Previously, I was too restricted to only topics related to my debt management plan, credit card debt, saving money and emergency fund that I found myself running out of ideas and only posted when I had enough info.

Since two weeks ago, I started blog-hopping a bit and joining memes run by financial bloggers like Ginna from MyPrettyPennies.com. Ha, I feel like going back to the old time in 2007 when I started blogging!

Okay, today’s Weekly Money Check-Up is here:

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on Provite liquid chlorophyll which was RM31.90.

2. Today I am thankful for only spending RM6 on lunch and dinner for two persons.

Last night, hubby and I decided to cut down on our meal expenses for financial and health sakes. One way is to stop eating out at night on week days.

Since we have already ordered 2 vegetarian dishes for lunch from the nearby vegetarian restaurant (I cook brown rice at home), we might as well order one more dish. So, 3 dishes that cost merely RM6 are enough for lunch and dinner! ^.^

Photo Credit

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was finally able to finish scrubbing the mildewed bathroom tiles.

I know I am supposed to clean the bathroom more often, I know, I know.

4. I will consider this week a success if I finish packing all the extra clothes and unused items and accessories into boxes.

I am glad that I am slowly moving into becoming a minimalist to save money, time and space.

5. A good friend is someone who stands by you during hard times.

This morning, hubby talked in length again with the principal regarding his wish to release the post of Discipline Master for half year and go part time.

This time, it’s a Yes!

Of course the principal has to say Yes. He knows more than anyone in the world that health is the most important when one is old or sick.

Starting July, hubby will be free from being the Discipline Master and he will be a part-time teacher.

It’s yet to know how his salary will be calculated, but my guess is that it will be half of his current salary. Oh, no, earning RM1,000 or less a month means there will be less extra money left to stashed away as emergency fund! @.@

Ahh, leave it to God! Maybe God is in the midst of bringing me more online income from Vemma or increasing my Amazon sales or doubling my Google AdSense earnings.

Wuahaha, is it too early for me, AKPK Debt Management Plan Blogger, to dream now? ^.^ll

Three weeks ago, I was so excited to have reached RM7,100 for my E-Fund Account.

At that time, I was certain that I would reach my goal of RM10,000 within 3 months, that’s by the end of May.

But now, it won’t be reaching RM10,000 within 3 months or by the end of May as anticipated by me!

It will take longer as I just dug out RM1,210 for a new cpu and a regulator after my almost-5-year-old cpu finally stopped working three weeks ago.

My initial plan was to buy a laptop/notebook so that i) hubby could carry it to school to use, or ii) I could do my online work when traveling to KL or other places.

But then with a budget of RM1,500, the closest I could get was model like Acer Aspire 4253-E352G32L with 1.60GHz, Acer Aspire 4738Z-622G32L with 2.13GHz or Asus A42F-VX203 with 2.13GHz.

According to a colleague, I should get a laptop since I have already had another desktop computer in the house. My sister’s opinion is that I can do my online work in Kuala Lumpur if I have a portable notebook.

After weighing different opinions given by family members, friends and colleagues, hubby and I thought getting a new cpu would be the most practical option in terms of price and GHz.

Hubby’s buddy helped pick an Intel Dual Core E5700 3.0GHz cpu for us at RM1,100 and a regulator at RM110.

Maybe when my earnings of Amazon Associates Program brings me a steady income of USD $1,000 every month, I will reward myself with a notebook powered by Intel Core i7 Processor. ^.^

I am still very grateful to be placed in AKPK’s debt management program. Had (hubby and I) not been in the program, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to i) pay big expenses in cash or ii) bump up our emergency funds.

All in all, we spent about RM800 on car inspection, seat cushion refill, title transfer and new auto insurance.

Hubby and I have talked about what we should do with the RM820 (monthly auto installment payment for the previous car) since there is no more car loan installment payment starting this month. Can you believe it? We are out of auto loan debt!

Here’s kinda what we’re thinking:

A. Toss 1/2 in the emergency fund until the fund is equivalent to 6 months’ expenses.

B. Let hubby keep the other 1/2 and see if he will save up for the car body spray that costs approximately RM600. Put the monkey on his shoulder. ^-^

Have you thought of trading in your big/expensive car for a smaller/cheaper car that can reduce your monthly car payment to a more affordable one or better still, instantly settle your existing auto loan balance once and for all?

I had been waiting, waiting, waiting and finally the buyer deposited the money into our auto loan account to settle the remaining loan balance of RM12,000 this morning. Phew, what a relief!

According to the bank officer, we will get the release letter by Friday afternoon. This means the transfer of title and registration can only be done on Friday afternoon or Monday morning.

From next week onwards, our car (1996 2.2 Toyota Camry) will belong to hubby’s buddy while his car (1995 1.5 Proton Wira) will be ours. He sold his car to us for RM8,000 while we sold ours to him for RM20,000.

Starting next month, there will be no more car loan monthly installment of RM820 and yearly road tax renewal charge of RM560. It’s really a burden lifted from our shoulders.

I am so grateful to have sold the car at a reasonable price successfully. Now I am waiting to receive good news from the school for a full time job employment.

If I am employed, there will be extra RM1,000 every month to be saved as emergency fund.

It was written in February 2008, a few months before I joined AKPK free debt management program. I blogged about why there was a need to set up an emergency fund and how I saved up for the fund.

I did start saving up for emergency fund at that time, but it didn’t last long. I dug out the money after having not enough money to pay the bills and daily expenses.

Fast forward to today, I am glad that I have some savings in my personal saving account that I can fall back on should there be an unexpected home repair like leaking toilets and clogged water pipes that cost me more than RM1,000 last month and a sharp drop of online income in June.

I have God to thank for putting me in AKPK’s debt management program in October 2008. Since joining the program, there has always been extra money left to be saved in my saving account.

Implementing the ‘Pay Yourself First’ method is also easier when hubby has a steady monthly income together with my online income. Each month on his payday, I will online transfer RM100 into my secret savings account from his account. Similarly, I will transfer RM50 or RM100 from my biweekly pay into the secret account.

I expect more savings on the second half of year 2010 provided (1) I am employed as an account clerk in hubby’s school. I am still waiting for a job interview. Hopefully the principal sees that I am cut out for the job; (2) My online income bounces back to between RM1,500 and RM2,000.

In brief, I would not have been able to save some money as emergency fund if I hadn’t been in AKPK debt management plan that helps restructures my multiple credit card and personal loan payments (more than RM1,500) to ONE small monthly repayment (RM320).

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.

05.05.2010 3.19 p.m.

Finally, the much anticipated book, Tip-Tip Kewangan Untuk Rakyat Malaysia, which was written by K.C. Lau, arrived at my doorstep this afternoon!

It’s a 353 mm x 250 mm envelope that’s too big to be stuffed into my mail box, so the postman left it on my door mat. Inside the envelope were two books sent by K.C. Lau.

One being his own book, Tip-Tip Kewangan Untuk Rakyat Malaysia while the other one, The 8-Day Internet Wonder by Edwin John.

I personally requested K.C to send me these two books for reviews because the topics fit my blog, www.FreeDebtManagementProgram.com, perfectly. My blog covers topics like credit card debt, AKPK debt management plan, emergency fund, saving money, spending, expenses, income streams, …

05.05.2010 6 p.m.

Okay, I am ready to share with you some of the tips!

As you can read from the title, Tip-Tip Kewangan Untuk Rakyat Malaysia, it’s written in Bahasa Malaysia. No sweat if you are a Malaysian, right?

There are 4 parts in the book:

Bahagian 1: Tip Kewangan Bijak
Bahagian 2: Tip Menjana Wang
Bahagian 3: Tip Menjimat Wang
Bahagian 4: Tip Melindungi Wang

As I am currently in AKPK debt repayment plan and very interested in picking up more saving money tips, I jumped to Bahagian 3 first.

Bahagian 3 – Menjimat Wang (Tip #13 – #17):

Tip #13 – Miliki Kereta Pertama Anda Secara PERCUMA. I totally agree with buying used/second hand cars to save money!

The first car hubby bought was a new one, Ford Laser 1.5, with RM826 monthly installment. He paid a total of more than RM55,000 for a 5-year auto loan and when he sold it, he got back only RM21,000.

The second car was a used Proton Wira 1.3, with RM620 monthly installment. The selling price was RM28,000 and it was at RM15,000 after 3 1/2 years.

The third car is a used Toyota Camry 2.2, with RM820 monthly installment and RM594 yearly road tax. It was bought before we  got into very deep credit card debt.

During the time of struggling with increasing credit card debt, we did think of selling it to cut down spending, but we couldn’t. The amount of car loan still owed to bank was simply larger than the car selling price; there’s still a need to fork out a few thousand ringgit.

Now that with less than RM14,000 car loan to go, hopefully it can be paid off without difficulty by August 2011.

Go to ‘AKPK DMP Blogger’s Book Review: Tip-Tip Kewangan Untuk Rakyat Malaysia by K.C Lau’ – Part 2.

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!