around the office? The cost of lunch variety from RM 5.00 in economic mix rice up to RM 50 in Austin. My average lunch cost me RM 10.00 each day from the local stall. 

By bringing my own lunch, I put aside about RM 100 - RM 200 in one month. Nice, NO...?? 

4. ENJOY THE TROPICAL COUNTRY AND THEIR FREE ENERGY

Malaysia is a crazy hot country, still I wonder why I keep using the electric dryer for many years when nature provide me unlimited heat to dry anything. Start with buying the mobile rack, couple of plastic hanger and find the hottest spot at home, I manage to dry the laundry without electric dryer.

The best spot I found in the house is the spare bedroom window near the air-conditioning exhaust fan. The fan is never ending blow free hot air to the room too, make the drying activity twice faster.

I save RM 40 - RM 50  a month from paying the electric bill.

Not bad eh... 

5. SET AN ONLINE STORE

How much money I spent to purchase junk from online store. Start from craft supply, rubber stamp, cookies, waxing supplies, home-spa supplies, clothes, etc. After that, another question came: we always spent lots of money on online shopping, how about we make money from online shop?

I start setting up my online shop (Instagram) on Feb this year inspired by my officemates, plenty of them having a side business beside of regular job just to keep them RICH and easier to pay all the travelling money. 

Well, my online business doesn't really make me rich nor give me queue customers like iPhone stores in KLCC. But it makes my shopping activities cheaper. Most of them will give me reseller price (30-40% off from the market price) and I can earn a bit to add in money to pay travel expenses, extra food, extra munchies, etc. 

6. START SELLING OR JOIN A BAZAAR

Join a bazaar is kind of a way to make instant money on the weekend. We might be nervous about the cost of becoming a vendor sounds quite expensive (RM 150-RM 350/day) and scared if the sale can't even cover the expenses. 

Please don't be scared... when people gather around and creates a good crowd, they tend to buy without thinking. Especially if you sell food, drink and snacks. You make plenty amount on weekend without you even realize.

Try to run the life smarter next time.... 

Short Trip To Pangkor Island

Having a weekend off is a nice to have some short travel,
well... we should've had trip on Wednesday 11 June but I can't take too much leave coz I've taken
way too much during my Convocation day.

We book Nipah Guest House in Nipah Bay area for RM 180/Night for triple chalet.
I was thinking to book something cheaper and easier around the area, but I can't bother. I fall in love with the picture in Trip Advisor.

Pangkor Island is the cheaper version compared to Pangkor Laut Resorts. Well, nothing 5** here, but it still many things we could do to make the vacation fun and enjoyable.

The guesthouse front line is quite simple but adorable.

Small pantry with the tidy eateries area, books and novel to read for free.

The line to the chalet..

How nice is that...

White, clean, comfortable. Compared with other guest house most of them are cramped with lots of rooms, and lots of trees, maybe pile of dead wood, junk, tin, etc. This guest house is very tidy and clean with total only 8 chalet we have our privacy. 

The breakfast with cook-your-own. Simple selection of breads, jams, jellies, butter, fruits, coffee, tea, and some cakes. I failed my sausages, none of them cooked properly. Mr have to made scrambled eggs for my breakfast the next day.

Pangkor island is not AWESOME, but not bad too...

The beach not as great as Perhentian and other east coast area, but actually nicer than Langkawi.

The Nipah Bay area has crazier waves in the afternoon which we lost our hotel's key, scooter's key, slippers, and a couple can of our beers just in one big wave. All washed out into the sea.

Betty Blop everywhere

Different with Langkawi, Perhentian and  Penang where the locals living from I DONT KNOW

On Pangkor Island the locals mostly work at the local business too, such as taking care their chalet, taxi, open restaurant and fisherman. 

Fresh seafood is the most amazing entertainment for me. 

I often  disappointed when we travel to island, and we got rubbish quality BBQ seafood in a very very expensive price. But in Pangkor, I am pampered with fresh local seafood in a very adorable price.

FOOD and FOOD

Dinner 1st Night at Daddy's Cafe

Its in Coral Bay area approx 10 min walk from Nipah Bay

But we can't be bothered, so we took our scooter.

Rent scooter in Pangkor is quite cheap as RM 40 per 24 hours, with deposit RM 10. We rent from budget guest house in Nipah Bay area. Actually there are several place provide scooter rent like Seagull Guest House, Nazri Villa etc.

I think Pangkor island only have one official petrol station on the land, however many people selling  retail in the bottle on the road side with a very cheap price too.

After breakfast we roam around Pangkor Island and visiting the Dutch Fort.

Not much thing except the brown building.

Small but nice for photo shoot.

I can imagine someone must have their pre wedding shoot here too

LUNCH

another pampered session, with deep fried fish, veggie, sweet sour sliced fish (another fish) and steam rice. I just can't get enough with its fresh seafood, experiences I can't get in Kuala Lumpur or other place (almost never eat seafood in KL)

mini tid bits and drink sell over the street

Pre-dinner munchies

It was still too early to have heavy dinner, but we are a bit hungry caused of too much play around with jet-ski and crazy waves. We went to Restaurant No-7 in Nipah Bay area. It has the nicest sea view deck restaurant compared to others. And instead of selling a la carte BBQ grill, Restaurant No 7 offer the different menu such as: 

RM 60 for two inclusive 

1 x Sweet Sour Fish (Medium)

1 x Calamary Ring (Medium)

2 -3 kind of vegetable

3 Chili crab 

2 x drink

2 x omelette

it mean to served for 2 people, but I guess It can fit 3-4 female adult. Way too much for  us, so we just order little clear tomyam seafood (RM 8) and small portion of sweet and sour squid (RM 8)

Don't be too grumpy when the service is a bit slow... only2 person work in this restaurant. Mother, as chef and her young son work as waiter + cashier + Dishwasher + Running Man, etc.

Restoran Horizon Teluk Nipah

Is our proper dinner place. We choose a bigh red-snapper to grill with some vegetable and steamed rice.

Compared to other restaurant in Nipah Bay, this place is quite expensive. But compared to Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang, and esp PORT KLANG seafood price. You just need to pay 1/3 of their price.

We got a very big grilled red snapper for RM 28, little bit here and there, the bill was less than RM 45 (for food) add in beers become RM 99.10

I guess I talked too much,
we went back the next day using the same ferry.


Stop by in their souvenir market and buy a couple pieces of seafood for the officemate.

cheap price

good quality product

walking area near Lumut jetty

Trip To IPOH

Trip to Ipoh been famous as foodie-trip, culinary trip or anything you want to say.

Different with the Penang food trip where most of the dishes are curry-ish, coconut-ish, and heavy-ish.

Ipoh food is more to Chinese, Hainan Style (Well, I don't even know what style until I give a try)

Ipoh also good option to take weekend break for free-and-easy option, less hassle, and less expectation for sure.....

We took ETS train from KL Sentral - Ipoh.

Quite convenient and easy

We book the ticket online too

RM 35 / way

I like ETS a lot, cos if the convenience, price and the frequency (its like available every hour)

Brand new coach, completed with mini canteen and a quite clean toilet area.

The journey took about 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur

The IPOH old train station

From the train station we walked to the hotel.

What I could see around Ipoh is the city is not so big, and no high-rise building like we used to see in Kuala Lumpur or Johor.

Ipoh is quite humble, with people drive their car in a very good manner too.

French hotel

kind of copy-ing the concept of Tune hotel (but French Hotel is much much much nicer)

Once we check in, 

drop our bag

we straight away out to look for something to munch

FYI, Ipoh road is very easy to remember and almost everything available in one square city.

Walk is enough to go anywhere

First meal:

Disappointed with the deep fried mozzarella and nasty nachos from Bricks 'n barrels

Trip to Ipoh is not complete without trying their Chinese food,

especially seafood

Not so sure about what to eat...

this place we found from Trip Advisor

And they mentioned that the seafood is superb with a very cheap price...

HOW COOL IS THAT

Look at our bills

The next food trip is to give a try their local dim sum

I was ordered like crazy here...

I pick anything I love and I don't really care if I could finish them or not

Not so good Pau

Too sweet for me

Lovely prawn dumpling

Total Bill was RM 26.00 include tea for two people

(Can Imagine, I need to pay about RM 78++ in Publika to get the same amount of Dim Sum)

PLAN B

DISAPPOINTING