This is a continuation of my previous post:

Smart Saving Tips for everyday Living

6. Opt for house brands instead of established brands as up to 20 %  savings can be made. – As for our family, we don’t buy all the house brands items, like industrial supplies and electronics since we don’t find the quality these house brands very good when it comes to these items. But if we opt for house brands for school and office supplies and other simple stuff that doesn’t really require the best quality.

7. Use Energy-saving bulb as they use 1/4 electricity and lasts four times longer than normal light bulb.- This is very true even if some energy saving bulbs are more expensive but it’ll turn out that you’ll have more savings in the long run.
8. Plan your purchasing by preparing a list of what you intend to buy. Stick to the list.- Is this easy to do for you? Not for me..heheh! since I end up buying things not on my list especially the food items.
9. Use basket instead of trolley. This will reduce your spending. – Practical if you’re doing weekly shopping but not practical for us who do monthly shopping so we’ll really need the trolley.
10. Pay cash rather than credit card. Always be cautious about using credit cards.- Very true. It’s easy to monitor our expenses when we use cash rather than the credit card.
11. Never allow yourself to be pressured into making immediate decisions, especially when purchasing expensive items.- Yes, some sales representatives are very good in convincing us to buy their products, NOW! But you can politely say , NO.
12. Buy locally grown food. They are cheaper and you will be supporting local farmers and producers.- Exactly!
13. Monitor your income and expenses. Always prepare a monthly budget and stick to it.- I need to improve on this aspect.
14. Save water. Collect rain water for gardening, washing vehicles or for use in the toilet.- Requires ‘work’ but it’s worth it
15. Plant your own vegetables and fruits around your home or in pots.- Would love to grow our own vegetables.
16. Spend some time to study goods or services before committing yourself.
17. Compare prices, quality, product reliability, after sales service and others before making decisions.
16. Make decisions only after acquiring complete information about products and services.

Source: Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism.

Italics added are my own comments