More $$$ 002: Part-Time Bounty Hunters

Economic crisis is really driving people crazy without money.

I heard from random sources suggesting becoming part-time bounty hunters to catch criminals for the handsome rewards.

I guess this bounty hunting thing is a good idea (especially catching Singapore's most dangerous man on the loose).

Here are some targets you can throw your Pokemon balls at:
(Please click links for pictures)

1) Mas Selamat bin Kastari - WANTED for being a Terrorist Threat
Reward = $1,000,000 by 2 discreet businessmen
(I am not sure if he's caught dead, you get the money, but leads leading to his capture will be good enough)

2) Jerry Ee - WANTED for Singapore's Biggest Commercial Heist of S$7.9 million of luxury watches
Reward = Maybe one nice Rolex

3) Cat Killers - WANTED for Cruelly Killing Cats
Reward = $1,000 by SPCA Singapore per cat killer

By catching them all, you can get a bag of money and get rid of these scumbags.

I'm not sure if there are other bounties for other criminals, which I believe there are more. You should just Google to find out more. I am too lazy to Google more.

Apart from hunting criminals and dangerous fellans, you can also go online to check out lost dogs in Singapore.

Again, I am not sure if there are rewards for finding other people's beloved pet. But you can try and ask the owner when you found their dog though =D

I guess its all about the good feeling to help a missing dog.

I wonder how's the female Jack Russell I sent to SPCA Singapore last year? =\

Extreme Saving Tactic #001: Social Isolationism

Just like the blog post title says, if you stay away from people, you save more (in an extreme way).

To socialise is a kind of human need. People who play "The Sims" should know this.

But in Singapore, most social events, gatherings, outings, meet-ups all requires money to buy a medium (as some sort of an ice-breaker I presume) or to be at a place to start the socialising and communicating between us the homo sapiens-sapiens.

Examples of gorup social activities are going clubbing, pubbing, karaokeing, play billards or pool, boardgaming, movieing, swimming, chalt BBQ and many other all requires money.

The only free places to go is to chat below your void deck and go to a neighbourhood park (which can be quite boring). And note that the places I mention is within walking distances.

Well if you really want to save in this extreme way, be a boring person go play chess with your friend at void deck =D

Saving$ Tactics #001: Wallet Control

Saving money certainly need a great amount of long-term discipline as well as good habits.

Saving tactics may not need to be extreme but definitely there are ways to keep oneself from touching your own cash and also getting into more credit with your banks.

Here are some ways I do to prevent me from spending unneccessarily:

The key is really to limit cash in hand that can be spent
Obviously the lesser you spend over the less essential things, the more you save.

1) Budgeting:
Plan and budget the amount of money you needed to feed yourself and move around(on public transport, excluding cab transport!), add 10% of cash out of this weekly budgeted cash.

2) Limited cash withdrawal/credit lending sources:
After withdrawing your budgeted cash, put away your ATM cards and credit cards away from your wallet back into your safebox at home.

Try not to touch your ATM cards till your next weekly budget withdrawal day. And try not to touch your credit cards unless you want to use them for major payments of good buys, or buys with good rebates, discounts and savings.

3) Watch what you want to eat:
I know. Sometimes a Japanese bento set or even a Western grilled chicken chop taste better chicken rice and you are sick of good local food for some time.

But remember, you can always rotate your daily meals menu of the cheaper options.

Mixed rice has plenty of variety of dishes, you can also rotate the dishes too.

In this case, its all about fighting the sin of gluttony!

4) Go with someone who eats cheap:
There's always this thing about "makan kakis", they always make your meals more wonderful and you tend to stick with them to eat whatever they eat, even you know some food places they go can cost more.

I do have a colleague who thinks like an "uncle" and always goes to hawker centre for the low-priced food.

So sometimes, I follow him to eat together.

Eating cheap is a kind of thrift and so being "uncle" mean you are financially disciplined, wise and matured. It's a compliment.

5) Dump your small change into your piggy bank at the end of the day
By the end of the day, put all your small change into your piggy bank.

Never touch your piggy until its fully fat and heavy.

When it is fully fat and heavy, its doesnot meant you can chop it. Slim its weight into your savings bank.

6) Running out of money:
If by before the end of the budget week, you have run out of cash, you should only withdraw the minimal amount from your savings banks, and use the minimal amount.

The remainder should be put into your piggy bank. Nothing more than the essentials should be spent.

7) Making your other cash more hassle to reach:
Controlling the cash in hand from the cash in bank, when follow from the above steps I have mentioned, nothing should tempt you to buy anything more extra as it is a hassle to get your cards which are at your home when you are outside window shopping.

This would ultimate slow or curb your temptations to shop.

But if you are dying to get something tempting, a luxury item, and you would all the way get the cards from your house and come out to buy that item, I guess I can only say you are a failure in saving, or you really wanting that item for a very long time.

The judgement for this is really much a conscience issue.

Anyway, if all goes well, by the end of the month, the amount you saved should be substantial if only essentials are spent.

Here's all I got for now.

If anyone has more savings tactics, please feel free to share them for the benefit of all other readers =D