9 cheapskate ways to survive till your GAJI comes in

Do you remember earning enough money that bills weren’t a thing to worry about? Err….. yep, neither do we. For most of us, #studentlife never ends, summore everything also naik harga nowadays. Plus, now we don’t get allowances from our parents anymore! :'( With that in mind, there’s no wonder why we’re scraping the ends of our barrels (a.k.a. bank account) when it comes to the last week of the month. (a.k.a. the last week before gaji masuk)

But thankfully there’s another way to make it to payday…

Our new sponsors, OLDTOWN, knows your end-of-month struggles! Introducing their Happy Lunch Savers – set menus at discounted prices on weekdays, from 16th – 26th THIS MONTH! Prices start from RM8.90 NETT (which means your 6% GST and 10% service tax all dah masuk dah), and is a combination of 1 dish + 1 carbonated drink. 

You can upsize your drinks for RM1, upgrade to a float at RM1.50, or switch to white coffee/teh tarik at RM1. You can also add on kaya+butter toast for RM2. Ohhh btw, there’s Happy Times promos for breakfast, tea time and supper too 🙂

But in the meantime, we asked CILISOS readers to submit their most creative yet useful ways they make it through the end of the month. These 9 finalists have won a Happy Lunch Savers experience for 2! (Check your emails, ugaiz! And say #tenkiuOLDTOWN on their FB huhu) Check out their entries here:

1. Call your mak, VOLUNTARILY

“Call mother and scrub her shoes kaw kaw. Compliment her better than you compliment your partner. Hope she will come visit you and fill up your small fridge. God bless her” – Thegoodguy

While this method WILL guarantee you groceries in the pantry, bear in mind that you would also need to go through at least one to two hours of story time, updates on the relatives and orang kampung, and the constant nagging on why you haven’t gotten yourself a boyfriend/girlfriend yet.

2. Stalk your boss during lunchtime

“One of the perks when I was a lowly subordinate at the bottom of the company’s organizational chart was that I had a lot of bosses. I kept track of the time they go for lunch and pretended to bump into them when they were heading towards the cafe. Of course being good bosses they would invite me to tag along and ta daa!” – Al-Ham

Keep in mind that what goes around comes around. Eventually when you become a boss yourself, you might notice the same thing happening to you, and when you do, hire them to be your personal assistant! Cause they must have been very organised to be able to keep track of all the lunch schedules.

3. Kepoh in all company’s internal discussion

“Working in a huge MNC, everyday sure got meeting. Just come for the meals and pretend that you are part of the meeting. If you have friends in the meeting, even better. Looks more convincing.” – Shahir

Not only will you get unlimited refills of free coffee and donuts (okay maybe more karipap and teh tarik in Malaysia la), you would also catch up with everything that’s going on with the company, which shows just how much you care about the people that you work with.

Truly a nourishment for your mind, your body, and your soul.

4. SELL ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU HAVEEEE!

“Usually when I’m broke, I’ll search everything from my room to the kitchen, anything that I can sell from some money. Old comic? Can sell. Old clothes? Also can sell. As long that things that I find has value, I’ll sell it on FB or mudah. If I really have nothing to sell, I’ll sell my idea.” – Khairunnisa

It is worth noting that you can also sell your expertise on freelance sites such as Fiverr and Upwork. If you have a music band, you can sell out in order to make more money. For long-term gain, you can also learn how to sell yourself better and get the job you’ve always wanted™.

5. Lepak like an auntie in a supermarket

“Browse through all the freebies websites and pages to get free deodorant, toothpaste, facial wash. And I also go to big hypermarkets to eat every (free) sample food I can score (instant noodles, biscuits, crisps, milk, yogurt etc). By the end of the ‘shopping’ trip, I would be full.” – Izz

Not to mention that you would also be helping those promoters by finishing off their samples. Everybody wins! Love is all around!

6. Make a treasure hunt for your future self

“On payday I will slip RM10/RM20 notes under my folded clothes in the drawer that I rarely open, some in my notebook… even the RM 1. I even slip some in my favourite novel. This helps a lot. It’s like when I find the money, eh… duit!” – Miss Fleur

For added fun, you can also leave love notes for your future self. Write down your hopes and fears, dreams and aspirations. Just make sure NOT to write your new year resolution if you don’t wanna end up disappointed.

7. Just drink water all day, errday

“Drink water. Lots of water. When you’re hungry, drink water. When you look at pictures of food, drink water. When u look at your bank account, drink water.” – Ruth

We all know that ONE kid in class who always brought a water bottle bigger than his backpack. Well look who’s laughing now, cause now you can do it at work too!

But jokes aside, this one you memang really have to consult with your physician first, because while we are all aware about the importance of drinking water, drinking TOO MUCH can actually be bad for you!

8. Pretend you’re on an oatmeal diet

“Due to massive budget constraints, I bought myself a large container of instant oats to be eaten at work. The budget constraint is so bad that my oats are of a ciplak brand!” – Joe

Almost everybody goes through this “I want to eat healthy and eat oats” phase, except this time around you actually have to mean it. In other words, ugaiz might not even need to buy the oats. Just ask your friends for their untouched oats stash and they’ll be more than glad to get rid of them.

While at it, might as well ask for their untouched supplements, glucose and protein shake too.

9. Strategise your nasi campur pickings (and go in a herd)

“I researched & found out the most economical rice stall that charges by quantity of items. So how did I spend just RM2 or less?

Option A (Nasi Bukit Banjir): I will stack a mountain of just 1 dish + gravy from a meat dish (since gravy is free) on top of my rice.

Option B (Nasi Campur): Gang up & strategise on the dishes to choose. I will pay for 1 dish (make it bukit style) + 1 rice. My colleague will do the same. Then we share.

Yup divide we conquer. United we stand. Somehow the food tasted better and so did our relationship.” – Vera

Naww, what better way to form long-lasting relationship than through food? Brought tears to our eyes.

Apa ni CILISOS, how about some PRACTICAL ways to save money? -___-“

Okok. Can’t blame them la, these ways actually DO work in desperation. Plus, a research done by Nielsen found that Malaysians are the 7th most avid savers in the world. So there’s no surprise that people go through really… er… creative ways to save money!

But here are some more conventional ways to make your dolla dolla bills last longer throughout the month:

• Settle your debt early. We know it sucks when almost HALF of your salary is spent on rent, car and bills during the first week, but it’s better than accumulating more debt by the end of the month.
• Record your expenses. This one might be a bit mafan, but by tracking your spending, you would be more conscious before paying that RM11 latte.
• Get a second bank account for savings. To make it harder for you to withdraw money from it, apply from a bank with minimal ATMs around, BSN.
• Set saving goals for something big. Like an Xbox, a Coach bag, or a car. Work your bum off to raise enough money, then cancel the intention and put it in your saving funds instead!

But in the meantime, no harm grabbing a hearty meal at OLDTOWN to fill yer stomach 😀