Month of February , 2010

My shopping story is boring, now that I keep trying harder to save even more money. 

I set my goal to save money like crazy.  And that's exactly what I'm doing... like crazy.

In February, I transferred 66% of all my take home paycheck to savings account.

I haven't established a stable pattern of saving money, so I am not sure how this will effect my finance next month. 

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I have a huge craving on salty chips, especially for Doritos.
I mean, I had this craving for over 2 weeks now.
This morning, I was THIS CLOSE to pick up a bag of Doritos at Costco.  I wanted to buy a brand new coffee maker as well ($49.00). 

But I didn't buy any of those.  I bought what was absolutely needed (also healthy for me). 

Keep trying...

* 7th Costco Shopping this year, 4th time this month.

Wow, this is a boring blog entry.

Nothing special today.

This story was never supposed to be shared.  This is something I did in secret.

On December 25, 2009, I woke up 6am and went to the public laundry room at my APT.  We have 3 washers and 3 driers there.  There, I put quarters on all the machines.  And I left a Christmas card.  So, the first person to use the laundry room on Christmas day would get wash and dry on me.

Of course, that card in the picture was from Costco.

A week went by.  And it was my turn to use the laundry room.
There, I saw this note.

I felt very good.  This happy feeling was definitely worth of money.  Actually, I spent so little money to have this much satisfaction.

I didn't even know who wrote that note, but that was the point, doing something to people I don't even know...

I don't believe the other person knew who I was also.  Because I just wrote "John".  I didn't give my last name or my APT number.

Merry Christmas~!  (2 months late, but...)

Here are 3 more signs

1. I used to hate couples figure skating.  It was boring.  Anyway, I was checking out Winter Olympics the other day.  They happened to show couple's figure skating.  As I was watching couple's routine, I found myself getting teary eyes.  It was beautiful and touching.

2. I am scared of teenagers.

3. When I was younger, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and all the holidays didn't mean much.  Now, I am more into the spirit of season.  Now I wear Santa's hat during Christmas time.  I have a green hat for St. Patrick's day.  I exchanged gifts on Valentine's Day.  I try to be cozy and friendly with people around me.  Change of season means a lot to me now.  Holidays are beautiful.

* I thought I would grow old to appreciate classic music.  But, no.  I still hate classic music.

* 6th Costco Shopping this year, 3rd time this month.

I went to Costco with my Costco (AmEx) rebate check ($170.63)

I bought things that are absolutely needed.  I am definitely spending less money this year.

• Carbon Monoxide Detector is a life savor - I've always thought I was so stupid not to have a CO detector at my APT.  This alarm had $7.00 instant rebate. I may die from loneliness, but I will not die from CO poisoning.

• Kirkland Signature's pepper (with built-in grinder) is a very good price at $3.99.  If you go elsewhere, you can find the cheapest grinder for $15-$20 easy.  And they don't even have good peppers in them.

• Battery powered razor is a must item for me.  If you haven't tried them, you are missing out, big time.  I got a free sample razor 6 months ago.  I've been using that same razor for 6 months.† They provide THE BEST shaving result one can imagine.  I am not kidding.  It doesn't matter which brand name or model you buy.  I believe they are all equally great.

  † After shave, I use a tiny brush to clean the razor blades.  It takes very short time (shorter than the time I spend to rinse them in running water).  I can make my blades to last several months this way.  Maybe it's because my skin is tender.   Also, I am not a hairy person.  Anyway, this package of 16 blades can last 5-7 years.

At the checkout, I handed in my rebate check. They gave me $91.34 change in cash.  Free money... nice.

* 5th Costco Shopping this year, 2nd time this month.

First of all.  I had 4 hours of sleep last night.  So, I was struggling to stay awake at work.  I had to take an ephedrine pill to get me going (I bought them before they became illegal.  They are in freezer at work.).

I did 3 loads of laundry after work.  Then I went to Costco.

I am doing very good with saving money.  I didn't buy anything luxury.  I didn't buy any toys.  All my food items have low fat & they are good for me.  I bought Jose's Coffee ($8.89) instead of Starbucks ($19.99).

I spent $75.49.  But the gas pushed my grand total over $100.00.

Finally at 9pm, I started to cook.
Now I have a mountain of clean laundry to  take care of.

PS. I broke one egg at home.

Picture from an action packed laundry day.

Costco laundry rack in action. 
Saving $1.25 right there.  Exciting stuff... ZZzz... 

Kirkland (Costco) Organic Caffe Frappe - Mocha

9.5 fl oz organic mocha contains 170 Calories (25 fat calories).
I often eat less than 25 fat calories on lunch.

This is definitely not for me.  But, I almost bought them to treat myself.

I bet they are very tasty.  And they are so cheap.
I wouldn't be surprised if their factory also produces drinks for Starbucks.

Also, they are kind of items you will not see once they are gone.  I can be wrong.  But, if you've been shopping at Costco long enough, you should know what I mean.

Anyway, if you like these kind of drinks from Starbucks?  You must get them. They are Kirkland Signature.  You know they are good.

This took place last month at Costco.

I thought nothing of it at that time, then I found myself keep thinking about that incident.

I went to Costco tire center for free tire maintenance. There, I saw a gentleman waiting for his car.  So, we started to chat.

First we talked about how many miles we drive.  Then we talked about where we like to drive to.  We talked about lobster buffet at Chumash Casino.  He bragged about his son and his business.  I happened to know the area where he's son's business was at, so we talked about the beautiful scenery in that area.  We were talking about nothing but fun stuff (food, relatives, beautiful scenery...)

Then another gentleman (I'll call him the "new guy") walked in.

After a few minute, the new guy opened his mouth.  "What nationality are you?" he asked to the gentleman.  The gentleman revealed that he was from Middle-East.  And the new guy started his conversation.

The new guy started by stating that he'd been to Egypt and some parts of Asia.  Then he talked about history, religion, and politics about the gentleman's home country.

"Your country's religion focuses on.... blah blah"
"Your country's war changed... blah blah"
"Obama's view on middle East is... blah blah"

New guy walked in and sucked out the fun.   Then he put the gentleman in the hot seat that he didn't ask for.  The gentleman was doing his best to explain things.  But, according to the new guy, he knew Middle-East better than the gentleman who lived there.

I walked away from that area, because I didn't want the new guy to think I was enjoying the conversation, or I was impressed.  But, in fact, I was disgusted. What was wrong with this guy?

I felt sorry for the gentleman.  Luckily, the conversation only lasted about 10 minutes.  The gentleman's car was ready.

I could have used an "ASS" stamp from Conan O'Brien show on the new guy.

(vid) Ass stamp in action

Wow, be happy for me.
In January, I put 20% of my entire take home pay in to Savings account. I'm not sure if I can repeat that next month.

I'm going to keep trying.
But it was not easy.

*Update - February 8, 2010

I think it was a mistake that I put away 20% of my take home pay last month.  February looks very tight.  I cannot save any money this month.

It's becoming clear that I cannot become rich by doing what I do right now.  I need to keep working on my personal projects.  I need to make something happen.

Life is still very fun... very entertaining every day.
It's just not easy.

* 4th Costco Shopping this year, 1st time this month.

There is no picture of my Costco shopping as I only bought one bag of carrots for under $5.00. 

Cost Plus World Market

I hate to bring up this subject, but this is a major development in my life.  So, here we go.

I've been shopping at Cost Plus World Market lately.

Costco doesn't carry everything I need, especially for my low calorie diet. So, I have to shop somewhere else for these items.

Products that Costco does not carry

Product description (What Costco doesn't have).

• Low acid coffee. ($8.95)
• Flavored coffee
• Wasa crispbread.  Low Calories, 0 fat calorie, high fiber. ($2.99 each)
• Low calorie (low fat) soup mix ($3.99 each)

I enjoy these products.  I wish Costco would carry these items or something similar.  But, I understand that Costco cannot carry everything in the world.

Wasa crispbread ($2.99/pack) is my new best friend.  It has low calories and it's good for you.  They have 0 fat calories.  I grab a few of these at work when I feel hungry.

I've been doing good with my diet and exercise.  I feel good and I enjoy my life-style.  

Coupon book is out.
I have absolutely nothing to buy from this coupon book. :)

I see some stuff I want to buy, but I am going to stick to my new year's resolution and put money in my savings account.