Tightening My Purse Strings

We were in JB when the PM announced the petrol price hike but we knew about it the day before thanks to a very reliable source.

The next day, TNB made an announce that they'll increase the electricity tariff.

Now, there's a cooking oil scare and everyone is making a beeline to the shops to stock up on them.

Zara's nursery fees has just increased by RM 5 overnight hopefully Zareef's school fees will remain the same although I highly doubt so. I am just waiting for his teacher to pop the news.

Everything is going up and up and up.

I can't wait for this month's water bill to come. Lets see if the Selangor MB is true to his words of giving free water for the first 20 cubic meters. Hopefully, my water bill now won't be more than RM 10 (wishful thinking here, I know..).

Lucky for you, I will not increase my cake prices. As long as I can weather the price surge phenomenon, I'll stay put with the existing prices. HOWEVER, I'll have to regretfully increase my delivery charges, sighhhh. I know, but it's inevitable. I'm guilty of driving a gas guzzling SUV but I love it! For safety reasons, B insists that I take the XTrail whenever I do my deliveries with the kids.

So, from now on, I'm taking these measures to cope with the price hike of almost everything:

1. Cook more, eat out less.

2. Do all my chores in one trip and at the same place.

3. Reduce air-cond usage at night.

4. Switch to cheaper brands for my toiletries (but I refuse to do the same for my makeups. A BIG NO!).

5. Find cheaper alternative for the kids' source of entertainment.

6. For holidays, wait till B has to go outstation for free accommodation and paid mileage.

7. Cut down on little luxuries such as Baskin Robbins, Big Apple or JCo, Starbucks and glossy international magazines.

8. Do a garage sale. This I'll most certainly try especially when I have an abundance of Zareef's unplayed toys, outgrown clothes and shoes and my unused bags. I just hope that I have the strength and time to organize all the stuff.

I'm sticking my guns to all of the above. But wait... my birthday is this Saturday and B's is next Sunday. How now brown cow?? Argghhh!! Oh well... looks like I'll be having a low-key affair then.