Hello Grasshoppa,
We are just days away from CNY & Im sure you are as excited as me during this festive season where we can eat & eat & eat & gain more weight at the same time. Im sure at the same time, you are worrying on your transportation to Balik Kampung since the traffic on highway will be really really bad.
1. Balik Kampung
Here we go, 6-12 hours in traffic. Imagine how much fuel will be burned while stuck in such horrible traffic? Below is my recommendation on how you can travel cheaply & spend lesser time on traffic.
- Carpool (Average Cost : RM50-RM100. Savings : RM100-RM150) Im sure we have plenty of kampung friend that will be back during this festive season. Right them up, ask them how they are & ask if you can tumpang them back.
- Travel Home Early (Average Cost : RM200. Savings : RM50-RM100) Regular Malaysian have average 14 days of leave. It wont be any harm if we take 3-4 days leave before & after CNY to avoid heavy traffic. End of the day, we get to spend more precious time with our family & friends and you get to save your fuel by spending less time in the traffic too.
- Midnight Travel (Average Cost : RM200.00. Savings : RM50-RM100) Must have item include Red Bull, Ali Cafe & Old Town White Coffee. Make sure you have enough sleep before you travel. There will be some major toll that are offering rebates if you travel during midnight.
2. Clothing
Time to do some shopping. So last minute what & where to buy? Some of us might expect some special CNY clothes that we wont have any chance to bump in another person that wear the same clothes.
Chances of us bump into another person that wear the same clothes as us is high if we walk into shops like Uniqlo, Padini or H&M. Sometimes its unavoidable. LOL. Now how do we save money from here?
- Buy Promotion Item (Average Cost : Depend on how much you buy. Savings : RM100) Recently I bought M&S promotion item. 2 Office Wear + 1 Casual Wear = RM200. (Normal Price : RM457). Look at how much saving is that! Stores like M&S do have offer all the time & usually I will only look for promotion item. The Promoter know me well enough that he know this Black Belt would only seek for promotion item.
- Buy In Bulk (Average Cost : Depend on how much you buy. Savings : RM100) Shops like Brands Outlet or FOS have all year long sale where you can buy 3 pair of T-Shirt for RM100 or 2 pair of pants for RM100.
Last but not least………
3. Grocery
This is where we usually spend the most before CNY. If you walk into Tesco to shop a week or 2 before CNY, the counter will be as long as Snake Game. (If you remember)
Here is the best solution for my fellow Grasshoppa. Why do you want to queue up so long with other people? Go to https://eshop.tesco.com.my/groceries/en-GB/ . Click on the grocery you want, pay & get it deliver to you. Lets browse on some item to see if we are able to save some money.
- Coca Cola vs Pepsi. Can you differentiate the taste? I dont think our guest or relative would care if we serve them Coca Cola or Pepsi. So why choose the expensive one?
Personally, I know this year will be a great start to all of you fellow Grasshoppa. You want to know why? Because you have officially embark on a fruitful journey to be a smarter consumer & you are 1 step close to save more money for your year end holiday or early retirement.
Happy Chinese New Year to all of you & wish you all the best on your PROSPERITY journey.
OSS!
