Finally...

I have always wanted my family to watch less television. I guess I want my kids to grow up doing more things like playing, inventing stuff, use more of their imagination and the likes. In addition, we'd be saving on electricity and thus the utilities bill.

But like many families, we often succumb to the lure of the Tube. It provides spontaneous entertainment at a flick of a switch, it allows for tired parents to rest while the kid is watching TV (even though educational videos), it allows a couple to spend time together without actually having to have a conversation with each other (voila!quality time)..and..and..and..

But deep down inside, I wish it was different. I wish we'd communicate more, have fun more, play more, talk more..at least we'd be connecting.

And so..I'm very happy to share that 25th December 07 will be
the last day that we have cable TV. No need to come over to watch
soccer, guys, and no watching movies together on HBO, girls.

But you're very welcome to come over and communicate more, have fun more, play more, talk more..and that's the way I'd like it.

Itchy Fingers

I am already itching to spend, spend, spend! I told you it wouldn't last.

I can already think of a 100 things (obviously an exaggeration) to do with my money:
- stop cooking and eat out everyday. hooray to clean kitchens!
- cut hair. it's just getting too long
- straighten hair. despite my sis's admonitions that I'm killing my hair, what with the previous straightening and then perming.
- get a pedicure/manicure
- buy those cute flower stickers for my nails
- buy a hair clip (metallic)
- get myself the blue top from a certain website
- get myself the blue skirt from a certain website
- get some pictures professionally framed (something that I have wanted for a long time)
- get our family studio photo done and framed
- buy more plants to cover up the holes outside the house
- go to a nursery and get myself gardening equipment to experiment planting stuff that can be used in cooking
- getting Mary to come and clean the house from top to toe. Alternatively, I'll be happy if my sis would come and clean my glass doors to the TV room. No one does it as spotless as her, honest!
- get the $700+ KitchenAid mixer for my biscuits and cakes. I don't bake often but I promise I will if you'd get me either the black/white/silver one
- get the mini scratches on the car professionally painted
- redo Humaira's room
- pay Bibi to be the interior designer for our house
- get the pretty jewelled flowers like the ones in Bibi's house..which I'm sure costs a lot btw.
- ...
- ...
- ...

Oopss..maybe I do have a 100.
But for now, maybe I'll just get hubby to experiment cutting my hair when I get home.

Project Frugal Day 3

Collected some stuff from a fellow Freecycler yesterday! yay...

I've been trying to save more water by reducing my shower time. Little savings is still some savings.

I am also trying to cook more often that eating out/buying out but this has not been working out too well. I have not learnt to whip something up by the items found in my kitchen, but rather, I follow a recipe to the letter and usually buy all the ingredients required. That means, I have a lot of stuff in my kitchen that were used once and are now silently staying in my cabinets, waiting for their expiry date.
So, I still need to work on that.

My test came today though, when a glass shelf in the guest bathroom broke. Now we don't have a place to put all the toiletries on. I'm just tring to think of a cheap alternative. Use a plank of wood? Hm..this needs some thought.

Current Passion..

..frugal living.

I have been reading a lot a lot about this lately and has made this my current project.

For those who are unfamiliar, frugal living is not about living without life's pleasures, rather, it's about saving for those pleasures that you really appreciate.

Going along these lines, I have been:
1) getting a lot of tips from websites such as Frugal for Life
2) joined Freecycle
3) thinking of ways to be more frugal. By the way, we have already been using remainder of our bath water to flush toilets and mop the floors plus we prefer using the fan to aircon. Humaira has been brought up and taught to sleep without aircon.

I wanted to provide some info on Freecycle. It is set up in many parts of the world and is essentially a network where people give away things that they no longer use/need and others can post about items that they need, no cost included (except if you want the person to post the item instead of picking it up yourself, of course). I originally thought that this wouldn't work in Singapore but I was pleasantly surprised to see that people do give away stuff that is of value.

Just like my previous 'movements', for eg, to support the 'Be Kind To Animals' campaign, I know that my current passion will dwindle and I'll be back to the old me soon. But I also know that while my mind is set, I will endeavour to do my best possible.

P.s. By the way, I read that people who live frugally sew their own childrens' clothing and my hubby thinks it's so funny that I am now determined to learn to sew.