Posted by
qvong
18 yrs ago
What type of essentials? Toiletries and cleaning supplies etc.
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Very often stuff like loo rolls, cleaning, shampoos (family size) are much cheaper at the local chemists (Not Watsons).
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gabb
18 yrs ago
Wah....it's so difficult to save money in HK!!! I find that I used much less back in Canada! CAD100 a week was enough for myself, including 3 meals a day and some entertainment but excluding transportation.
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ceeh
18 yrs ago
Buying your fruit and veg at the markets is a fraction of Park N Shop and Wellcome but you need to go twice weekly or even more as they are kept in the open.
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These are the things I do to keep our costs down:
1. have a meal plan for the week and buy groceries based on this list. This keeps me from impulse buying ingredients I lose interest in when I arrive home..
2. I cook in big batches (3-4 servings) and freeze them. Saves me trips to the market and time in the kitchen
3. Buy house brand of water, eggs..I keep my purchases at Great and Citysuper to a minimum
4. We're not big fans of aircons, so our electricity bill is not as huge in the summer. We have electric fans in all rooms instead, and use the aircon only when we go to bed.
5. We dine out during the weekend, either lunch or dinner, but seldom go out for drinks
6. I sometimes buy toiletries (shampoo, shower gel..) from the local dispensaries or Bonjour. They are cheaper than P&S or Wellcome
7. If I can walk the distance and if it's not too hot or I'm wearing comfy shoes, I choose to walk instead of hailing a cab.
8. It pays to plan ahead when booking flights. I have saved $$$ for booking early. Find a travel agent who will get you the best deals
9. To control my phone bill, I buy phone cards for my overseas calls and did not enrol my plan with an IDD. It's so easy and tempting to exceed the budget!
10. I have bought some Xmas presents for some family and friends during the sale season last month. I have a list of nieces and nephews (and their current ages and birthdays)to be sure I get them the right gift/size
Will think of more later...
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Hi Chiki,
Sent you PM.
It also helps to regularly check out the promos at Zuji when comparing costs of airline tickets and packages.
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now that we are based in BKK we keep the same practice like in HKG, I cook dinners mostly european at home all week, when eating out we go to local restaurants and sometimes Italian ( for treats ) , in foodcourts ( they have good ones here ) I take advantage on ordering asian food dimsum/mostly chinese but never western not only its expensive but something I can do at home. In HKG my I was always on the lookout for marked down prices and yes cooking in large quantities can help too. We saved a lot booking flights on the airline's own website, but you must be always on the lookout on their promotions and of course it will help if your dates are flexible. And some cinemas cut prices in half on tuesdays, not sure though if its still the same.
I will say shopping during the sales period has become my way of life.
don't be ashamed if friends/co-workers see you eating in one of those noodle corners as long as you're enjoying the food!
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gabb
18 yrs ago
For good/wise finance/wealth management, how should we budget our expenses according to our income? How much money should we allocate for savings, rent, utilities, food, entertainment, etc.?
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AYM
18 yrs ago
kingfamily, buying from a dispensary is an excellent idea but go to Wanchai/Sheung Wan instead of Central/Causeway Bay which would be more expensive (if you're on the island side).
Also, I buy these big 10-lbs. container of shampoo & conditioner commonly used by hair salon for $38/container. When you return the empty container for the next purchase, you'll get a $5 rebate as well. There are many hair care product shops which sell these items (e.g. there is one shop just a few stores to the left of Mitsukoshi Dept. Store on Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay). One container can probably last for 6 months so. This means that for one person's consumption, it'll only cost you no more than $100/year per item. The quality of these items are really no problem. Actually, I find that the conditioner is quite good. I don't buy the relatively expensive LUX, Vidal Sassoon, Pantene, etc. anymore.
For bath gel, the shop I mentioned above sells it too or you can buy other large bottles from the Cosmetic Shop Bonjour for much cheaper price as well.
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AYM
18 yrs ago
Oh, also, for those of you from the U.S./Canada, there is a small store called Pricemart (selling big bulk items similar to Cosco but MUCH smaller) on Chiu Lung Street in Central (parallel to Pedder Street, between Queen's Road Central & Des Voeux Road Central). I buy my BOUNCE (for the dryer) and Skippy peanut butter etc. from there instead of Wellcome/Park'n Shop. Saved me lots of money. I think BOUNCE is something like $69.9 for a box of 200 sheets. Checkout the price at Wellcome and you'll be surprise how much more expensive it is. Try to go there and good luck with your shopping!
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cd
18 yrs ago
It definately pays to shop in the 'local' chemists, i started buying stuff from these a few months ago, got a few bits today and decided to compare with wellcome. My facial wash gel,$35 compared to $48.80 in Wellcome, bug spray $25 as against about $37 in supermarket, styling mousse at least $12 cheaper, deo $18 compared to $28.80rrp, Huggies babywipes $59 for 3 pks, compared to nearly $50 rrp for 1 pk.Definately big savings to be had.
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