#33 Practical Ways YOU Can Use

To Save More Money In Singapore

Apply This Strategies Diligently & I Assure YOU, It Will Change Your
Financial BluePrint For The Rest Of Your Life!

Helmi Hakim
Qualified Financial Associate
Diploma In Accountancy

Call Me @+65 96520134 for FREE Financial Planning Now!

www.HelmiHakim.com
(This e-book is only for Helmi Hakims clients and will not be released to the
public till 1 April 2008. Do not forward this copy to others. I have prepared this
e-book specially for your perusal and as a privilege for your support in being my
valued client. Thank you.)

First and foremost, I will like to congratulate you for downloading this e-book.
The very fact you download, and read this material right now at this very moment,
only shows that you believe that the cost of living in Singapore is getting higher,
and it is imperative for you to find practical strategies that you can use
immediately to SAVE your money.
In my course of work as a financial associate in Singapore, I met literally hundreds
and hundreds of people out there every single day.
I share with my clients a lot of things.
One of the most important things that I shared with them is strategies on how they can
SAVE money to meet their financial objectives.
I have documented 33 simple, yet practical and powerful strategies that you can
use IMMEDIATELY to save more money for yourself.
The strategy that I am going to share with you is so easy to follow yet very effective.
Read it with an open mind and I guarantee you that you will benefit A LOT from it!
If you see value in what I share with you in this book, I will love to hear your
comments. Do email me your comments at helmihakim@hotmail.com
If you feel that what I share with you will also benefit others, do share this e-book
with them in an unedited version.
See you soon. :)
Helmi Hakim
http://www.helmihakim.com

: Eat Your Breakfast Every Morning

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Research shows that if you skip your breakfast, you will tend to feel hungrier later and
overeat during your lunch.
When you overeat during your lunch, you will spent more money on food.
Eat your breakfast every morning.

: Use Public Transportation

In Singapore, we have arguably, the best transportation system in the world.
Take advantage of Singapores famous BMW, (Bus, MRT, Walk)
....and youll save more dollars.
You save on your vehicle maintenance, your vehicle loan, your vehicle insurance, your petrol
cost (which is increasing incredibly these days) and more.
Do you know that your vehicle NAV (Net Asset Value) depreciate by $5000, the moment
you bought it?
Unless you need your vehicle as a social proof to tell your clients how successful you are, I
recommend you to take public transport.

With more ERP gantries in Singapore, it is also advisable to take public transport.
In addition to that, you get more exercise throughout the day, which keeps your heart,
immune system, and brain healthy.

: Read The Newspaper Online

All major newspapers have their own website.
They update it every single hour.
You can go to these websites:
1) www.channelnewsasia.com
2) www.straitstimes.com
3) www.newpaper.com.sg
4) www.beritaharian.com
One day, you save $1, 30 days, you will save $30.

: Avoid Buying From Snack Machines

Snack machines are full of high sodium products.
These products make you feel thirsty and you will purchase drinks from the drink machines
located side by side which sell drinks at high margins.
Just look at Singapore expo, how much they charge for their bottled drinks.
You will understand.

: Make A Shopping List

Shopping for groceries or food items is usually a weekly routine.
We will tend to buy more things than we need.
Often, we will also buy things that we will NOT need.
To prevent this, simply prepare a shopping list.
Shop the stuffs that you really need and SAVE the rest.

: Clear Your Credit Card Debt

.
Credit card interest rates are very expensive.
24% a year.
If you save your money at an interest rate like what credit card companies charge you, your
money will double every 3 years.

Your credit card company is earning like Warren Buffet at your expense if you choose to be a
victim to this vicious cycle.
If you cannot afford to pay your credit card bills, borrow money from your parents, brothers,
sisters and return them 10% extra. (You still save 14%)
Then, terminate your credit card and get a debit card.
You got to ignore your ego to salvage your own financial future.

: Use Your Community Library

I bought a lot of motivational, financial, inspirational books, and I treat it as an investment.
However some reading materials follow the trend.
Example- Gossip magazines, fashion magazines etc.
If you need to read such magazines, go to Woodlands Library at Civic Centre.
They have lots of magazines for you to choose from.
You will be spoilt for choice.
I signed up as a platinum member in Woodlands Library for about $20 a year and I am able
to borrow motivational, financial, spiritual CDs which cost a bomb elsewhere for FREE.
I save hundreds of dollars, while at the same time being able to enjoy what others enjoy too!

: Drink At Least 12 Cups Of Water Every Day

This tip applies if you find yourself, putting on weight EASILY like me. :)
Whenever I go out meeting clients, I will always buy something to eat along the way.

I go to Old Chang Kee to eat curry puffs.

I go to Polar Cake Shop to get a bite of the tasty, crab puffs.
I go to the MamaShop to buy some tidbits.
All these small dollars, adds up to a big amount.
I bought all those foods because I feel hungry.

After doing some research about myself, I realise my mistake that I commit and I believe
many of out there are guilty of too.
I mistake dehydration for hunger.
Now, I always drink plenty of water to avoid mistaking dehydration for hunger.
I also stop buying bottled water.
My advice to you, is get a water bottle and drink from it everyday.
Often when you may feel hungry, your body is really asking for water.
: Pack Your Lunch To Work
1 meal of lunch together with drinks can easily cost you, $6.
A day $6, 30 days will be $180.
You can save a lot from here!

: Don't Buy Designer Labels

Celebrities wear expensive clothes because they get it for FREE.
Dont waste your hundreds of dollars on designer labels.
A normal shirt and jeans from Giordano and your designer labels doesnt make much
difference.
Think about it. :)

: Book Your Air Tickets Early

Budget airlines have made travelling by aeroplane more affordable.
You can also get air tickets at a lower price if you book your air ticket early.
So book early, and book it online.

: Quit Smoking

1 packet of cigarette costs you $11.

30 days you smoke, cost you over $300/mth.
I dont smoke.
Lots of my clients do.
You can save a lot by quit smoking.

: Cancel Your Gym Membership

Ask yourself this question and answer them honestly.
If you have a gym membership, do you really use them frequently?
If not, just cancel your gym membership.
You can just go to the community gyms in normal stadiums, make use of the facilities as and
when you like for a minimal fee of about $3 per entry.

: Buy Clothes & Gifts Only When On Offer

My friends and I always wait for G2000 sales, then we buy our shirts.
Chinese New Year.
Hari Raya.
Deepavali.
Dont worry. There will be lots of promotions giving you, superb discount.
Patience is the key.

: Potluck Parties
Occasionally, you may want to have birthday parties or get along sessions.
Instead of ordering everything from the catering company, it is economically wise to have a
potluck arrangement amongst those who attend.

A potluck is a gathering of people where each person is expected to bring a dish of food to
be shared among the group.
You as the organiser will save some bucks :)

: Buy Items On Discount

I always buy electronic items at yahoo auction.
You can go to ebay, yahoo auction or anywhere else.
Do a price comparison.
The pricing is always more cheaper.
You save big bucks from here.

: Do Not Buy Items On Loan

I am not trying to be prejudice here.
I realise Malay families like to go to Courts, Best Denki and buy furniture sets, sofa, dvd,
hifi, ON LOAN.
At the end of the day, you will pay more money, and this money, you can definitely save and
use for other purpose.
Only buy when you have the cash. AND not on loan.

: Get A Corporate Line Plan

When you get your handphone line, check with the company you are working if there is a
corporate plan available.
You can get handphones and the lines at a lower price.
Starhub, Singtel and M1 usually arranged with companies to provide attractive rate for the
employees.

: Do You Need The Extra TV Channels?

I realise that a lot of people subscribe to SCV, and pay money for it.

If you are like me, who is always busy outdoors, I think SCV is not necessary.

: Avoid The Car Wash

If you choose to own a car, wash the car yourself.
Or make it a weekly routine, for your kids and yourself to wash your car.
It can be fun and enjoyable

+ you save the bucks having to pay for expensive car wash.

: Cut Your Hair At Normal Barbers

I realise some people like to cut their hair at hair stylists which costs a bomb.
If you trim your hair twice a month, it can easily cost you over 500 bucks per month.
If you cut at the normal barber, it will only costs you 20 bucks.
You can SAVE from there.

: Eliminate Your Craving

Some people like me have cravings for MacDonalds.
It doesnt help that fast food chains like MacDonalds, KFCs and Burger Kings are easily
accessible from my workplace.
I use this useful technique which I read from somewhere to eliminate my cravings for fast
food.
First, squeeze your thumb and finger together as tight as you can then think of a place you
would most like to be or a moment you would most like to achieve.
Hold the thought and repeat.
Then every time you get a craving for drink, fags, food, whatever, you squeeze the thumb and
finger and recall the place or moment.
The idea is that you have more chance of achieving your goal by recalling your aims and
foregoing the craving.
And it works.

You save some money.

: Avoid Traffic Fine

Dont drive too fast, above the limit.
There are too many cameras around.

: Go Johor Bahru & Watch Movies

Yup. I always watch movie at City Square in Johor Bahru on Wednesday.
They discount the tickets to 5 ringgit, which only costs about 2 Singapore Dollars.
The quality of movie in Malaysia and Singapore is the SAME.
I save the money!

: Buy From Second Hand Shops

Hey I bought a lot of second hand stuffs and nobody knows.
You can go to cash converter to buy second hand goods.
There are many second hand shops around in Singapore.
Like In Woodlands Central near JB, there is a barber shop combined with partition selling
second hand stuffs.
I bought my blazer which I occasionally used during my roadshows for merely $10, in a
second hand blazer shop in front of Sultan Mosque.

: Save On Dental Treatment

Take care of your teeth.
I just find out, a simple root canal treatment costs thousands of dollars.
Freak!

: Get NTUC Income Ideal Savings Plan

When you save your money in the bank, you have tendency to take out the money.
On top of that, your earnings from your savings account is just about 0.25%-0.35%.
Contact your financial advisor (or me) to discuss on how you can use NTUC Income Ideal
Savings plan to save for any of your financial objectives.

: Eat At Hawker Centres

Instead of eating at MacDonalds and KFCs, where they love to upsize you, eat at hawker
centres.
It is cheaper and you can save more money.

: Switch OFF Your Monitor When You Are

Not Using Your Computer

At times, you stop using your computer for a short while, to rest your eyes.
Off the monitor and you can conserve electricity.
The monitor of your computer used up 70% of the electricity consumption.

: Buy Frozen Food

A check at major supermarket chains and wet markets found the price of FROZEN FOOD is
about 27 percent CHEAPER than fresh counterparts.
Said Mr Seah Kian Peng, managing director (Singapore) of NTUC Fairprice: With new
available technology, many frozen products go through high technology processing and rapid
freezing, which retain their freshness and nutrition.

For value-conscious consumers, replacing some fresh items in your shopping list with
frozen products is definitely a way to stretch the dollar. By a significant amount.
(Source: Straits Times, 14 February 2008)

: Claim All Your Available Tax Reliefs

Everyone have taxes to pay.
We cant escape that.
Make sure you claim all your tax reliefs available at your disposal.
Go to http://www.iras.gov.sg for more details.

: Marry Later
This may sound incredulous.
I see that there is a trend in the Malay community for them to marry early, as young as 21, 22
year old. (Gosh! my age! :( )
If you could delay your marriage for a few years, you could definitely save so much more
money.
This may be subjective.
I believe the best age for men to get married is 28 years old and a woman at 24 years old.
Yeah! On a personal note, I believe that will be an ideal age.

: Customised Budget
Give me a call and we will arrange for an appointment.
I can customise, and personally coach you; on individualised strategies on how you can save
more money for yourself.
I am very experienced in this, and you can rely on me for that.
Give me a call or sms @ 96520134.
I will just take 5 minutes of your time. If you believe what I will share with you during the
meeting is fruitful, we can continue from there.
If not, we can end it short and sweet :)

Wow You have read all the strategies till the end of this very page, PAGE 13, the last
page here.

Give yourself a pat on your back!

I am encouraged by your persistency and determination to take your first step towards
savings, by reading this e-book till the last page.

Should you have enquiries, or need my assistance, do email me at

helmihakim@hotmail.com or call, sms me at +65 96520134.

We will meet soon.

Have a nice day :)