Living Frugal

Necessity is the mother of all innovations. And since resigning my job, I've found innovative ways of cutting down on my living expenses.

image: familymint.com

For about 2 years and 5 months till April 4 2014, I had been eating out at only Chicken Republic, KFC, Barcelos, Georges, Kilmanjaro, TFC, Sweet Sensation, Bukha Hut, and, when they are the only ones around, Tantalizers and Mr Biggs. And on some weeks I do this the entire 7 days of the week. And my colleagues at work gave up trying to make me eat at cheaper eateries.

I eat only twice a day and not a lot too. And food is the one expense that has no obvious price benchmark. Good food are usually overpriced and the cheap ones are seldom good. Even among the eateries I listed, I have just 3 favourites that I used to frequent a lot. 

Now, I eat before leaving the house and hold my hunger till I come back. And on the very few occasions I couldn't hold the hunger till I got home, I ate at much less expensive eateries. And to be sincere, I think one gets what one pays for. The maxim, "Price is what you pay, value is what you get." also applies to food. Per calorie, the cheaper restaurant wins, but if you've got good taste and value hygiene, the expensive ones are not that overpriced. 

Thank God for my mum. She forced me to begin cooking at age 12. And up till I went to the University, I was her dedicated kitchen assistant. There were days I did all the cooking at home. And I remember the day my dad complimented my cooking, and overdid the compliment, saying I cook better than my mum. There was a mild drama that day. Now I get to make my special dishes and favourite meals. And save money too.

Number two.

I have stopped swimming regularly. Used to be weekly, then became twice a month. Now, I have no plan to go swimming till I begin making some regular substantial income. The good thing is swimming is like riding a bicycle, you can never lose the skill. You'll almost take off from your previous skill level even after years.

Number three.

I have cut down on my internet data consumption. In my first week after resignation, I used up about 10Gig internet data. And as the internet charges come right out of my pocket, I had to limit my internet activities to mails, blogging, and very few downloads. It's the major reason I cancelled all my online programming courses. I now avoid video tutorials. And it's probably the hardest cost cutting measure I've taken.