Mothering Corner

Hubby and I don’t have a retirement plan here. Unlike in Malaysia where we used to have EPF, it’s all on our own since we moved to Bangkok. So, we have to think of a way to save up or make more money to retire earlier. LOL!

Maybe we should check out some saving plans or trust funds, or getting some advice from Missoula, MT wealth management group. At the same time, we need to play for our kids’ education fund too. Studying for international degree in Thailand is more expensive than sending the kids abroad. So, it’s time to think wise about how to stretch our $$$.

There goes my dream of spending a bomb on our new place.

My kids saw a kiddie saving plan at one of the banks in Thailand, which gives out Ben 10 and Ariel the Mermaid piggy banks, and they wanted to have them. Too bad that the plan is only applicable to Thailand nations, so our kids were very disappointed that they could not get their bank accounts here.

I’m not sure how other expats think but I do feel the inconvenience of staying in another country. As much as we can just save up in our old accounts back home or buy some gold coin and keep for the kids, but not having a saving account here for them doesn’t sound right to me. Right now, hubby, me and my boy each has one account left in Malaysia and we had canceled the rest off. Hubby started 2 accounts here, while I’m still waiting for mine. Sigh…

How am I going to get one for my kids?

My mom got me some gold jewelry when I was young and I still keep them all. I haven’t tried selling any, even if the price is very much higher now. I would make some money if I did, but what’s the point? They are keepsakes to me, and I will pass some to my kids later on.

Of course, if I can afford it, I would get more gold coins from United States Gold Bureau, but it won’t be something that happens this year. I hope that I can do so next few years on a regular basis, especially after my biz has stabilized.

I’ve always been good at spending, but not making money. If it’s not because of my work load, I might be spending more time at the mall, buying unnecessary things, and wasting my time away. I hardly go to the malls these days, especially after hubby passed the biz to me.

I don’t have much time to even eat out, let alone shopping. I guess I could be able to buy gold coins if I don’t spend that much. But then, I found myself shopping online more.

Thus, I shall not add anymore stores in my Facebook. That should be able to reduce some temptation!

I was kind of happy to see the lower exchange rate of USD as most of my stocks are bought in this currency, but when I did a transfer from my Paypal to my bank account the other day, I almost choked myself with how few the amount I received in RM. Gosh, that’s a lot of difference, comparing to what I could make from blogging years ago.

But anyway, a penny made is still a penny gained. So, I’m still making some money this year, even if it’s way much lesser that 3 years ago. One thing for sure, the amount of money is too few to even get me to buy gold coins. So, I cannot invest in gold for the time being.

I’m yet to replace my kids’ piggy bank which broke last week. They keep their coins in the piggy bank in hope that they can save up enough money and pay for the birds to be released at the temples. They enjoy seeing the birds fly away from the cages, but I told them that they can only do so if they have saved up enough money.

Frankly, they don’t know the value of money yet. As long as they see any coins, they will keep them away. Maybe they will put away some rare coin too, if they are lucky to find any! LOL!

Everything seems to be more expensive since the price of petrol increased. My mum complained to me that it’s not easy to stretch the money as it used to be. I can’t see the difference here in Bangkok since I’m only here for days. However, we have used a lot of money for relocation, so it’s best to use our money wisely.

Too bad that I don’t have much money for investment, if not I would like to invest in rare coin and options when the market is bad. Maybe I will make some money when the market goes better?

Anyway, maybe I should start jotting down our expenses. It would be easier to keep track of our money.

I don’t think I can live without credit cards anymore. I don’t rely too much on them, but they are truly convenient. I have a card which I use for household and the kids stuffs when I go shopping without hubby. He will settle the purchases later, since it’s more for household use and it’s part of his financial responsibility.

I don’t think I will apply for another card here anymore, but if possible, I might get another one in Bangkok next time. It will be easier to pay for the month payment if it’s issued by the local bank. But if you are interested to apply for a credit card online, you can check out those instant approval credit cards from Credit Room. Even if you have a poor credit history, there are poor credit visa card available for you too.

Anyway, we will fly over there on Monday and we need to shop a lot for the house. I think the credit card debt will be a shocking one when the statement arrives by the end of next month. Thank god hubby is paying for everything, so I’m safe from paying debts. LOL!

I don’t think I can do much on my blogs for the next two weeks until I want to stay up late at night. Besides that, it’s not that easy blogging for money unless you have blogs with good traffic and putting your effort into building more sites. I don’t have plan for this anymore because my priority changed. I might not be making a lot of money lately, but I will still do my best working from home. Maybe I should try stock options trading huh? But it’s too risky to someone who’s inexperienced like me.

Let’s see what else can I venture into if I want to make money from home. But I will think about this once we settle down in Bangkok later, I’m too busy right now!

I may be a shopaholic but all the while I seldom owe a lot of credit card debts. I try my best to make full payments every month and hubby used to tease me that the banks can’t make money from my interest. I don’t feel easy spending more than I can afford, that’s why I use my credit cards as if they are invincible cash.

If you have a lot of credit card debt, it’s best to reduce your spending and try to repay all of it. You can also think about applying for Balance Transfer Cards if the banks are offering you with better rates. Paying 18% per annual as interest is quite a lot of money, so why don’t you manage the debt wisely?