So yesterday was my day off. I only get a day off this week. I've already made a post of the additonal work I must do, and hence my one day weekend.

However, I had a great time with my girl. All for less than $20 (or 2000 Yen). $20? You may still think that is a lot. Well, it is, and I didn't spend all that money on my trip.

Let me explain.

In the morning, I made us tuna cheese sandwiches, potatoe salad, boiled wieners, and coffee in a thermo bottle.

WE then hopped on our bicycles and rode for 45mins to Kichijoji (a nice area on the West side of Tokyo). Kichijoji has a nice park called the Inokashira park and it also has a nice zoo and a small aquarium.

I got my exercise my riding my bike to and from the place (two hours in total), and I also saved train expenses of at least $5 (or 500 yen).

The admission fee to the zoo was $4 (400 yen) for both the Zoo section and the Aquarium section. It was small but still pretty good. We ended up spending 2 hours there and we had our picnic lunch there as well.

After that, we had to park our bicycles somewhere in order to walk around Kichijoji station/general area. So, we had to pay a parking fee for our bicycles unless we buy something at that department shore that was over $5 (500 yen).

My girl's gloves had tears and holes on both hands, and she didn't know how that happened since she only got them earlier last year (less than 1 year of use).

So we replaced that and bought a nice pair of gloves at the department store. The gloves were on sale anyway since it is almost spring and they had the winter clearance sale.

However, that expense wasn't included in my budget.

My girl wanted to buy some fancy pre-made salad at the shop as we strolled by. But, I thought the salads were overpriced and too oily (since they use a lot of salad dressings for flavor).

So I told her that we should hit the market and that I would spend at least $10 and make the best salad for her.

Well, my salad? It was awesome and a whole lot cheaper than the pre-made ones. I had leftovers of course and for a large bowl of sald, mine worked out to be $2 per person.

My daily expense?

Admission to the zoo $4 (400)
Train fees? $zero (Rode our bikes)
Lunch? $Zero (our own picnic)
Dinner? $14 (Groceries not just for one dinner, but for lots to come in the week).

Total: Less than $20 and a fun day full of exercise, beautiful weather, and a great time taking photos with my girl.

Okay, who in the right mind would try and stretch a pack of inexpensive, or should I say, dirt cheap Ramen?

Well, I would. For reasons that may or may not suprise some of you.

For starters, we all know that Ramen is bad for our health, and we should never ever eat Ramen if we could help it.

Sadly, that is like telling people to quit drinking, quit smoking, quit eating chocolate bars, and quit a shitload of other things that are unhealthy.

Sometimes when we are busy and hungry, we need that quick-fix dinner, something that can be prepared on the spot for less than 5mins.

Well, if this idea appeals to you, then here are my personal suggestions that can help bring out a better meal (at least better than instant Ramen alone).

Step 1 - Smash the pack of RAmen before you open it up. Yes, that is right, I said smash it!! Pound it, and hit it like you mean it!! Break the dried noodles into smaller bits and pieces.

Step 2 - Find rice or have a small pack of rice handy. Rice is easy to make and you can freeze and storge rice by wrapping rice in individual packages via Saran Wrap.


Step 3 - Open the Ramen pack and divide the package in half. Use half now and save the other half or later. It won't go bad as long as you store it in a plastic bag and in a dry place.

Step 4 - Cook as usual, and add in the rice to make a porridge like meal. Add in some veggies if you have some lying around.

Step 5 - Use HALF and only half of the soup base package. This will cut down on the amount of SALT and other crap you put into your body.

There you have it!!

Healthier, and just as delicious, if not better snack/quick meal.

The flavor should be just as strong if you have a porridge like paste instead of a watery meal. So the key is to add in less water.

I am no expert, but my common sense does tell me that this is better than the original alternative!

Enjoy!

Wow...today was a ton of fun!

First of all, it is the 2nd day of the New Year here in Tokyo, and one of the most popular activities on this day is to shop till you drop.

In Japan, retail stores create what is known as a Lucky Bag (Fuku = lucky and bukuro = bag, paper bag, plastic bag, retail bag). The bag has a pre-marked selling price of 5000 yen ($50 USD), 10,000 yen ($100 USD), or as high as you can imagine.

Inside, there are usually many items valued at over 3-10 times the selling price. I will give you guys two examples of some of the bags I have gotten today.

The key here is the surprise, since buyers don't really know what is inside until they've made the purchase. It is kind of like gambling, except, you could at least minimize your risk by sticking to stores you know that have items that you want.

Anyway, on with my bags!!

Bag 1 - Mr. Donuts (1000 yen or $10 USD)

Yes, that is right. They sell lucky bags for donuts!!! I paid $10 and I got

-5x donuts (each priced between $1 to $1.35 normally)

-1x 2007 Calendar of Cute Donut Cartoon characters
-1x Mug
-1x 2007 Agenda with a pen
-1x small blanket for your legs
-1x small pouch/bag

-5x more donuts in coupon form so I can exchange them anytime within the next 3 months.



So I saved!! I normally buy donuts anyway so....I ended up getting more for the value.

-----------

Bag #2 - Clothes (5,250 yen or $52.50 USD)

Here, I got

-1x Handbag
-2x Jean Skirts
-2x Coats (Brown and Black)
-2x Sweater Jackets (thin material for Spring)
-1x black sleeveless top

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Again, pretty good for the value if you ask me. My girl also bought a bag of clothes for about $70 USD for pieces of clothes including 2 jackets, 2 pants, a hand bag, a belt, and some tops with a scarf.

WE got home, tried them on, and decided to keep some clothes. The ones that didn't fit well, we separated them into two groups..

a) for my girlfriend's younger sister as gifts when we see her in 3 weeks.

b) for re-sell value as second-hand clothes at a second-hand shop down the street. We will go there on Friday and see if we can collect some cash back.

Overall, an awesome day.

This morning as I am typing this entry here, I asked myself the question "am i too cheap?"

The answer, is likely to be yes, but I am not too sure.

Yesterday I spent 7 times more than my daily budget, that is, around 70 dollars USD or 7000 Japanese Yen.

I guess because I keep track of my expenses, I know exactly how much and where I've spent my money. And yesterday's budget was:

1. Train pass (good for about $12 worth of train value for me) for $11

2. Dinner party for my birthday at the scary/horror themed restaurant - $35

3. Karaoke with friends where we sang Christmas Songs - $10

4. Donuts and Coffee to cure my afternoon sugar cravings - $3

5. Buying bread and vitimin to eat at home - $8

6. A small baseball present to a friend for christmas - $5

Well, I had a great time yesterday, but why do I feel like I've splurged? hahh, and why do I feel semi-guilty about using that money?

I mean, honestly, I've already budget for those expenses, and yet, a part of me still wants to saveeeeeeeee...

And I did! I used coupons for the restaurant and for karaoke.

Ah well, maybe I am just addicted to saving money..

Thank you everyone for your kind replies to my previous posts, and also thank you for your happy b-day wishes!! It really brightened my day.

This week, I will have a birthday party in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Now, this place is totally awesome. It is a themed restaurant where I will get lockup in a jail with some friends, and there are people dressed in monster costumes to scare us.

The dinner is a 7 course meal for 5 people plus 2 hours of all-you-can-drink alcohol. The price is a bit expensive, but it is worth it. It is around $40 per person.

However, me being frugal, I rarely dine out. And I have even managed to find a $5 off coupon for everyone. So instead of paying $40 per person, we will pay $35 each. I am saving my friends some cash too!!

For those of you interested in visiting Tokyo, or if you just want to check the website with scary pictures, here's the link to the restaurant!!

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g528910/

But it is in Japanese though. Nonetheless, some pictures and you can see the menu as well.

I wonder if there are many themed restaurant like this in the US. Perhaps, this can be another money making business idea!

Cheers!

Hey all,

A friend of mine asked about some dating ideas, and he basically wanted a cheap but romantic date with his girl.

I thought of a few ideas, but I was hoping to find additional ones to the list.

1. Park and picnic date

2. museum date with discount tickets/coupons.

3. eat out for lunch instead of dinner.

4. movie date at a second-run theater

5. rent some dvd's and cook and eat at home.

6. go ice skating

7. go shopping or window shopping together

8. go to a second-hand bookstore

9. go to a cafe and spend hours talking to each other over coffee.

10. go learn something new together like going to a latin dance bar/club with free dance lessons.

Any more ideas?

63 Gift Ideas for Under $10 - For Any Occasion of the Year!

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/articles/money/63giftsunder10dollars.htm


Thank you everyone for your replies and ideas!

I found this on the web. Maybe this will help some ppl with xmas gift ideas!

Yes...so, yes..I need help.

I've been trying to do a xmas wish list for myself and for my girlfriend....but I have been frugal for so long, I realized that I don't have any wants.

I mean, I dont know what to buy for myself!! I have been staring at my blank wish list for the past 15mins trying to come up with something.

I think....this is not very healthy. I want to splurge, but on what?

Does anyone else here feel the same way? I mean, have you been such a saver to a point that you find little material rewards for yourself that you truly want verus truly need.

I always tend to just buy what I need. Something very practical.