Money matters - living a simple life, frugally

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 05 Apr 2019 05:28:43 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 05:28:43 GMT

majority of family expenses go to food.

my kids are big eaters, especially son. daughter’s appetite catching up.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:45:45 GMT

MrsKiasu — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:45:45 GMT

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1905028\" time=\"1554366327\" user_id=\"70594:

laughingcat\" post_id=\"1905022\" time=\"1554364376\" user_id=\"3309:

养男孩好贵啊!!! :moneyflies:
coz they carry the Family Name hor :rotflmao:

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: mine, the money and food didnt go wasted, got meat one dunno if I should be happy lor I dunno know how much exactly spent for food..just know that most money spent on food..lc, buy online more la..I just had my rice cakes/sauce/kimchi delivered today...alamak, dd asks if I could cook more leh..I told her that is more than 500g liao la..just for her only, dd2 and I eat rice and soup..

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:25:27 GMT

MyPillow — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:25:27 GMT

laughingcat\" post_id=\"1905022\" time=\"1554364376\" user_id=\"3309:

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1905006\" time=\"1554358951\" user_id=\"70594:
[quote=laughingcat post_id=1904984 time=1554354256 user_id=3309]wow! I am impressed that some of you are able to spend $400 on grocery. No matter how much I control, still $500 per month. :faint: I am not fussy with food leh, also did not go for high end quality food, always go for house brand types, also go for China veg food as well......

you are feeding boys, more rice, more meat compared to girls .. teen girls eat so much lesser - weight issues
your $500 is one or two meals? i think above mums $400 is mainly dinner ...

养男孩好贵啊!!! :moneyflies:[/quote]coz they carry the Family Name hor :rotflmao:

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 07:52:56 GMT

laughingcat — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 07:52:56 GMT

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1905006\" time=\"1554358951\" user_id=\"70594:

laughingcat\" post_id=\"1904984\" time=\"1554354256\" user_id=\"3309:
wow! I am impressed that some of you are able to spend $400 on grocery. No matter how much I control, still $500 per month. :faint: I am not fussy with food leh, also did not go for high end quality food, always go for house brand types, also go for China veg food as well......

you are feeding boys, more rice, more meat compared to girls .. teen girls eat so much lesser - weight issues
your $500 is one or two meals? i think above mums $400 is mainly dinner ...

养男孩好贵啊!!! :moneyflies:

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:28:27 GMT

starlight1968sg — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:28:27 GMT

I don't know how much I spent on grocery over month

2A1C; dd eats at home during wkend, I cook only dinner during wkdays.
Main items: rice, meat including frozen, veg.

I do notice prices of items only go up ...

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:23:52 GMT

Coolkidsrock2 — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:23:52 GMT

Cold Storage marks down their vegetables and diary products by 50% when near expiry date. I normally buy them using the weekly Vitality $10 coupons to offset. Buying healthy food there also help me to further accumulate points under the program. There is also a 25% Cashback under the program. This year, a lite medical report is required to be submitted to qualify for the Cashback. This is not a requirement in previous year(s) so it is easy to accumulate more coupons to offset against the purchases.

I also buy fresh produce from Open Taste/Jason and fruits from the importers/importers (not very sure what their exact role is in the distribution channel).

I usually source for value for my purchases.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:22:31 GMT

MyPillow — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 06:22:31 GMT

laughingcat\" post_id=\"1904984\" time=\"1554354256\" user_id=\"3309:

wow! I am impressed that some of you are able to spend $400 on grocery. No matter how much I control, still $500 per month. :faint: I am not fussy with food leh, also did not go for high end quality food, always go for house brand types, also go for China veg food as well......

you are feeding boys, more rice, more meat compared to girls .. teen girls eat so much lesser - weight issues
your $500 is one or two meals? i think above mums $400 is mainly dinner ...

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 05:04:16 GMT

laughingcat — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 05:04:16 GMT

wow! I am impressed that some of you are able to spend $400 on grocery. No matter how much I control, still $500 per month. :faint: I am not fussy with food leh, also did not go for high end quality food, always go for house brand types, also go for China veg food as well......

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 03:54:54 GMT

janet88 — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 03:54:54 GMT

eating at home is cheaper and there is nutrition.

even the quality of oil and rice is better. when eating out, a bowl of bak Chor noodle is $4.50. there is no nutrition at all...but sometimes craving for it, really no choice but damn heartache because it's just pathetic noodles, fish ball, fish cake & some minced pork plus pig lard for enhancing flavour

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Thu, 04 Apr 2019 03:41:45 GMT

CalvinS — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 03:41:45 GMT

One big way to save money is to drastically cut down on the amount of television you watch. There are a lot of financial benefits to this: less exposure to spending-inducing ads, a lower electric bill (and perhaps a lower cable bill if you downgrade your subscription), more time to focus on other things in life — such as a side business — and so on.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Wed, 03 Apr 2019 07:20:56 GMT

cassandraann — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 07:20:56 GMT

Spending within your means is a way of saving money

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 11:36:31 GMT

Cloud Cloud — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 11:36:31 GMT

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"1903497\" time=\"1553224497\" user_id=\"28674:

sweetbaby\" post_id=\"1903481\" time=\"1553222907\" user_id=\"16633:
How to cut down on grocery cost? Anyone tried bulk buying in Singapore? Can you recommend your most used tip to save costs? Thanks!
It depends on how much you are already spending, and what you spend on. Are you fussy about food quality, freshness, country of origin, health claims etc?

My family of 3 adults spends about $400 a month, I think. Hard to really estimate, and that includes some non-food items like toilet paper. We eat all breakfasts and dinners at home. We don't buy in bulk because we don't consume that much, and I don't have space to store a lot of stuff.

I am not fussy about food, so this is how I economise:
- buy housebrands for most things if they are available
- buy frozen meat and fish (we are not discerning)
- don't avoid food from China
- buy cheaper types of veg and fruit, and leave the expensive ones for occasional treats
- rarely buy processed food, snacks or drinks
- try to make more things \"from scratch\", e.g. granola, muffins, cakes
- ignore health claims on food which aim to get customers to buy those more expensive items
- be aware of the prices of commonly-purchased items so I can take advantage of good deals and sales

Quite similar to my expenses. My family of 2A2C spends about $300 to $400 a mth. Included stuff like toilet paper, detergent. Also only cook dinner, about 5 times a week.

Don’t mind frozen meat and also no processed food.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 09:20:56 GMT

sharonkhoo — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 09:20:56 GMT

Funz\" post_id=\"1903506\" time=\"1553226287\" user_id=\"6230:

$400 a month is very low. For us, 4+1helper, I spend about $200 a week! Maybe more. And that is mainly for 1 meal a day which is dinner. Very honestly, my home baked and home cooked stuff is definitely more expensive than those that we buy.

That's because the quality of your ingredients is better than what is used outside! The quality of the ingredients I use is the basic stuff. Outside food is definitely fancier than what I produce at home. I'm not a good cook, so high quality or fancy ingredients are not worth it. I can't/don't cook a lot of the things you do (based on the descriptions of your meals). Luckily, my family doesn't mind plain and simple food, especially when I explain that some of those savings pay for our holidays!

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 08:10:25 GMT

Estéema — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 08:10:25 GMT

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903546\" time=\"1553239579\" user_id=\"70594:

Estéema\" post_id=\"1903534\" time=\"1553236007\" user_id=\"66413:
[quote=Funz post_id=1903503 time=1553225465 user_id=6230]

I din know that. How many steps to redeem the vouchers.
DH says it’s very hard to earn points under Health 365. Is it true?

MP, how does Health 365 works? We’ve been doing 10,000 steps u der AIA & get rewarded with Cold Storage $5 vouchers & when those under our group achieved target, get ano $10.

365 - i just walked lor , here n there ... yes it takes longer to earn points - But its FREE - very good le- unlike AIA
i dun have AIA vitality , my dh has the acct
every other week , he get $20 CS voucher
my dh runs or cycle daily so can clock fast[/quote]We’re both on AIA Vitality. How yr DH get $20? Can share? We only get $5 CS Voucher each & $10 for team.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 07:30:40 GMT

MyPillow — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 07:30:40 GMT

i cant n dun do 10k steps daily . i am desk bound job , on days i go joggings , walk further for lunch , then i can clock 10k

even my mama who walk to market daily can’t do 10k steps…about 6 to 7k steps only
on wk ends i can - delibrate efforts … weafr fr morning till night - go in and out -here n there
window shop / Shopping is the easiest to clock steps unknowingly - very motivated feet n mind

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 07:26:19 GMT

MyPillow — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 07:26:19 GMT

Estéema\" post_id=\"1903534\" time=\"1553236007\" user_id=\"66413:

Funz\" post_id=\"1903503\" time=\"1553225465\" user_id=\"6230:
[quote=MyPillow post_id=1903494 time=1553224349 user_id=70594]For luxury eat out - can use Credit card points to chg voucher
If u shop in fair price most time, can earn points & chg voucher too
Sign up for National steps challeng - walk and earn points for fair price voucher - I chged $25 voucher last week
all these convert to savings n adding some luxury ...
After paying air ticks, hotels - our cc points Increase a lot - that's where i chg vouchers again -mostly food related
vouchers
I din know that. How many steps to redeem the vouchers.

DH says it’s very hard to earn points under Health 365. Is it true?

MP, how does Health 365 works? We’ve been doing 10,000 steps u der AIA & get rewarded with Cold Storage $5 vouchers & when those under our group achieved target, get ano $10.[/quote]365 - i just walked lor , here n there ... yes it takes longer to earn points - But its FREE - very good le- unlike AIA
i dun have AIA vitality , my dh has the acct
every other week , he get $20 CS voucher
my dh runs or cycle daily so can clock fast

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 06:26:47 GMT

Estéema — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 06:26:47 GMT

Funz\" post_id=\"1903503\" time=\"1553225465\" user_id=\"6230:

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903494\" time=\"1553224349\" user_id=\"70594:
all these convert to savings n adding some luxury ...
After paying air ticks, hotels - our cc points Increase a lot - that's where i chg vouchers again -mostly food related
vouchers
I din know that. How many steps to redeem the vouchers.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 06:22:17 GMT

Estéema — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 06:22:17 GMT

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903498\" time=\"1553224550\" user_id=\"70594:

janet88\" post_id=\"1903491\" time=\"1553224031\" user_id=\"12950:
[quote=starlight1968sg post_id=1903487 time=1553223651 user_id=14025]

I try to buy more when the items are on discount/offer.
I agree my grocery cost is \"growing\" though not the amt or number of items.
I try to buy items when there is offer.
we are not eating the best...too ex to do that. but I would say average.
grocery bill is higher because kids are eating more too. my soup alone is expensive because I'm using soft bone ribs. but I don't boil too long as we still eat the meat after that.

we go 'unhealthy' once a week. need to get out to relax after a week at home doing homework and routine stuff.

janet, same here ... after about ONE WEEK of home cooked food, we need burgers on one wk end
actually eating outside hawker food is equiv to fast food unhealthy index ... nowadays a simple fishball noodles is full of MSG - so obvious - i thirst whole afternoon few days ago ... but i m not thirsty eating burgers n fries... [/quote]Just share how DH (then bfrd) was convinced homecook better.

One time when he was helping me to sort out my laptop, he got hungry & I quickly took fish out to thaw. He asked how long & I said quickest 45 min to an hour. He said go out eat only 10-20 min. So we went to hv a bowl of fishball noodles. After we ordered, we sat in front of the stall with good view of aunty. Aunty took a A4 size pack cut across the top & turn to pour the contents into the boiler of hot water, returning to the front with only 1/3rd of the entire contents. DH asked what was that & Having heard it’s a bag of MSG, was shocked. That’s how our family rather cook & DH used cook with me in early days of marriage.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 05:24:25 GMT

MrsKiasu — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 05:24:25 GMT

janet88\" post_id=\"1903524\" time=\"1553228658\" user_id=\"12950:

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903498\" time=\"1553224550\" user_id=\"70594:
janet, same here ... after about ONE WEEK of home cooked food, we need burgers on one wk end
actually eating outside hawker food is equiv to fast food unhealthy index ... nowadays a simple fishball noodles is full of MSG - so obvious - i thirst whole afternoon few days ago ... but i m not thirsty eating burgers n fries...
we eat tempura at food court or tori Q.
fishball noodles is insufficient for my son and YES, very thirsty after that even though we do not drink the soup.
now we have resorted to bringing a bottle of water out...we cutting down on drinking sweet stuff too.
coke is great to quench thirst but it's sweet.

We bring water out too

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 04:24:18 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 04:24:18 GMT

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903498\" time=\"1553224550\" user_id=\"70594:

janet, same here ... after about ONE WEEK of home cooked food, we need burgers on one wk end
actually eating outside hawker food is equiv to fast food unhealthy index ... nowadays a simple fishball noodles is full of MSG - so obvious - i thirst whole afternoon few days ago ... but i m not thirsty eating burgers n fries...

we eat tempura at food court or tori Q.
fishball noodles is insufficient for my son and YES, very thirsty after that even though we do not drink the soup.
now we have resorted to bringing a bottle of water out...we cutting down on drinking sweet stuff too.
coke is great to quench thirst but it's sweet.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 04:09:56 GMT

MrsKiasu — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 04:09:56 GMT

I dont think I have registered for steps on the health 365 but I scan the health points…so still get ntuc vouchers but not much

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 04:08:40 GMT

MrsKiasu — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 04:08:40 GMT

Ours should be much more than that too…never calculate though but now I try to reduce online buying…though 80% still food/beverage/health supplements… seldom cook veg nowadays though still have spinach and pumpkin so will load quite a bit of fruits…eggs also I changed to big tray of eggs for frying and baking.

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 03:51:28 GMT

MyPillow — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 03:51:28 GMT

Funz\" post_id=\"1903508\" time=\"1553226507\" user_id=\"6230:

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903505\" time=\"1553226258\" user_id=\"70594:

i (&dh) also can't figure or map out number of steps and points award rule - they have secret recipe :rotflmao:
sometimes, if u walk more, u get bonus points when u hit a milestone, sometimes i get bonus points by playing the game. or by buying vege dishes fr kopitiam - scan recepit etc

750pts for $5 vouchers
Ok I go check out their website. Must use their tracker or our own tracker also can? I clock quite a lot of steps each day so if can translate that into vouchers, why not. Ha

i use hpb tracker
not too sure about my dh he has garmin, fitbit - but he can chg the vouchers as well

Reply to Money matters - living a simple life, frugally on Fri, 22 Mar 2019 03:48:27 GMT

Funz — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 03:48:27 GMT

MyPillow\" post_id=\"1903505\" time=\"1553226258\" user_id=\"70594:

i (&dh) also can't figure or map out number of steps and points award rule - they have secret recipe :rotflmao:
sometimes, if u walk more, u get bonus points when u hit a milestone, sometimes i get bonus points by playing the game. or by buying vege dishes fr kopitiam - scan recepit etc

750pts for $5 vouchers

Ok I go check out their website. Must use their tracker or our own tracker also can? I clock quite a lot of steps each day so if can translate that into vouchers, why not. Ha