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Lack of time
When all the kids were still in childcare and Mummy was still working, we were really stretched for time and we have to be prudent with our savings.
Bringing the kids to and from their childcare and classes was a daily logistics affair.
When we reach home after work, a quick dinner, and it is 8pm already.
We suspect most Singapore families with working parents face the same time constraint.
What little time (and energy) left at the end of the day, we spare a little on story books, catching up with the kids’ daily activities.
After they finally decided to slumber, we have to clear the never-ending laundry and dishes. We are too exhausted to think about romance, and making love is the last thing on our mind. (no wonder Singapore’s TFR rate is under-performing)
Sorry for the digress.. but what Daddy is trying to say is “Time is never enough, we just have to prioritise”.
Money and variety not enough
Expenses need to be closely monitored.
When we travel, we will source for promotions from budget air websites or travel portals like Zuji and Roomorama. For our family of six, airfare and accomodation will be the biggest components on our travel ticket.
When Daddy had the luxury (time) to watch DVDs a decade ago, the selection of Region 1 DVDs (read uncensored) in Singapore was woeful. He had to shop online for his DVD and toys (example Legos and Thomas trains).
Amazon and Taobao are popular in Singapore, they offer more variety and sometimes cheaper products, even after factoring in shipping costs. Taobao even have third party companies to import merchandise on your behalf, minimum hassles (and save time)
Foodpanda, Foodline and other food portals solve our quest for food, we can research on price and cuisine, be it buffet, parties or caterers.
Milk powder, diapers and daily essentials eat away a portion of our salary.
Even school assessment books (which need to be renewed every 2 years) and school uniforms can add up significantly.
Whenever feasible, we try to buy in bulk for savings.
Occasionally, we do our grocery shopping in JB.
Online experience
Mummy is the savvy one at home, she will suss out deals online and offline.
Qoo10, Taobao, and Redmart for our different needs.
Online merchants provide 7×24 service, price comparison, and we can get instant updates on the latest producr details and prices.
Normally, we will clock enough purchase to enjoy free deliveries.
Coupon websites like Groupon, Deal, and FlipIT offers discounts and coupons.
We have come across Fulltime coupon blogs too!
We can buy everything (literally) off the web, from the comfort of our home.
Google knows everything, we do our comparison, and click checkout from the merchant’s portal.
Good news, Flipit has a 5% off Redmart coupon code.
More about FlipIT –> http://www.flipit.com/sg
ps.. time and money saved, means more activities for our family
