I keep telling myself that I should be blessed to have a zero car loan, 2 emergency fund accounts, a full time job generating RM1,000 income every month, some online income and a hubby who is bringing home RM2,000 a month, BUT, I keep thinking about what has been bothering me for the past few weeks.

First, I Feel Like Quitting My Current Accounting Job. Way too much work to do! I feel that my stress is mounting with the load of increasing workload of unrelated work like photostating, answering phone calls, keeping records after records, …

I keep convincing myself that I am contributing some of my time and effort to the school, so it’s okay with the current RM1,000 monthly salary. BUT, spending 8 hours on week days and 4 hours on two Saturdays for just RM1,000 is just, sigh, … ==

Maybe if I quit my job and work 8 hours a day online, I can get that RM1,000 too. Maybe not! I don’t know.

I don’t know because my online income has fluctuated from making more than RM2,500 a month to between RM1,200 (low season) and RM2,000 (peak season).

I would just say goodbye to my current job if I made RM2,500 a month, but the fact is that I don’t. It’s between RM1,200 and RM2,000, so it’s risky and uncertain.

Second, Hubby Has Turned Part Time Due To His Health Problem. From making RM2,000 a month, he will get around RM1,000 a month.

With about 50%’s cut on his salary, it makes thinking of quitting my job even harder. T.T

I have been praying to God for improving my online income from Google AdSense earnings, Amazon advertising fees and the latest Vemma nutritional drink products.

I have also been praying to God to help make selling the house to our tenants or their friends easier/faster. Sell it so that there will be no more mortgage installments, quit rent fees and overdraft facility interest charges that consume RM850 every month!

Without any car loan and home mortgage installments, hubby and I just need to tackle our AKPK monthly repayments of RM680, flat rental RM270, internet and phone line fees RM110, cell phone charges RM65, RM50 utility bills and meal expenses.

See, I am not always the one who inspires/motivates you? I need to be motivated too and now! ==

Hubby’s plan of turning to becoming a part-time teacher didn’t come true. For the time being, he is still a full time teacher taking the same amount of salary but with fewer classes. ^.^

I am grateful that the school principal is very concerned about his health and financial conditions.

Although hubby has repeatedly told the principal that earning a part time salary will not affect our finances, he still thinks hubby deserve to be paid a full time salary.

It’s my hope that hubby’s health condition can improve little by little by i) drinking fresh juice twice a day, ii) consuming Chinese herbs every day, iii) taking slow, deep breaths more often throughout the day, and iv) giving himself less stress.

Although hubby is still getting a full time pay for the time being, I still see possibility of him turning to part time teaching should his health condition get worse.

I am constantly praying to God to heal hubby while at the same time, I am pushing myself to work harder on my niche blogs to bring in more Amazon sales and Google AdSense earnings.

To increase sales and earnings, I have recently invested on BuildMyRank aka BMR to help with building backlinks. 10 free links during trial period, then there is US$59 (roughly RM180) subscription fee per month.

I have also gone back to using InstantArticleWizard aka IAW to help with generating short snippets to be submitted to BMR although the version I am using is still an old one, that is 2.37. It’s a one-time payment when I first bought it, but now, it’s $7 for a 7-day trial, then US$77 per year.

Ya, I got in early for IAW, but I got in late for TheBestSpinner aka TBS. I paid $7 for a 7-day trial, then US$77 per year.

Also, I am praying that our house gets to be sold to the current tenants to free us from any home mortgage burden. Having freed from zero car loan since last July, hubby and I have been hoping to sell the house as well to further release us from loan burden.

Imagine if the home mortgage was gone as well, phew, then our monthly expenses will drop to RM2,000 or less. AKPK repayments amounting to RM680, flat rental RM270, internet fee RM110, utility bills RM50, meal and grocery expenses RM800, …

Mmm, the amount of meal and grocery expenses can be cut down a bit! How nice if the school had free accommodation for staff! @.@

Let me recall what my 2010 New Year Resolutions were: 1. Saving Money 2. Making Money and 3. Paying Down Credit Card and Personal Debts.

How did I fare on these 3 aspects last year? ^.^

1. Saving Money. As of 31.12.2010, our i) Joint Savings Account for big emergency reached half of the 3 months’ living expenses; ii) E-Fund Account was equivalent to half of the 3 months’ living expenses in Joint Savings Account; and iii) Investment Fund Account had less than RM1,500′s worth of mutual fund and stocks.

2. Making Money. Online income was 100% from blogs. Each month’s online income was more than enough to pay the home loan installment, bank overdraft interest charge and some daily expenses, but still not good enough to let hubby retire from his long-hour teaching job.

3. Paying Down Credit Card and Personal Debts. Debt repayments to AKPK were in time every month and hubby and I were able to pay off some personal debts owed to 3 family members amounting to RM2,100.

What are my resolutions for year 2011? Well, same as above! Keep on saving money, making money and paying down credit card and personal debts.

Okay, be more specific!

1. Saving Money. i) RM10,000 in Joint Savings Account. The existing amount plus year 2011′s rental will be equivalent to about RM8,000, so RM10,000 goal should be attainable; ii) RM10,000 in E-Fund Account. The existing amount plus my monthly school income plus some online income, yup, it is reachable too; iii) Investment Fund Account. To be frank, no idea yet.

2. Making Money. This year I will pay more attention to Amazon Associates Program. Just learned some new tips that can bring in more earnings from its affiliate products. It’s really fun making US dollar; USD$100 is equivalent to RM300, you know.

3. Paying Down Credit Card Debt and Personal Debts. Keep on paying down the debts, of course!

Enough goals for year 2011!

God has to be kidding with me. Just as I was so blessed with my personal savings, rental income and increasing online income (AKPK DMP Blogger is Back to Financial Track Slowly and Steadily) , boom, my Google AdSense and paid review earnings dropped tremendously.

Yes, a sharp decline in my online income! From making around $1,000 a month to less than $300 now! Boo hoo hoo. This is totally unacceptable as it came out of no where and caught me off guard.

All of a sudden, the online assignments given by an advertising network dropped by 70% starting 3 weeks ago. And then my Google AdSense earnings began to see a decline from more than $10/day to $5 a day to, oh my God, less than $1 today!

If there still aren’t many online assignments this week, it’s for sure that I must look for a full time job to supplement my online income that falls to less than $300 or RM1,000 a month.

This RM1,000, plus hubby’s RM2,000 ++ income, is simply not enough to pay our AKPK debt repayments (RM680), auto loan (RM820), home loan installment and bank overdraft charge (RM525), flat rental (RM270), internet connection fee (RM110), utility and cell phone bills. Besides, there are still meal expenses and groceries.

A cut of 70% on my online income! Is it temporary because of the 2010 FIFA World Cup fever? I don’t know.

If the advertising network I am working for still gives out very few online assignments this week, I think I will have to start making appointments for job interviews.

God, are you showing me your new plan? If so, it has got to be a better plan than the one I am having now, okay? Have faith in You.

How much has been spent on fixing the vacant house in Ipoh before it can be occupied by the tenants? Phew, RM590!

May 13th – Water and electricity departments – RM231
May 20th – Kitchen faucets and water pipes – RM70
May 27th – Fluorescent light replacements – RM119
May 28th – Leaking water tank and water pipes – RM170

Wait, RM590 is not the total yet! There are still leaking toilets and air-conditioner installation that will be done this coming Saturday or/and Sunday.

We estimate the leaking toilets (3 toilets now!) to cost between RM250 and RM400 and the air-conditioner installation between RM1,400 and RM1,550.

Since the air-conditioner can be paid in two installments, I don’t have to dig out all of my personal savings. Boohoo, there will be a dent in my personal savings!

Anyway, I think it’s worth paying for all the fixes and repairs since:

a) The house will not be left vacant to rot again;

b) There will be monthly rental of RM400 to cover some of the home loan installment or to be saved as emergency fund;

c) It’s easier to sell the house in future, either to the tenants or neighbors whose family members or relatives are interested.

As a matter of fact, a neighbor who lives two houses away came to have a look of the inside of our house when hubby and I were in the house last Saturday. He said his brother was also thinking of buying one nearby his.

Thanks to new developments around my housing area that the price for my 22 x 75 double-storey house has gone up to nearly RM150,000 these few years.

A friend who is a pro construction worker said we can sell our house in Ipoh easily if we are willing to sell it at RM135,000. Wow, it’s for sure hubby and I will sell the house and be mortgage free if there is a buyer now!

At this point of my life, I am so grateful to God for leading me and hubby back on financial track slowly and steadily.

First, being approved of the AKPK debt management program applications. Next, steady online income from me and full time teaching income from hubby. Then, having extra money to be saved as emergency fund. Later, renting out the house in Ipoh.

All this came one by one. This made me realize that, “When I am ready to make a change financially, God will help.“

Tip #14 – Nikmati Pelepasan Cukai Untuk Pendidikan. Argh, TAX and INSURANCE,  I hated both! And I still hate them, even though I have tried to like them.

The tip here is about how you can use tax relief options to save money on taxes.

Tip #15 – Kurangkan Caj Perkhimatan Pendahuluan Dalam Pelaburan Unit Amanah.

You know, family members around me hate unit trusts a lot; they say they don’t make money from there.

Well, it did make me money many, many years ago when I first bought the PB Growth Fund (PBGF). More than a thousand ringgit in net profit within two years of investment!

But then two or three years ago, I bought this PB China Pacific Equity Fund (PBCPEF) at RM0.25 per unit during its 21-day initial offer period. I invested RM1,000 at that time and guess what it’s of RM500 or RM600′s worth now!

A tip learned from K.C is that Public Mutual only charges 0.25% service fee on its bond funds. Ha, I thought every mutual fund agency/company charges 6.5% service fee. Just checked that the PB China Pacific Equity Fund I invested in charges 0.36%.

If you have already accumulated enough emergency fund and there is still money in hand, you can actually invest in unit trusts. Just that you need to do research a bit or get help from a trust fund agent/financial planner.

Tip #16 – Uruskan Gadai Janji Anda. I did my home mortgage refinance a few years ago before I was deeply in debt. Guess what happened to the RM30,000 bank overdraft facility given by bank? Wuahaha, all used up!

Since enrolling in AKPK’s debt management plan, I have been able to save some money. Of course, the amount is still not enough to be called an emergency fund yet.

Once I have enough emergency fund and pay off some personal debts owed to family members/friends, I will start tackling my home loan and bank overdraft.

Tip #17 – Tingkatkan Gaya Hidup Anda Sambil Mengurangkan Perbelanjaan. Oh, tips on cutting down daily/monthly expenses! Love the tips here.

K.C., thanks to the free shows/movies websites! Maybe you can add one more online TV shows website www.Watch-Series.com. This is where I watch my favorite CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, NCIS, The Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, Lie to Me, … for free.

Done with Bahagian 3 – Menjimat Wang. If you are looking for saving money tips to help cut down your spending/expenses, tips in this part are very useful.

Whether you have no debt, a little debt or a heap of debt, the tips help. Even if you are already in AKPK like me, the money saving tips still work for you.

Go to ‘AKPK DMP Blogger’s Book Review: Tip-Tip Kewangan Untuk Rakyat Malaysia by K.C Lau’ – Part 3.

After having breakfast with my younger sister and her hubby this morning, I went to school with hubby to help him print out the mid term exam papers and notices.

As last night’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast were kind of heavy for me, I decided to skip lunch and dinner.

Tired now. Maybe I should go to bed early.

Tomorrow, remember to deposit May’s rental to the landlord! After paying RM270 for rental, it’s going to be a few weeks before I pay for my AKPK debt management program repayment, hubby’s AKPK dmp repayment, bank overdraft interest charge, home loan interest charge, car loan installment, Streamyx bill and other utility bills.

Breakfast – RM24.30 (breakfast with sister and her hubby)
Lunch – RM7.50
Toile Rolls – RM15.90
Total Spent: RM47.70

I told hubby about the idea of turning our vacant home in Ipoh into a homestay guest house a few days ago. Surprisingly, he thought it’s a good idea!

Instead of leaving the house empty, it’s better to turn it into a guest house to bring in some cash to pay the monthly home loan installment.

I told my younger sister who was here having her trip with her family last night and she agreed that it’s a good idea and that hubby and I should have it set up within two months.

Within two months? No way. Hubby and I can only start having the house painted with a new coat in December when hubby’s year end school holidays starts.

Besides, with our current paltry savings, there is no way we can have the house turned into a homestay guest house in two months’ time. Painting, installing air-conditioners and heaters and buying home appliances and bedroom beddings require a sum of money.

Cleaning and painting the house will be the very first thing we have to do in December. Once it’s done, everything will fall into the right place.

I have already started collecting photos of nice homestay guest houses’ color schemes and interior arrangements to avoid hasty decisions at the end of the year.

I am going to come up with a long list of household appliances, kitchen utilities, and bedroom and bathroom accessories pretty soon.

Fine! I accept the fact that I have failed many times, but I am not ready to call it quit. I want to try again. Yup, I am going to start tracking my spending again! Wuahaha!

Okay, let me see if setting up a 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar and Cent works to push me into recording my daily expenses and stretching every dollar and cent I have!

So, today is Day 1 of my 30-Day Challenge. What have I spent on and how much?

Breakfast – RM2.20
A Pack of Corn Caps – RM5.90
Lunch & Dinner – RM8
Cold Drink – RM1.40
Fruits – RM2.80
Vegetable – RM1
A Few Packs of Biscuits – RM11.30
Total Spent: RM32.60

* Fixed payments like car loan installment (RM400), bank overdraft interest charge (RM200), home loan interest charge (RM375), hubby’s AKPK debt repayment (RM360) and my AKPK debt management plan repayment (RM320) are excluded.

An increase of RM1,500 in two months! Amazing, right? This has got to do with a sudden increase in the number of online tasks in January. This doesn’t always happen though I hope it will.

Has my hubby found out my personal saving? Well, I am pretty sure he knows I am stashing away money. Just that he doesn’t know the exact amount.

I still need RM500 to reach my RM3,500 saving goal. I am thinking of transferring RM500 from hubby’s bonus and Ang Pao to my saving so that it hits RM3,500.

Speaking of hubby’s bonus, both of us are a bit disappointed with his half month’s bonus. We thought he could get a one-month bonus as said/mentioned by the principal when he was interviewing hubby.

Anyway, hubby only started his work in July 2009, so it’s actually fair to get half month’s bonus, right? Oh, not to forget that hubby got a RM200 salary raise starting January 2010!

Besides, there is still Ang Pao or money gift. According to hubby’s colleagues, it’s going to be given out on Friday, that’s tomorrow! Hopefully it’s between RM500 and RM1,000.

Be grateful, you AKPK DMP blogger! Count your blessings, please! Do you know that you and your hubby:

1. are now both in AKPK free debt management program that helps you pay down credit card debt with lower monthly repayments of RM320 and RM360 respectively;

2. have a dual income between RM4,600 and RM5,000 every month;

3. have an emergency fund of RM3,000 in the saving account;

4. have money to pay auto and home loan installments, utility bills and flat rental in time;

5. have extra money to spend on clothes and personal supplies;

6. are healthy and strong;

7. …

Thank You God for what I am and will be having. Wuahaha!