Category Archives: Home Management

Getting groceries on my day off

Posted in Everyday Life, Home Management by

I like getting groceries on weekdays. That is when there is a less crowded area, and I get to walk down the aisle calmly. Most of the time, I would have blueberries and honeydew since my daughter and husband like them. I would alternate between getting apples and oranges. Guava, if I feel like it. Then there is the occasional dragon fruit. I used to love buying kiwis, but I find that they are a bit expensive nowadays. Strangely enough, Shining Muscats are cheaper. I would splurge on strawberries once in a blue moon.

A new bread brand has become famous lately. So I got that Sunshine bread as well. It tasted like any Gardenia bread. I don’t get the hype. But the packaging is pretty. Maybe that’s why people, including myself, have FOMO. Ha ha.

Farm Fresh milk carton was on sale. Of course, I had to buy it. Eggs are still expensive. Only this time I got the Gred C ones cause the D’s I bought before felt less satisfactory in my meals. The small portion size was palpable.

I did not buy any poultry or seafood. That would be for another day.

House Maintenance

Posted in Everyday Life, Home Management by

Like any homeowner, the challenge in keeping the house is to keep track of what maintenance is needed for it to glow as a safe haven for the family. It’s like a wife/mother keeping the household together with her cooking, cleaning, and doing all sorts of feminine things. Husbands have to chip in too.

I repaired my roof recently.

I was fed up with the leak when we got heavy rain. I hate that the leak would damage the walls and encourage mould growth. It took too long for masculine intervention and the damage was ongoing. Hence, I called up this female contractor I knew some time ago. Thankfully she was still in business. She brought her worker along for a view of the problem and explained it to me in simple terms.

She showed me her quotation and I agreed on the price. I am not the type to haggle/argue on the price especially when it is already reasonable and that she is doing a proper job with her team. The leak was fixed in a few hours by waterproofing and fixing the area of concern. Then, I had some parts of the roof replaced as it has sunken and I don’t want it to lead to any wiring problems later on. The latter part was completed in just one sunny day.

InsyaAllah, my next projects are improving the aesthetics of the gazebo and some rooms in the house. Perhaps we can use what we already have for a fresh coat of paint and decor. I look forward to a more festive and inclusive Ramadan/Eid Celebration next year. Of course, in the long term, it is to have a comfortable early retirement life at home with the husband, children and cats.

Reducing financial burden

Posted in Home Management by

A psychiatrist during my medical student postings once told me that when she was in her 40s, she ‘downsized’ her life. She sold off her Jaguar, bought a smaller home, and spent much less on her clothes and accessories. She felt more content afterwards. Perhaps it was her mid-life crisis, she couldn’t tell. I am feeling a similar urge too. To be content with what I have and reduce whatever extra’s that are not necessary.

I went to the bank yesterday to reactivate my account. It has been dormant for the past year because I need to have a debit card to make online transfers. I did not have one. The lady at the counter was enthusiastic about telling me about their account options and diversifying financial portfolios. She persuaded me to get a debit card too! It got so suffocating that at one point I just stopped her nicely and said, “Let me tell you about my plan. My plan is to transfer the current money I have here to my investment account at ASB little by little as per the allowed limit. And then I plan to close my account here“.

But why? You would need backup.

I then told her about my sibling’s experience sorting out my mother’s will. It was a hassle. My late mom has so many eggs in so many baskets to pick up. Hence, the least I could do is put it all in as little baskets as I can. The lady suggested hibah but it comes with a fee. Which I have no interest in paying.

I also plan to pay off my housing loan as early as I can. At least my financial burden could be reduced gradually for me to enjoy my early pension. (if it happens).

Downsizing the amount of accounts I have will be my financial task till the end of this year. I am also planning to keep the amount of money in my Tabung Haji to its required minimum. Just enough to pay for Hajj expenses. The rest of the money will be put into my children’s TH account so that it can be used for their Hajj and also education expenses.

Reset Saturday

Posted in Good Things, Home Management, Mini Project by

Sunday is for rest and low-energy activities. Hence, everything resets on Saturday.

In fact, I am currently in my ‘House Fever’ phase. That means my energy mainly focuses on decluttering, beautifying, decorating and improving my home. There will be phases of ‘Journalling’ or ‘Health and fitness’ or whatever that I felt like doing at one particular time.

For the past week, I have been assembling new bookshelves, study tables, shoe racks, telekung stands, setting up plastic bins for storage and decluttering unused items since 10 years ago. That included wallpapers my husband doesn’t use anymore, baby items, old vacuum cleaners, outdated coffee machines, plates and bowls. I’ve also been clearing my wardrobe, getting rid of clothes that just don’t fit my XL size. It’s so sad but if I plan on getting into those clothes – I need to get back on the diet wagon again. I send my clothes to the bin at Lotus Melaka. As for the bulk items such as the old furnitures, I put them out front on Mondays cause that is when SWM, our local garbage handler collects ‘sisa pukal’.

I am also in Solar stuff again. I have been buying solar lights again for the garden. I remembered buying one for the garden gazebo at least 2 years ago and it is still functioning. One of the best purchases ever. I just need to learn how to drill these things better into the wall and reach further heights.

I organized my kitchen too. Colour coordinated things to a certain extent. Somehow the colour red kept reappearing, so red it is with a splash of white, grey and black. Not the most picturesque kitchen on Pinterest but I loved it all the same.

All these activities I do it on a Saturday as I wanted to rest more on a Sunday. To clear my head and be calm for the coming Monday. Reset Saturday manages my anxiety as it keeps me in control of things.