Being retired doesn't mean you can't enjoy the finer things in life. It just mean maybe you need to find alternative ways to enjoy it at a lower cost. So for me, purchasing the following products never crosses my mind as being a waste of money. Especially so since I'm the type that love staying at home and enjoying my own company. I know these products may not be for everyone, but the main point of this post is to share with you that you don't have to waste mindless amount of money for things you love. Just learn to make them yourself! And with technology, these products can help you!
1. Bread Maker
I love bread. My household of two goes thru 1 to 2 load of Gardenia bread a week, costing us almost SGD$5 per week. And the prices of bread keep increasing. For such a simple thing, why waste so much money on it consistently? So I got this bread machine for SGD$399 back in 2010. It is now 7 years old and have serve us well. A pack of flour cost us SGD$2.45 at the lowest price, and it makes 4 loaf per pack. That's SGD$0.60 per bread. Even if I add in all the butter, sugar, yeast, salt and what ever goodies I want for my bread, at most it is going to cost me SGD$1. I still save more than 50%. So yes, I say invest in a bread machine if you love bread. It also make scones, cake, dough and jam!
2. Capsule Coffee Machine
Ok, I admin this isn't the most environmentally friendly way of drinking coffee, but this is my only bad habit, so I allowed myself this small luxury. I got this back in 2013, and it is now 4 years old. f given a choice, I would have gotten a Nespresso machines as my sole purpose was to consume needless supply of espresso. At a coffee shop, a shot of espresso easily cost you cheapest SGD$2.50. With this, it cost me SGD$0.90. So I don't really spend much money on coffee outside of my home. I don't drink it daily, maybe just weekly. I take coffee more as a supplement, a leisure drink than a necessity. The machine cost us SGD$199, and it has stopped us spending dumb amount of money drinking hand crafted or chain coffee outside. I'm all set for retire with this in my kitchen!
3. 3-in-1 Snackmaker
My latest kitchen aid. I got it mainly for making waffles, and it cost me SGD$59 at a sale. I was already prepared to pay SGD$69 for it, and was so happy to get it SGD$10 cheaper. Why I bought this? Cause I love waffles, and I love toast bread, and this comes with a grill as well. So let's count the profit and lost. If you have a sandwich outside, especially a toaster one, it's going to cost you SGD$3 to SGD$7 or more depending on the filling. Waffles? Cheapest SGD$7 in a HDB cafe, to maybe SGD$15 at a fancy one. With this, my batter cost around maybe SGD$3 maybe SGD$5? (2 eggs, milk, flour, butter, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla). And each time I make around a dozen! So I usually have them as a meal (SGD$2.50 per meal?), and have one week supply of breakfast after that! Why wouldn't I buy these? Duh!
Finally, a little tip. The idea of it all, is to make your home so nice and cosy that you don't really need to go hang out outside and waste your money. Just do it at the comfort of your home. When you spend outside, it's going to cost you a lot, and it's going to last a few hours. When you spend it on these items, it's going to cost you a lot, but last you for years! So although I always have the idea of going to a cafe with my laptop and look cool, I could never get myself out the door when my home cafe is so much nicer! It has all my favourite:
- Plates and dishes - I do spend money on nice plates, bone China, pottery etc to make the dining experience at home cozy and like cafe setting.
- Tea - I now buy in pack and pack them individually on my own like the photo above. It cost me SGD$7 for the tea, and SGD$2 for the bag, and I have like half a year to one year supply of my favourite tea. If I go to cafe, I can only go twice with that same cost.
- Free WI-FI - my husband work for a telco, so we get unlimited broadband at home
- Free ice water and any water and snacks - my fridge is always full of food.
- Free transport - I don't have to travel anywhere
So yeah, that's what I do. I don't mind people coming over to socialise as well. I just don't like spending ridiculous amount of money for things that can be had at a lower price without compromising the quality and standard. This also means that once I know how to cook a dish, I refuses to order it when I'm eating out. This has save me SGD$$ when I was having a risotto crave last time. Now if only my husband let me cook steaks at home.... Unless the restaurant can make it better than me, I usually don't order things I can cook at home.
If you enjoy reading about the above topic, you can also cross over to my other blog on some of the things I do at home to save money, but mainly because I also love making stuff at home.
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I love your final tips, this is my dream too. I always wish that my home looks sweet and confirm, is where I can relax myself and enjoy my book for whole day. Unfortunately, my house is full of people now, and I cant maintain as what I wish too.
ReplyDeletecreate a small private corner just for yourself! maybe in your bedroom or your balcony! I love your balcony!
DeleteI also had a coffee machine like yours. It's definitely cheaper than coffee bean, but its also not cheap in Penang, especially we are spending in RM, where our salary is much lower than S'pore.
ReplyDeletehave to save up for small luxury from time to time, to make life more worth living :)
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