Hi!!! Having three children isn’t a walk in the park. Nor are they friendly for your wallet. That’s why over the years I’ve become very savvy with spending on a budget. I’m still learning and discovering new outlets but so far, I think I’m doing good. I’ve never been this earth friendly until I have 3 kids!
1. DIAPERS
The most budget friendly at this point will be cloth diapers. I thought about it, even purchased a bundle in 2013 but decided against it because it didn’t fit our lifestyle. So I settled with the next best thing – bulk diaper buying.
My kids wear Drypers. So far they’ve been very practical and does containment exceptionally well. Currently I’m using 2 different sizes, S and L. So I buy them in a box usually from Lazada or Tesco (online of course). They cost me an average RM75 per box.
If I have to buy them loose, I’ll pick a packet from 99speedmart. Their prices are the lowest.
2. MILK POWDERS
Ibrahim, my 2nd born is on soy milk, Isomil. An 800g tin would cost around RM80 in Aeon. Different 99Speedmart has different pricing. But so far the cheapest is at chinese supermarkets. My place is near a few of these chinese supermarkets. Their selling price for a tin is RM69. The catch? No debit/credit. Only Cash.
3. ONESIES & CLOTHING
Onesies are a babies staple clothing. My babies at home are in onesies 99% of the time. They’re just so convenient and versatile. I get nice Gap and Next rejects at Plaza Massalam for RM10 each.
4. SECOND HAND ITEMS
I promise this isn’t as icky as it sounds. We Malaysians love shiny new things. Why not go green and get second hand items. You have to be smart about buying 2nd hand. For me personally, I try to choose items that are NEW or LIGHTLY USED. Yes, they exist on the second hand market… and usually at a fraction of a brand new price. NEW/LIGHTLY USED items I’ve purchased before: sneakers, baby rocker, pregnancy waist extender & car seat.
Not everything secondhand is good. You’ll have to be picky but I assure you that it’s worth it and very satisfying when you score a great bargain. Some sellers only use things once or twice before deciding they don’t want something. Proceed with caution though, because bargain hunting this way is very addictive.
For important items, I always do COD, which means that you go pick up the items personally so you can see the condition with your own eyes.
My secondhand bargain port: Carousell App for nice novelty items, Preloved Facebook group, Preloved baby goods Malaysia Facebook group, Mudah.my, Expat KL group for furnitures
5. GENERAL EVERYDAY
Always try to shop at one place and get a membership. One that allows you to collect points and redeem vouchers sort of thing. I choose Tesco because I can either shop physically or online and it allows me to collect points both ways.
6. FURNITURE/ELECTRONICS
Always compare prices on LAZADA. They have the best prices hands down. I’ve done comparisons with Seng Heng / Aeon / Courts / Harvey Norman etc but LAZADA takes the cake for cheapest price. This goes for bigger brands like Panasonic, Tefal, KDK. We’ve purchased beds for our homestays on LAZADA. Cheap & arrives within 2 weeks.
Do you have any favorite hacks to share?
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