10 Ways to Reduce Your Expenses and still Maintain Your Standard of Living

You can keep your car, your mobile phone, credit cards, and the air-conditioners at home but you can still reduce your monthly expenses. Here are the ten ways to do it:


1. Free TV instead of subscription: You still can watch all your favorite programs without subscribing to Astro and the like. By the way, do you have all the time in the world to sit all day long to watch TV? Watch less or stop watching and move more or do other meaningful things.

2. Get books from the library instead of buying: After reading a book you may not want to read again. Loan the books from the library and return after reading. There will be fewer books to take up space at home to collect dust. Magazines are also available free in your local library

3. Eat at normal restaurants instead of high-end ones: The quality of food is the same if not better but you have to pay 15% more (10% service charge and 5 % service tax in Malaysia).

4. Grocery shopping: Buy house-brand items instead of popular brands. House- brand goods are quality products but they cost very much less.

5. Avoid branded items: Shop for the less exclusive brands instead of those expensive brands for items ranging from household items to apparel and footwear. Look for durability and comfort instead of just the brand.

6. Use less air-conditioner but fan more: Switch on the air-conditioner for a limited time and then let the fan do the job to circulate the cool air inside the room. 

7. Walk more but drive less: Take the opportunity to move your body more often to shape up and use the car less to save petrol and maintenance cost. 

8. Jog or home gym instead of club membership: Enjoy the fresh air and sunshine when you jog instead of a paid membership in a stuffy room with many people perspiring. You can save even more by getting your own home gym. There is no need to travel and waste petrol and you can do it at home anytime you want 

9. Use your credit cards to save but avoid credit: There is no need to cut your plastic cards. Credit cards are great saving tools. You will end up paying less for petrol and grocery items. Just pay fully and promptly every time.

10. Communicate: Talk less with a mobile phone but a tweet or write more on the wall. Spend less on the phone bill and communicate more online for free. 


You maintain your current lifestyle but you reduce your expenses tremendously and you also get healthier.  

Source: http://www.allaboutlivingwithlife.blogspot.com/2010/09/10-ways-to-reduce-your-expenses-and.html

The Cheapest Smartphone in Malaysia

I have just bought a brand new smartphone from Digi with 1-year of FREE Internet plus a Prepaid SIM Pack of RM30 credit and 24-hour FREE calls & SMS to Buddyz™ up to three DiGi numbers free of charge at only RM180. There is no contract involved. I wanted to pay by credit card, but the booth at the mall accepts only cash. I have been using a mobile phone all along but lately, I am unable to perform online banking and receive my TAC numbers (A Transaction Authorisation Code is a unique, 6-digit code that provides an additional layer of identity authentication before you are allowed to perform specific tasks online) from Malayan Banking Berhad via my mobile phone.

The smartphone is a LENOVA A369i which is made in China with the following specifications:

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
	SIM	Dual SIM (Mini-SIM, dual stand-by)
	Announced	2013, Q3
	Status	Available. Released 2013, Q3

BODY	Dimensions	124 x 64 x 11.7 mm (4.88 x 2.52 x 0.46 in)
	Weight	120 g (4.23 oz)

DISPLAY	Type	Capacitive touchscreen
	Size	480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches (~233 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	4 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	v3.0
	USB	Micro USB v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	2 MP, 1600 x 1200 pixels
	Features	Panorama, smile detection
	Video	Yes
	Secondary	No

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Mediatek MT6572
	CPU	Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
	GPU	Mali-400
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
	Browser	HTML
	Radio	FM radio
	GPS	A-GPS only
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black
		- MP4/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player - Organizer - Photo/video editor - Document viewer - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Li-Po 1500 mAh battery
	Stand-by	Up to 288 h (2G) / Up to 288 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 14 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G)

MISC

Price group

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_a369i-5850.php

You can purchase the set online at http://new.digi.com.my/ecomm_C/services/default/Whatshot_Internet_Made_Easy?gclid=CjwKEAjw2MOhBRCq-Nr87_j-lDASJAAl4FNhgjUCeBqTbisHLpfOyOw1EvXunvXp0fZee4dtc9TP6RoCYRTw_wcB or at their booths in most malls.  The smartphone is released in September 2013. The cost of the smartphone is only RM150 and you pay for the RM30 credit. Nothing is free.

Can you get a much cheaper smartphone?   

12 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Expenses

The output of agricultural products is affected by weird weather and it is costing more just to get the basic items such as wheat, rice, and chili. There is, all the more, a need to trim your household expenses.  Look closely into your spending pattern and adjust your lifestyle to shield the impact of the rising cost of living.   

1. Insurance premiums: Find out if you are over-insured. Avoid paying too much for personal accident coverage because you have many friends who are insurance agents and you just want to oblige them.

2. Children: Are your children working now? If so, let them pay for their own personal expenses. You love your children but they have to be financially independent. 

3. Technology: Do take advantage of the Internet. Use email instead of telephone or cell phone.  Pay your recurring bills online. Make online purchases as far as possible. You save time and save on transport and related costs. You can also read or download books on the Net instead of buying the actual books.

4. Avoid debt: One effective way is to stop getting what you want on credit. Without credit, there is no debt and hefty interest charges.

5. Medical expenses: Apart from getting adequate insurance coverage, the best assurance to avoid medical expenses is to keep fit and be healthy. You don’t have to enroll for a gym membership, Jogging, cycling or brisk walking is even better. Instead of staying indoor, you exercise and at the same time, you breathe in the fresh air.

6. Telecommunication package: Are you able to get your Internet access provider to bundle with free local and outstation calls? You save on calls among fixed-line subscribers while you surf the Net. In Malaysia, Telekom Malaysia Berhad is able to provide packages for Internet access through Streamyx with free calls among fixed lines.

7. Food: Eating at home more often is the surest way to trim food costs. Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Moreover, home- cook food and water are good for your health.

8. Entertainment: You can cancel your subscription to satellite or cable TV. The free channels are more than enough to kill your leisure time. You can even watch movies on the Net.

9. Utilities: The key is to control the wastage of water and electricity. Whenever possible use the fan instead of the air-conditioner.

10. Car maintenance: Can you live with just one vehicle?  You will save a substantial amount on vehicle maintenance. Always inflate tires for optimum performance. I check tire pressure once a week for a better and smoother ride.

11. Shopping: Go shopping with a list and stick to the list. Do it once a week and use coupons for further savings. Buy apparel for durability and comfort and not shop for expensive brands. Do it during sales.  Get a house brand for everyday items to reduce your household expenses.  

12. Avoid bad habits: Can you kick the habits of smoking, drinking, and gambling? Just think of the amount you can save and the benefits of better health to go along with it.

Reducing expenses is to save even more for rainy days. However, it is equally important to open up more income streams. There is a Chinese saying-开源节流. It means you open up more sources and reduce outflow.      

Source: 12 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Expenses

10 Bad Habits to Avoid and Reduce Your Expenses

Do you have these bad habits which are not only a drain of your financial resources but are also detrimental to your good health?

1. Smoking: A packet of cigarettes costs about RM10/=. If you smoke a pack a day it means you will be burning away RM3, 650/= a year. At the same time, you are also ruining your health. When the amount is invested you will be richer by many times more than the amount you have burnt and you are also in good health to enjoy your wealth later.

2. Drinking: It is more than a waste of money because the habit is always related to drunk driving and in many cases they are fatal. 

3. Use the car more than necessary: Don’t just think of your car when you think of transportation. Your two legs are an excellent means of going places easily and conveniently. Why waste petrol and car maintenance when you can walk?

4. Junk food: It is foolish to use your hard-earned money to buy something which does not give you nutritional value and it can be easily turned into a bad habit to consume regularly and sabotage your health and well-being

5. Soft drink: Why waste money to get a soft drink when water is freely available at home? Excessive consumption of sugary drink will bring you critical illnesses and long-term sufferings 

6. Gambling: Gambling leads to debt and bankruptcy. It is the worst habit you can ever have in life.

7. Surfing the Net: Don’t waste electricity and the cost of connection when you surf the Net aimlessly. It is a waste of time and energy when you can be productive in other ways.

8. Inactive: When you don’t move your body often you are more likely to succumb to illnesses and as a result incurring unnecessary medical expenses. 

9. Watching TV: It is yet another bad habit that makes you lazy besides taking away your money to pay for the monthly subscription and not to mention paying more for electricity. The longer you watch TV the lazier you will be. In the end, nothing gets done. When you are connected to the TV set you are disconnected from your family members.

10. Disorganized: Don’t store things such as grocery items at home haphazardly. When you can’t locate an item you waste money and time to get one outside. By the time an item is discovered, it has long passed its useful life and you have to throw it away. Not planning your trip is another way to waste precious time and petrol 


By avoiding these bad habits you will be richer by the amount of money that you can save and even more.

Source: 10 Bad Habits to Avoid and Reduce Your Expenses

Smart Shopping Reduces Expenses

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.  ~ Bo Derek

Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship ~ Benjamin Franklin

Grocery shopping is fun in the cool comfort of the mall. You can make shopping more pleasurable by adopting the following strategies to get what you want and worth every cent of your money.    

1. Shopping list: The most effective way to go shopping is to get a list ready. The key is to stick to the list and not buying anything else. The other advantage is to get what you need in one go and avoid going back to the mall again and again for items you have forgotten to purchase. 

2. House brand: Go for house brand instead of the popular brand for common items such as toilet rolls and tissues. House brand items are cheaper and they are just as good if not better.

3. Discount accord to specific credit card holders: Shop at those malls which offer credit cardholders with discount.  You don’t get a discount when you shop with cash. The most important thing is to be disciplined and not to shop for something you don’t need just because you can charge it to your card.

4. Promotional items: Watch out for items you need with special offers. Check out items you can purchase with further purchase at a discount.

5. Coupons: Take advantage of coupons to cut costs for items listed on your shopping list.  Don’t use a coupon to buy something you don’t need just because it is a bargain.

6. Prepare a list in advance: In the course of a week jot down items to be purchased so that you will remember to get them when you go shopping.

7. Do it once a week: It is not a good thing to go shopping often. For me, I do it once a week. The whole idea is to avoid buying things we don’t need and also to avoid wasting petrol and time going shopping.        

8. Avoid junk food: The right way is to shop for food with nutritional values and things that offer durability. Avoid processed or preserved food. Don’t buy sugary beverages or fried items.    

      A bargain ain't a bargain unless it's something you need.  ~Sidney Carroll

 He who will not economize will have to agonize. ~ Confucius

Source: Effective Shopping Reduces Expenses