Saturday, July 3, 2010

Country Farm Organics - CFO Warehouse Sales - 8 to 11th of July 2010

Hi folks!
 
Saw this great deal! Sharing it with you all :D

Sneak Peak on What We Have For You

 

Beutelsbacher Organic Juices, 1L for only RM10.00!        

Product of Germany

 

Aubrey Organic Skincare as low as RM 12.00! (NP : RM 33.60 onwards)     

Product of USA

 

Crofters Organic Wild Blueberry Spread for only RM 10.00! (NP : RM 16.90)           

Product of Canada

 

Gabro Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 250ml for only RM 10.00! (NP : RM 19.90)  

Product of Italy

 

O Organic Cereal, 17 oz for only RM6.50! (NP : RM 22.80)               

Product of USA

 

And over 800 discounted items to choose from!

 

Happy Shopping!
 
Cheers!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Ways to be creative and thrifty with your food bills

Hi folks,

Being the "Home Minister" of our household, aren't we ever creative in experimenting ways to trim our food bills?

Here are some tips and tricks which I learnt:

1. Shop alone (not with a hungry stomach)

One simple and fast way to shop if you could (I understand there are some parents who just had to bring their kids along), do it alone after filling up your tummy.

I normally do my grocery purchase or marketing once a week and whenever possible I try doing it off-peak hours and after I have fill up my tummy.

With tummy filled and hands free, I find I have both the time and less tension to do some quick comparison shopping. So if you could get your partner stay with the kids while you shop with a list at hand, I think this might helps too.

I find that I normally spent less money and less time when I do it alone. Just compare MYR80 spent in 30 minutes with MYR270 spent in 90 minutes.

2. Understand how stores marketing works

Products are displayed at the ends of the aisles and at paying counters are meant to catch our eyes (or most cases the eyes of our kids, think sweets, chocolates, ice-creams and soft drinks). Think Do a quick mental check whether it is a plain bargain which you need or don't need. Sometimes it is merely a "WANT" and the bargain becomes the reason of not refusing to buy.

3. Buy store brands or generics

The less-costly store brands are often good enough for most items. Since I packed from home very often and my specialty for potluck parties are fried vermicelli, I often bought few packets of store brand (e.g. Tesco brand Bee Hoon) vermicelli as standby at my pantry. It cost RM1 lesser per packet compared to another brand which is my family's favourite. It taste as good if not better.

5. Use points and coupons

Check your hypermarket's weekly flyer or ads for coupons or points collection.  Many hypermarkets or supermarkets now have super-savers and point's collections for their membership program. Sign up for it, the membership is often FOC or minimal compared to the savings you can accumulate in the long run.

This month alone, I save enough point to get another set of color pencils and perhaps pencil box free for my daughter's upcoming birthday gift.

6. Buy in bulk

Buying in bulk for non-perishables or most-often used items, for example paper products, cleaning supplies, stationeries, dried food, etc.  For bulk purchase on most-often used perishables, separate large packages into smaller ones as soon as you get home. Divide burger patties, etc into daily portions and freeze for later use.

Tip: Frugal shoppers know they can get a price break by buying day-old bread or bagels. And you can make a game of cooking fine foods with produce you picked up at a bargain price just before it became over-ripe. But try reversing the strategy by buying only the freshest items and they'll last longer in your refrigerator.

The other two more tips which I have yet to practice it regularly and is found to be very useful by many are

1.       Weekly Menu Planning

When I managed to plan in advance, for example cutting vegetables in advance and list out the menu for each day, I find it great as when I woke up late, hubby would know what's available in the fridge and can take over the cooking task for me. It applies for older member of your family too.

 

2.       Grow own vegetables

In my former landlord's house which has a bigger piece of land for growing vegetables, I have harvested nice and sweet pumpkin, basil and mint leaves for spaghetti and soups, green vegetables and chillis.

 

Now I would love to do the same with the limited space I have in the balcony of my apartment. This can serve as a teaching tool and fun time with our kids too!

What other budget saving strategy you adopt for your food bills? Let's share!

Be Creative and Have fun too!

 

Cheers!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Health Analysis Results

Hi folks,
Few days ago, I posted about how I barely pass the Healthy Analysis I had done at work when they organized a health check event.
This is a simple test which I had done two years ago (just before I had Shone).
So what I have been saying is compared to my last check 2 years back, my results deteriorates maybe due to age factor and the fact that I don't get to exercise or walk as much as I should.(No serious health complications here, thanks for all who left their well-wishes and comment).
Actually if I were to compare with my other colleagues who did the same test, my results aren't that bad  hehe…at least my body age is much "younger" than my actual age. All of my colleagues have older (at least 5 years older) Body Age than their actual age. Mostly due to dietary habits and lack of exercise too.
How the test is done?
We would first fill up our height and weight. Then they will enter some figures into the Fat Analyzer Weighing Scale (see example image). And the following results will be input on a form comparing against the "Ideal" figure.
So here's what I got:
Weight: 48.8kg (this is the "heaviest normal weight" I ever had in 5 years' time minus pregnancy and post-pregnancy period, I normally fluctuate from 43-46kg)
My Results vs. the Ideal Figure (for my age and size)
Body Fat (%): 23.9            Ideal figure- 19-21% (Age 15-39) – Slightly exceeded the healthy range
Muscle Skeletal (%): 27.8               Ideal Figure: Female >30% - Need start exercise regime (besides housework and weight-listing ("carrying kids" hehe, I am not doing my usual jogging or sports)
Visceral Fat: 2    Idea range: 1-4 ( Ok, at least this one I passed, however, I was told people aimed for "1", so well…if I include more exercise and take note on the white rice, white bread intake, more fruits and vegetables, I should be looking at figure "1" soon!)
Body Age: 26 (Ok..somehow this is a good news, although 2 years back, when I was 28, my Body Age is 21? What a fast deteriorating figure, mostly due to age and sedentary lifestyle I guess)
 So folks, if you happened to see any such test..go ahead and try check out your results. Now this Body Fat Analysis does not mean the actual physical body fat you can see with your naked eyes, people who are thin can have quite alarming figure too!
Stay healthy and active, include more fruits and vegetables in your diet…and cut down on meat intake!
Cheers!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Health screening results= Barely Pass

Hi folks,
 
Just had a health screening (body fat analysis), the result is not that good....compared to 2 years back when I did it.
 
Guess cos I have not been exercising and also been eating same portion even though i have reduce the no. of breastfeeding session.
 
And the good news is..perfect timing! Cos I have decided and managed to persuade hubby to go for trial yoga class this Thurs!
 
Can't wait to restart my yoga sessions!
 
Stay tuned for more updates!
 
Have a healthy and Energetic time folks!
 
Start exercising and eating well for u and your family's sake!
 
Cheers!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Busy = Temperful Parents

Hi folks,
 
Last few weekends are hectic days for my family...never-ending events to attend to...
 
KY had rehearsals for her pioneer performance. When it finally concluded last Sat nite, Sunday we had people coming over to our place for swimming, followed with visiting my sister who have just give birth(Congrats jie). When we finally reach home at nite...we are all tired ...battery flat...except for my energetic Shone who managed to recharge his battery over at my sister's place.
 
So when all of us were sleeping, at about 10.20pm, suddenly i woke up and found Shone missing....and guess what I heard? The water dripping sound from the bathroom...oh no...my dear Shone been love playing water in the bathroom lately...so without any question asked i grab him out of the bathroom and had wanted to give him a piece of mind..then only realised that he actually wanted to wash his bottom with the water as what we normally does(not using wet wipes for cleaning poo poo since he was a baby).
 
How guilty I felt then, he must have failed waking me up to clean for him...so I apologetically said sorry to him and quickly wash his bottom for him.
 
Busy = Temperful Parents
 
 
I must remind myself not to blow up in ANY CASE especially not before hearing them out!
 
Hope a better weekdays for all ..
 
Stay sane and loving despite being "hectic" mode!
 
Cheers!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Cutie bun

6 Flavours & Designs