vickypham.com

Ever since we had the baby, I noticed that we are not spending as much money on leisure activities anymore, which has been great on our wallet. We gradually and unnoticeably cut these activities out of our lives so we don’t even miss it as much. Here are activities that we have given up or cut back ever since baby arrived:

1. No more movie nights at the theatre.

I get annoyed when parents would bring their little ones into the theatre and cannot control them. Worst, when the parents would refuse to take their little ones out of the theatres to calm them because they are too engaged in the movie. It disrupts the movie and ruins the fun for everyone who paid money to watch and enjoy the movie. To prevent myself from being in the same situation, we simply stop going to the theatres. Instead, we opted for NetFlix. We now pay only a fraction of the cost by avoiding those increased ticket prices and the lure of the overpriced concession stand. Plus, with NetFlix, we are able to watch multiple movies in the comfort of our own home. NetFlix also has instant viewing for some movies so if we don’t get any DVDs on time, we simply just watch the movies that are available for instant streaming.

2. We eat out less.

The above also applies here. I simply do not want to go to restaurants and have him cry over people’s meal so we don’t go out to eat as much. We used to eat out every weekend, but now we simply buy the groceries and make our “take-out meals” at home. For the same cost of going out to a restaurant, I make twice or triple the portion size that I can freeze and enjoy later. I also find that making food at home is not only friendly on our wallets, but a lot healthier since can control everything that goes into the dish.

3. We plan free activities.

We planned activities that both our baby and I would enjoy, and most of which happen to be free. Right now our baby just loves to look at things. He loves staring at trees, plants, and animals. What better place for him to visit is a nice park? The visually stimulating environment keeps him entertained and occupied, and the outdoors is simply great for me and my husband to stroll together to get some fresh air and exercise. These activities cost us nothing, and we get to spend quality time with the family. Another place that I’m planning to visit is the beach, which also happens to be free. I’m sure he will enjoy the sand between his toes and splashing in the water.

4. No more Starbuck drinks.

Packing the baby is a lot of work. Fastening and unfastening him in the car seat, loading and unloading the diaper and bottle bags, and stroller discourage us from making too many pit stops, one of which is a quick visit to Starbuck. Avoiding these sort of pit stops not only saves us money, but we are cutting back on those unnecessary calories from our diet. That nice frappuccino with whip cream? That’s almost equivalent to a full meal!

I understand that when the baby gets older, I will have to spend a lot more money so I’m soaking up whatever I can in the meantime.

I used to complain about not having anything to do. That’s no longer the case.

Back in the good ole days, I would come home from work, cook dinner, and then sit back and relax on the couch for most of the night. The only drama was when my favorite TV programming was interrupted by breaking NEWS or worst, when I couldn’t locate the remote control. There was no baby, no mortgage, no passion, no responsibility. It was simply go to work and pay the bills. Life was simple and then all of a sudden, BAM! Baby, husband, house, homeowners insurance, property tax, sleep deprivation, diapers, spit-up, dividing time evenly with husband’s family and my family, and in the midst of it all, starting my own business.

Sometimes I do reminisce about the good ole days of no responsibility and jokingly threaten to leave my husband and baby for a more simple life. But would I go back to that if I have a choice? Everyday was just another day of the same routine. It was mind-numbingly boring. I had very little to say when asked, “How was your day” and I’m certain that I would put people to sleep if they really wanted to hear about it.

These days, it’s different. There are multiple roles to juggle—mom, wife, daughter, sister, worker, superhero, and entrepreneur. Long gone are the days when I simply plop myself on the couch after a day of work. It’s dinner preparation. It’s cleaning up. It’s grocery shopping. It’s feeding baby. It’s cleaning baby. It’s paying the bills. It’s working on the business. There’s always something to do and sometimes it feels like there’s just not enough time in the day.

But at the end of the day, although exhausted and beat, there is always a feeling of accomplishment. It may not be anything major, but it’s a small accomplishment towards a bigger goal. When I work on my business, it’s a small step towards opening my own business and finally being my own boss. When I put my baby to sleep, it’s a small step towards raising the first Vietnamese-American President or mad scientist who finally conquers time travel.

So as much as I whine and complain about how busy life is lately, I always end the day with a feeling of accomplishment and that is something I would not trade.

After careful consideration and brainstorming, I have finally decided to start my own business to hopefully free me from the 9 to 5. If not, I hope that it will, at least, provide a steady side income. Starting my own business has been something that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time, and until recently, I finally got the guts to take some action. I have tested out many of my ideas through friends and family and although many are usually scoffed at, I may finally have found a small niche that I have some experience in. It will be stressful trying to start up a business while maintaining my regular 9 to 5, oh-so-stressful job, but I dream of one day reaching that gold pot at the end of the rainbow that will be worth the risk and stress. Here are the motivation factors behind my pursuit of my very own business:

I will no longer ask “What If”

I would hate to go through life having to ask, “What if I have started that business.” Life is too short for regrets, especially when it could have been a very positive experience. There’s no way to foresee the future so I might was well try it out. If I happen to fail, I will still be satisfied knowing that I tried.

I will utilize the skills that I have accumulated

I work in a marketing department and have learned quite a few marketing tips that I can utilize to promote my own business.

I get to be my own boss

As much as I love being told what to do, how to do it, when to do it,  and being at the mercy of someone else, I can live without it.

I will control my own earnings 

I want to reap the fruit of my labor. This is rarely the case in the corporate world as their goal is to get the most out of you for as little as possible, and who can blame them? They are afterall a business themselves. By being my own boss, I can see a direct correlation between the work I put in and the income it generates.

I get to spend more quality time with family

This of course is the most important, but I chose to list it last as it’s also the most obvious. My son is already 11 months, and I feel like I missed out on so much by returning to work full time. By operating my business out of my home, it will allow me to stay home with my son a bit more.

I will try to update my progress regularly on my journey to financial freedom. Stay tuned to see if I am on track.

I’ll end this post with my son on the potty. First attempt and he looked quite content:

When I first traveled to Vietnam at 11 years old, I was able to witness my grandmother’s strong and relentless attitude when it comes to dealing with market vendors and contractors. She may like a fragile, elderly woman but she is everything but. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get the best possible price for it. No matter what the vendor would say and no matter how much they pleaded that Grandma’s suggested price would not be able to provide for their families, Grandma always walk away with good in hands.

I always admired Grandma’s business sense and strive to be just like her. I learned too never be shy when asking for a price reduction. Contractors are  out there to get the most out of your pockets so  your job is to keep the most in your pocket. Here are some effective ways to negotiate to get the most for your money:

1. Negotiate Low and Work Your Way Up

To get the negotiating process going, have a contractor give you a quote and then offer a much lower price. Don’t insult the contractor by giving him a ridiculously low price or else you run the risk of losing a finger. Instead, give him a price that you think is reasonable. Then use that price as a baseline and negotiate upward until your contractor agrees. This tactic simply lowers his expectations and gives him the impression that you are increasing the price.

2. Get Multiple Quotes

By getting multiple quotes from different contractors, you will find what is reasonable and what is not. There are a few bad apples out there who will take you for a ride, and you need to weed them out.

3. Let Them Know that You Are Looking at Other Contractors

It never hurts to hint your contractor that he is not the only contractor you are dealing with. This will compel them to give you a competitive price to win you over.

4. Ask for Package Quotes

There are vendors that offer great package deals when you go with them for multiple services. Prime examples are travel deals when you book both your flight, hotel and car rentals together. So when it comes to getting a contractor for your project, ask if there’s a discount for multiple projects. You will find that 90% of the time, there is a discount and you will never know if you don’t ask. 

5. Ask for Individual Quotes

This advice I got my from my brother-in-law who was surprised that my package quote was really high when I was remodeling my bathroom. He suggested that I ask the contractor to quote me for each item instead of packaging everything. Surprisingly, what added up when the services were broken down was a lot less than the original package price. So if you are in a situation where you think you are being ripped off with an unreasonable so-called package quote, ask him to break it down.

Try to be clever when asking for a price breakdown. Don’t ask for a break down immediately after he gives you the package quote. Otherwise he thinks you are second-guessing his estimate and that just creates animosity and who needs that. Instead, wait a day or two. Then call him back and tell him you changed your mind about doing the package and would rather do a few items. Then ask him to quote you on each item. This way, you get a second quote without hurting anyone’s feeling, and you may find yourself getting a better than your package quote.

6. Don’t Quote the Little Stuff

Don’t ask your contractor to quote the little things. Since the contractor will be there to do your project, he just might throw in some small projects free of charge. In the case of my bathroom remodel, I never asked him for a quote on replacing my old toilet. Since he was redoing my floors, he was going to remove my old toilet anyways and put it back in. Why not then put back in a new one instead? If I have volunteered that I was planning to replace my old toilet, then he would have calculated that into my quote.

7. Be Nice

This goes without saying, but I will state it here for emphasis. Always be nice. You will never get your way when you are an ass. Build a relationship with your contractor. Ask them how their day is going. Ask them about their family, and insert a joke here and there to mellow out the business deal. Just don’t go over or you’ll just look creepy. Contractors are more than likely to accommodate customers with whom they have good relationships.

I can’t believe where the time has gone, but it’s almost a year since I became a mother. During the past nine and a half months, I learned a few things about being a new parent. Below are some of the things that you too can expect when you become responsible for a little human being.

1. No Longer Fret the Small Stuff

I used to be quite anal about my house being clean and neat. Everything has to have its place or else I can’t sleep at night. Stains need to be removed immediately or else there’s very little hope for the rest of the day. It was literally drop everything, including baby, and get the Oxy Clean. With some time and practice, I finally realized that things can wait. You can’t imagine the burden that came off my shoulders when I no longer fret the small stuff. Life became so much easier, and I can’t believe that I  missed out on such relief for so long.

2. Eat Fast or Starve

With a newborn baby, there was very little time for myself, which included eating. My husband and I would either take turns eating or on occasions, we would eat together and eat like the wind. Indigestion was very typical during the first few months. Ah, indigestion.

3. Spit-Up Becomes Your Natural Scent

Need I say more?

4. You Will Master All Children’s Songs and TV Shows

I can’t recall the number of times I burst out singing the Elmo’s Song or randomly shouting “This is Sewious” from the Wonder Pets. You will quickly learn a lot of children songs, and you will too be surprised when you find yourself randomly humming to a children’s song while working on your computer… and without baby.

I work fulltime, and I’m beginning to see a disconnect between me and my son. I am very grateful to have a family member whom I trust to take care of my son while husband and I are away at work, but I feel that I’m missing out on the bonding.

Last night, it was impossible to soothe him. He kept wiggling out of my grip and lunging forward to his grandma. And when she left the room, he screamed bloody-murder. As a mom, it breaks my heart that he prefers his grandma over me. I think I failed as a mother.

For those with babies such as myself, make your own baby food

I started off by buying those jarred baby food. Not only did my baby refused to eat store-bought baby food but it was very expensive. Those little jars costs around 0.80 cents a piece and I really question how healthy it is to feed a baby food that was made months ago and vacuumed sealed. I’m sure it’s safe, but why not feed your baby fresh food especially when it is so simple to make? With your own fresh and healthy stock as mentioned below in Vicky’s Money Saving Tips Part I, just toss in your vegetables. After a few minutes of simmering, toss the whole thing in a food processor and grind it up so that it’s the consistency of your baby’s liking. Baby’s happy and mommy’s happy that she’s saving money.

Take advantage of coupons and sales

I was never a coupon-person. I never liked the idea of sitting around and going through the crap load of junk mail to save a few cents here and there. I soon found out that there significant savings in coupons. I learn quickly what I need and don’t need so browsing through the advertisements has become a breeze, but that came with practice. I started off by buying anything that had a coupon attached to it even if I didn’t need it. Things just ended up sitting in my pantry or refrigerator until I eventually just had to throw them away when they started taking up space. That’s the wrong approach to saving! You only save when you use coupons for items that you are already going to buy. I know that’s just so obvious but there are those, such as myself, who needs a bit more guidance. Just think of it this way: 50 cents off a $1.00 item. That’s a 50% saving. But if that item was not needed in the first place, I could have saved 100%! Now, that’s some serious saving! Couple the coupons with existing sale items and you will find yourself saving even more! I always look forward to the monthly book of coupons from my favorite store, Costco. There are huge savings on items that I would otherwise buy for regular price. It’s double the saving power when you shop with coupons at Costco! Yes, I love Costco.

Speaking of Costco, try to buy household items and office equipment at Costco

Costco offers a very, very generous refund policy. If you aren’t satisfied with your product or it becomes defective after some time, you can simply return it for a full refund, no questions asked (usually). The best part is there is no time frame. Simply return it at anytime. Of course, there are limitations on certain products such as cameras, TVs, and computer. They can only be returned within 30 days of purchase but that is still very generous. Their generous refund policy eliminates the need to spend money on repairs or replacements. Simply return it and get a new one! I also love the fact that if you misplace your receipt, no problem. They can simply look it up in their system. In short, Costco rocks.

Shop at discount stores

You just may find hidden gems. I always knew discount stores exist, but I always credited their low price to their low quality. One day I noticed that there was a packed parking lot in front of a Factory to You store so I decided to check it out. I soon found out that I landed the jackpot for baby and children clothes. Their baby and children clothes were surprisingly of high quality and were half or more off the retail price! I found the exact same items that I see at department store, but here they were selling them for dirt cheap! Baby clothes are already expensive and they are only worn for a short period of time so I was very relieved to find a place that offers good quality clothes for such a bargain. There isn’t a big selection, but hey, children aren’t very picky. Take advantage of the young stages while you still can. I recently bought an 8-piece gift set for a baby shower for only $9.99. A similar piece at a regular department store would no doubt cost me around $20 or more.

Well, those are my tips to living smart and on a budget. Do you have any money-saving tips? Please comment and share your ideas.

With the current economic crisis and mass lay-offs happening all over the Bay Area, many are really strapping down their finances to make sure they can support themselves in case they find themselves unemployed. I have always been very frugal and my frugality has helped me and my family save nicely. We have an emergency fund but most importantly, we live comfortably. I would like to share some of these tips and hopefully help others save a little cash. It may not seem much now as you cut small costs here and there, but believe me, it really adds up.

Pack lunch for work everyday

We used to buy lunches at work every day. That’s approximately $7 per person per day. With 5 workdays every week, that’s $70 of lunches for the two of us. That adds up to $3,360 a year! That’s a lot of money when I can easily pack my own lunch, and most of the time, it’s better and healthier than what I normally purchase at the fast food joints. Keep in mind that this figure is only for two people. If there are more people in the family, the figure spent on lunches alone would be much higher.

Buy nonperishable items in bulk

Costco has become my second home as I shop there very often. I stock up on Costco’s Kirkland brands since they are lot cheaper. However, there are a few items that I prefer not get the Kirkland brand and rather pay a little bit more for brands of higher quality. Regardless, I’m still saving at Costco.

Buy perishable items in bulk and split them among multiple households

For example, I can buy a much larger quantity of asparagus at Costco for the same price as Safeway’s asparagus. However, my family doesn’t normally finish it all so we would split the item among multiple households. I may not save, but it doesn’t cost me any more to help others to save.

Run multiple errands in the same vicinity

If I’m already at Costco, I might as well pull up and get some gas at their stations. If there’s a Safeway nearby, I might as well get what I need there that I couldn’t get at Costco. Not only do I save money on gas, but I get things done in a more efficient and timely manner.

Think of creative ways to use up every scrap of food

No food goes to waste in our family. We use every piece of grocery purchased whenever possible. That nice store-bought rotisserie chicken? Well, don’t throw away the carcass when you are done with it. Put it in a pot to simmer. Let it set and scrap off the fat that floats to the top and you got yourself some great homemade stock! Vegetables such as celery and carrots losing its firmness? Throw those aromatics into the stock pot as well for a richer flavor.

Discover the wonders of freezing

I freeze just about everything. Have left over pork roast? Wrap that sucker up and freeze it away for a future dish. Since I buy almost all my canned food in bulk, I always end up freezing the remaining content. The only things that you cannot freeze are your vegetables and fruits because they will lose their firmness when you defrost them. However, if firmness doesn’t matter such as tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, then by all means freeze away! I also have one rule of thumb in my kitchen: no new dishes will be made until all old dishes are completely done. This works out very well when your husband is not a picky eater.

Prep your groceries ahead of time

Time is also money so save time by prepping your groceries ahead of time. When you bring home that honking piece of meat from Costco, cut it up, marinate it and put it into individual bags. You are already marinating a portion of it, why not just add a bit more seasoning and marinate the whole batch for future use? And by putting the pieces into individual bags, you not only preserve the quality of the meat (more surface area, more ice crystals that can penetrate and damage the meat), but defrosting will be quick and easy. Perfect for when you have no time and patience after a long day at work.

Vicky’s Money-Saving Tips to be continued…