Time to Save!

October is here and before we know it, Christmas will come around followed by the New Year. We don't celebrate Christmas but B and I will exchange gifts just for the fun of it. The gifts are usually small and this year I thought I'd save a little by making him a homemade gift. I'm not crafty but I did see some great ideas for cheap presents online that are easy to make. It may cost less but just as meaningful especially when it comes from my heart.

B and I always try to go for a mini getaway towards the end of the year and since we already went on our big vacation in Tokyo a few months back, this next one would be on a much-smaller scale. Money is tight nowadays especially after our shopping spree in Japan and with everything from food to clothes and even pet toys experiencing a price surge, I've been trying to figure out ways we can save more money for our vacation starting by reducing our electricity bill.

We don't have to worry about heating costs since winter does not rear its freezing cold head here in sunny Malaysia. However, there is the cooling cost of our air-conditioner, which needs a little trimming. It's been extra hot lately so I've been using the AC almost every night, which is not like me since the cold usually triggers a sinus attack. I hope we get some breeze soon so I won't have to rely on the AC so much. Otherwise I might have to resort to payday loans to help foot our mounting electricity bill!

I've also made an early new year resolution to cook more instead of spending a bomb dining outside so it's time to stock up my fridge, take out my recipe books and get busy in the kitchen! Cooking at home can save quite a huge chunk from our monthly spending so this is also another way I'm trying to save towards our vacation fund.

It seems that I have my money-saving plan all figured out but the big question remains - Where should we go for our vacation? I'm thinking Penang since I've never been there and I hear the food is sinfully delicious so hopefully B feels the same way. Until then, thanks for reading and what are your plans for the upcoming year-end festive season?

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-

GAGAY
MONICA
NESSA