Here are some of the things I do that have been working for me so far:

1. Choose your supermarket.

Consider the following factors: product prices, travel time and distance (Are you commuting? Are you taking a cab? Are you using your car? How much will you be spending for the fare or the gas?), parking fees…

2.  Make a list.

Lists are our friends. They keep us away from impulse buying and help free up space in our brains so there are less things that we have to remember. Einstein did this, and look at the theories he came up with!

Free your brain!!!

3. Set a budget and stick with it.

Remember: there’s always next month to buy all those other items.

4. Bring a calculator.

Or the one in your cellphones would do. I have this thing that I just can’t get out of my system…I just have to calculate unit costs….per gram, per liter…..but one centavo saved per item, in ten years of grocery shopping will add up to… wow I’d be a millionaire!!

5. Don’t go to the supermarket on an empty stomach.

Hunger is your enemy! (I should know.)

We hear this often, probably because it does have an effect on our spending.

6. Leave the kids at home.

Well, sometimes I get to follow this. The supermarket is such a wonderful world for the kids, it’s like their version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is always a difficult decision for me. On one hand, they do get to learn a lot in supermarkets; On the other hand, we also tend to spend more whenever they join us. So I just follow this piece of advice when the need to save more overrides my desire to be with the kids….which seldom happens.

7. Look out for items that are on sale.

Your well-loved products might be selling for half the price this time!

This could be tricky though, make sure you don’t end up buying something you have no use for just because it’s on sale. These things have expiration dates, my friend.

8. Bring cash.

As they say, cash is king. Plastics (credit cards) have a way of deceiving us into thinking that we are on a shopping spree. Cash would remind us of reality.

9. Don’t be deceived!

The words “New and Improved!” translate to me as “New and improved packaging so we can get more of your money!”.

10. Choose the least busy time.

“Fools rush in.” This just doesn’t just apply to love, you know. Don’t you notice that when there are more people, our competitive spirit seems to rise up, causing us to be more aggressive in shopping?? In the same breath, when we are in a rush, we usually end up buying on impulse.

Be wise and think through your purchases.

Okay, that’s ten. Any more will ruin the beauty of this numbered list.

Of course, I’m sure some of you have more great ideas. Please do share!!!

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photos (in order of appearance.. hehe):

bbc.co.uk

kara.allthingsd.com

causerelatedmarketing.blogspot.com

Heehee!

Okay, NOW my excuse for not writing a single entry over the last couple of days is because of the house-move. I have been going back and forth almost everyday, trying to fix whatever I can so we can finally move in to the new house.

Huu-whhhaatt??!? You’re too slow Thammie! I thought you’ve moved in a month ago???

Whoa! Before you judge me, let me explain!

I have had no helper whatsoever so I have been doing all the cleaning and arranging and moving around of all the furniture all by myself! (Well, the moving around part… actually that’s Dennis….I just wanted to sound like a superwoman. Hahaha!)

But yes, that’s really why I have been taking so long. Add to that the fact that simultaneous to all the moving and arranging, I’m having some repainting jobs done, plus the shelves and some cabinets are still being constructed as we speak.

The good news, though, is that I think by tonight I can get at least ONE room of the new place clean enough for us to have our first sleep-over! Woohoo!!! I am so excited to move in to the new place. I have been living like a nomad for a few months now, and though I love the idea of having no household responsibilities and not having to think about what to feed the family daily, I would not trade having my own place to call home for anything in the world.

Here are some of the main things I have learned (or have been reminded of) over the past couple of weeks:

1. Go for “progress”, not “perfect”.

I have to keep repeating this to myself. I have a tendency to perfect the details and sweat the small stuff, and then later on realize I’ve been spending too much time on one thing and haven’t made any real progress!

2. Small is big.

This can apply to so many things. Every small thing you acquire adds big time to clutter; Every “cheap” thing you put into the cart adds up to a big amount at the check-out counter; every small gesture of generosity refreshes someone else in a big way…small is big.

3. Slow is fast. (and labeling really is a homemaker’s best friend!)

Initially I felt that I was kind of slow because I had to be so detailed in labeling all our things, but oh wow…because I have tons of boxes and sacks, I CANNOT imagine how it would be like if I didn’t take the time to label everything carefully. The unpacking is so much faster because of that system.

4.  The urgent will always seem to be the most important.

But often, it is not the case.

There were a lot of times when Dennis and I had to stop taking care of the renovation and house move because our daughters would start to remind us of the lack of time we have been spending with them.

It is so easy to get caught up with what the concerns that are screaming “urgent!!!” that we sometimes forget to listen to the cries of those that are really important.

5. When God told husbands and wives to “leave and cleave”, He really had our best interests in mind.

I am super thankful….beyond words….for the kindness shown by my in-laws. They have been so generous and patient with us. We stayed there for over a month and it really was a lot easier for us especially since I could leave the kids there and not have to worry about them inhaling all the dust (and messing up the already-messy place) and pretty much not have to worry about anything else but the move. BUT like I said, I would not trade living with my husband and kids in our own place for any of the convenience and benefits of living with our parents. It’s really just different….a good kind of different.

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Okay, there’s really more than five points that I want to share, but I’m afraid I’ll stop at seven of eight….and I always prefer my lists to be divisible by five. So for now, that’s it. I have to get back to cleaning up.