Show me the money!

No la... where got money to show? With a baby, what we used to call our "lifestyle fund" has been severely depleted to the point that begs the question : "WHAT lifestyle?"

Anyway, we have to constantly look for ways to spend less so here are a few things we have adopted to save money, pre- & post-parenthood.

1. The internet - no longer need to buy volumes of encyclopedias or pay for newspapers or spend money on stamps, paper & envelopes
   
2. Use open-source software or freeware
   
3. CD & DVD burners (read between the lines)
4. SMS - debatable 'coz some people end up spending more money on an SMS conversation than simply making a short call
   
5. Induction cooker (we love ours!)
   
6. Digital cameras - no more expensive batteries and film and less printing costs (C'mon, how many people actually print their photos these days?)
   
7. Rechargeable batteries for all our remote controls (of which we have several)
   
8. Energy-saving bulbs (get some cheap ones from IKEA. RM19.90 for 3!)
   
9. Menstrual cups - funny thing is, I only used mine 3 times before I became pregnant
   
10. IPL - saves time tweezing & money waxing. Tweeze and wax what you say? Any part with hair la.... Seriously, I'm so glad I did this
    
11. LASIK surgery. Okay, a tad extravagant but I'm saving on glasses, lenses, solutions and powered goggles and not to mention the inconvenience in the long run, aren't I?
    
12. Laundry balls - With these, I save on detergent as well as softeners. All I need is the hot water from my 5.5kg Electrolux, throw this Magic ball in together with a handful of scrubber balls for good measure and Voila! I have fresh-smelling clean laundry. Come to think of it, are our clothes so dirty that we need to use detergent on a daily basis? 1 Magic Ball cost me less than RM130 and will last for 3 years based on once daily use. That's less than I spend a year on my SA8 and Comfort! Best of all, I can also wash Nat's clothes without worrying about skin irritation caused by detergent
    
13. Cloth diapers and I don't mean the normal "lampin". These ones can hold 3-4 times more urine and keep babies' bottoms bone-dry and can even be used at night with an additional insert! I have yet to try them but will be receiving my order come Monday. Can't wait!

Feel free to add your money-saving tips. I'd be more than happy to try them out. In the meantime, I'll wait patiently for us to be able to convert our cars to NGVs. I was told an RM8 full tank gives you 150km mileage and when that runs out, you can switch back to petrol. The only thing you lose out on is boot space.