Saving Tips

With the economy expected to remain in the doldrums for some time it makes great sense to be sensible in your spending habits. Most economists advise to stash any extra cash for the rainy day. Now is not the time to splurge. Here are a few tips which we can keep in mind and follow.

Some of the savings you can make at home:

• Switch off all lights and power points when not in use.Do not keep equipment (computers, micro wave oven and television sets) in standby mode when not in use. You can also use a timer to automate the switching on and off of your porch and night lights.
  
• Switch off fans and air conditioners when there is no one in the room or when the room temperature has cooled down. It is best to have an automatic timer to switch off after a set time.
• Use energy saving lamps
  
• Iron a bundle of clothes at a time as ironing one article wastes a lot of electricity when heating up the iron
• Use a thermos flask to keep hot water instead of reboiling
• Don't put hot food into the fridge and don't overstock it
• Take everything you want from the fridge in one go instead of opening the fridge several times
  
• Turn off taps when brushing and flossing teeth
• Machine wash clothes only when there is a full load
• For those who recycle water, used water from your kitchen can be used to water plants or wash outside floors and drains
  
• Shower instead of taking long baths
• Use a loofah or a sponge to minimize soap or shower foam
  

When shopping you can save if you:

• Look up and down at the top and bottom shelves at the supermarket,to find comparable products at lower cost.These stores are very smart about making sure that the products with the highest prices are also the easiest to see and find. That's why they put them at eye-level. Some stores place the same little things all over the store in the hope that you will eventually pick them up on your way to the checking counter
  
• You can save big money by buying store brands and generics.
• If you haven't looked at the price difference between brand-name and store-brand products, prepare to be amazed. Brand-name products can cost 10%, 20%, even 30% or more than their store-brand counterparts.And what are you getting for all of that extra money? Nothing more than perhaps a prettier label and some expensive marketing and advertising.Just look at the ingredients and see for yourself. Often, the list is 100% identical, especially in the pharmacy section
• Everything at the salad bar is usually the same fixed price, but sometimes they have foods there that would cost much more if you bought them in the aisles.Generally, you want to avoid heavier items, such as cheeses and fruit cocktail. However, if you're making stir-fry and need just a handful of red peppers, broccoli and other vegetables, the salad bar might be the perfect answer.
• Before you start your shopping trip check out the ads from competing stores and bring the list with you. You can compare the prices of the things you wish to buy in your shopping list. Having a shopping list is good but you must be flexible enough to change your plans if the things you wish to buy are expensive, not on offer or not available.
• Do not go shopping on an empty stomach as you would tend to shop for things you don't necessarily buy.
• Do not buy things you don't need even if they are on offer. You may regret later after indulging in impulse buying
• Do not buy more than you need just because they are cheap

When considering to refinance your housing mortgage loan at a lower rate:
While refinancing at a lower rate can lower your monthly payment, that doesn't mean you're going to save money.You have to consider your closing costs, which can be substantial.

If you're saving RM50 a month with a new loan but closing costs are RM3,000, you need to stay in the house for 60 months just to break even.

If you're not sure how long you'll be in the house, refinancing may not be right for you.

To figure out if refinancing makes sense for you, check out how much the new monthly repayment will be and how much penalty you have to pay for prepaying your present loan.

If you own a car:

• The Minister Dato Shahrir is right. Sure, the oil companies and the petrol stations absolutely love to sell you premium fuel because it costs a lot more and they will earn more commission. The reality, however, is that most cars don't get much benefit from the higher octane.Most cars do not require premium fuel (Ron 97), so if your car doesn't, switch to either a regular or mid-level fuel grade (RON 95) when it becomes available.Your car won't know the difference, but your wallet sure will.
• Keeping your tyres properly inflated will increase petrol mileage and lower your costs.Experts say that for every one pound per square inch (PSI) that your tyres are underinflated, you could be decreasing your gas mileage by one-half percent.That means that if your tyres are supposed to be inflated to 32 PSI and you're only at 22 PSI, you're cutting your mileage by 5% and using more fuel than you need. Check your tyre pressure at least once a month.
• Plan your journey before you start. If possible, follow a less congested route
• Plan your errands all in one trip
• Best of all, use public transport to save time on the road and save money on parking bills

The list continues. Let us start being conscientious and disciplined in order to have a better and safer future.

Have You Got What It Takes To Be Successful?

Somebody pointed out that to be successful one needs to adopt the following traits:

1. Enjoy what you do
2. Have high self esteem and a positive attitude
3. Becomes stronger after an adverse experience
4. Have integrity and willing to assist others
5. Persistent, changing proposals to avoid rejection
6. Take calculated risks
7. Have good people relations and problem solving skills
8. Competent, responsible and supportive people are his clique
9. Healthy, have great stamina and takes time to exercise regularly
10. Believe in God being a Higher power always on his side
11. Have a sense of mission to help society
12. Does not conform to traditional concepts
13. Innovative and creative
14. Does not see age as a barrier
15. Committed to continuous self re education

Are you as successful as you would like yourself to be? Have you got these traits? Be honest.

If you want to succeed in whatever you do, you must reexamine and ask yourself, am I on track?

IDENTITY THEFT

Dolans.com has a few tips of identity theft which I find interesting.

Remember the television series "Angela Bennett"? How the lady tried to convince others of her lost identity? How she was deleted and given another identity?

An identity theft incident occurs every TWO SECONDS in the US.In Malaysia you hear of it once in a while. Here in Malaysia, normally it happens because you lose you identity card and end up as a borrower in car loan agreements and other legal complications follow.

The Malaysian identity card and birth certificates are very valuable. It they are stolen, they fetch a very high price in the black market. With the identity card and birth certificate, one can get a passport issued. For a multi-racial country like Malaysia, its citizens' identification papers could be sold to foreigners like the Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Chinese (from China or Taiwan) who work either legally or illegally in this country.

Malaysians are wary of using their credit cards on the Internet due to the suspicion that some unscrupulous characters will steal their information and clone new credit cards in their name for sale to others.

There ARE things you can and must do to protect yourself.

The following may be useful:

Shred your bills and credit card or bank statements!

If an identity thief wants to find your credit card number or even your identity card number, he can do it-easily – by simply running through your rubbish especially if you throw all your bills unshredded?!
So shred any and all solicitations you receive- not just credit card bills and personal papers. The smaller the pieces, the less likely would a scavenger find your bank account number and credit card information.
Even if you have never lost a credit card or had your wallet snatched, your personal information-identity card number, bank card number, birth dates and more-could end up in the wrong person’s hands.

Identity thieves are lurking EVERYWHERE.

Ever worry when you give your credit card to a waiter at a restaurant or cash teller at a supermarket?You’d better start because more and more crimes happen during normal everyday shopping and dining then you may imagine.
Sift through your receipt with a fine tooth comb and do NOT, under any circumstances, accept a handwritten note as a receipt. It must be run through a machine for you to know its genuine.
Check your credit card bill THE MINUTE you receive it.
Check each charge listed to make sure they are all yours. If you don’t already have an online account with the credit card company, it’s time to open one! You can check your statement throughout the month.
Remember: The less thorough you are, the more likely a thief will infiltrate at the “holes” you have opened in your life.

Become a computer thief’s worst nightmare.

It is very easy these days for a computer whiz to hack into your PC files and grab your PC passwords, bank account information, credit card numbers and more!
Always, SHUT DOWN your PC daily when not in use and make sure you have a security program installed and working at all times. Plus, don’t forget to update your software patches, firewalls and virus protection on a regular basis.
The more rigid you are about these protective measures, the tougher it will be for an intruder to steal your private information.

Are Your Computer Passwords Safe?

Have you ever changed your computer password? You should automatically change the password every 6 months to a year for security purposes.
Experts advise that the safest passwords don't use common words or personal information like birthdays, family member names or family pets. Hackers can easily guess and then gain access to your files.
The best and safest computer passwords combine numbers, letters and characters like ampersands and dollar signs.
Try to create something you can easily remember that a hacker would find difficult to guess.
But it had better be easy to remember because you should never write your password down. And under no circumstances should you store it in your purse or wallet. Also avoid taping it to the underside of your keyboard.

It is better to be vigilant than to cry over spilt milk. It's time to start protecting yourself before you become a sad statistic.

RED MERANTI BLOG

My Red Meranti blog has migrated to URL at http://gogreenwithredmeranti.blogspot.com.I have done so to rebrand the site to easily identify with green, eco-friendly issues.

Alternatively, you can surf to my other blog at http://chilliesandcilantro.blogspot.com and click on the GO GREEN title in the blog list column.

Please feel free to visit my new blog site. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.