What I do for money ?

Post taken from my old travel blog.

I know it's really hard to save money. Especially when you are young and you are relying on your parents for life expenses. When you start working, you will start paying off your education debts, car loan, house rent and the list will go on.

Here I will share with you my ways of saving money :

1. I started young

I first had a premonition that I will go far beyond Asia when I was still a teenager :p So, that was when I determined to save up my money to travel. I was a student back then, but it never stopped me. I saved up my daily $1 and almost every 3-4 months I gave it to my mom to put in my bank account. This kept going on and on until I finished my study in the university. It was a great start. Trust me.

2. I hardly go shopping

Yes, I do wear same clothes, I don't wear make-ups, I hardly watch movies/karaoke. My only happiness is to buy books - which I allocated some amount of money to buy every month ( around RM50 - max of 2 books )

3. I keep a coin box

Every time I got coins, I put it in my coin box. Simple. That way, by half of a year I probably have around RM40 and keep it in the bank. Never underestimate RM40 coins, after 10 years, the amount can grow up.  So whenever you got extra money, keep it. 

4. Freelance

Oh yes, I started freelancing since my uni years. I did various of job scopes : designing, illustrating, taking photos, taking care of my mom's shop, sewing, etc. Several jobs here and there,  your effort can help you achieve your dream :)

5. Turn your hobby into a small business

I started my online business : doodle, 2 years ago. It is a really small business, with big efforts & commitments. But it is going somewhere :)

6. Started working?

Oh I just started working ( 5 months & counting ). Every month, I save around 15% of my salary to my travel account. Be realistic & strict. 

7. Sell your unused items.

Whenever you got things you know you won't use anymore - sell them. For me, as an obsessive book reader, I got a big amount of books. I categorized them to 2 groups - books that I want to read again & books that I probably won't read again. So, I will sell 2nd hand books whenever my collection reach the right amount :) All my books are in great condition, because I just loooove books :D

8. Prioritize.

You should know what you really need instead of what you want. Eg : You need a mobile phone - you can buy affordable RM200, that should be enough, instead of RM1500 smart phone. It doesn't make you any smarter. I'm sure. 

Here are all tips that I can think off right now :)

It may sounded like Mr.Scrooge but no, I'm just building stairs to my dream.