Simple ways to save money… focus on need and wants

Simple ways to save money… focus on need and wants

I am a supporter of OPPO and has been using OPPO since 2014 when it was still relatively unknown.

My first time with an OPPO phone was unintentional

It was the year 2014 and I had no intention to buy a new phone but then I saw Oppo Find 5 Mini model in a retail shop selling Sony phones too. Perhaps the sales person was good when he demonstrated all the amazing features of Oppo including the three finger screen capture which was super easy and totally out of this world then. It was way faster to do than ANY major brand yeah. Even at that time, OPPO already used Sony camera modules and not like some brands which was super cheap but used some unknown camera modules… Below is my phone model in 2014.

There was an OPPO Find 5 but it was more expensive by a few hundred ringgit and I decided this Mini which was a lower end version is good enough for me. I prefer a good phone and does not feel the need to spend too much for a phone.

My most recent OPPO phone… Haha.

Recent conversation with my brother in our family home in Ipoh.

Me: I am waiting for Oppo Reno 11 to be launched. It has just been launched in China.

Brother: Wah, buying a new phone finally?

Me: No lah, if they launch a new model, the current model which I like sure have to give discounts.

Brother: Wife….! this brother of mine said he wants to wait for new model so that he can buy the old model for less money!

Both of them laughed. I laughed too. It’s perfectly fine. I think it’s not necessary to chase for the latest model. Just need to focus on what I need. If it’s unnecessary, then it’s unnecessary.

However, sometimes it’s because I NEED to focus on my WANT

My Persona IAFM 1.6 manual should touch 200,000km by the end of 2024. It’s now in its 14th year. I fully paid for it in 9 years ago. My wife needs to send the kids here and there and I prefer her to drive a bigger and taller car, so her Exora 1.6 Turbo has already hit 225,000km. It’s fully paid for 3 years ago. Thus far, both cars are working just fine. The only thing I need to bear would be the fact that people will think that I could not afford a more expensive car. Haha. This is a small matter.

I save at least RM1,400 per month for the two cars since I no longer pay for any car instalment. One year, I can save easily RM16,800… I can do a lot of things which I WANT to do when I save money and focus on my NEEDs instead.

This is why my friends asked why I can go for vacations after vacations with my family, even if it’s just within Malaysia. I checked in my Agoda app and I have booked 13 times this year. Yes, I am a VIP Platinum member of Agoda. I think I get a little extra discount versus others.

Living within our means can be easy, we just need to stay focused

If the car starts to have issues, I will be the first to change the car. However, I would think it’s not necessary to change a car just because the neighbours are changing their car, just because my peers are changing their car and just because people reporting me are already driving better cars. It’s still just a car, right? Haha.

Okay, I be honest. I told my wife that after we have moved in to our new home (after spending 6 figures on renovation), maybe next year we can buy a new car to replace her Exora. She’s very happy. We were able to spend on renovation because we sold our condo in Sandakan with a gain of roughly RM80,000. Not that bad for 6 years of ownership. So, no Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT). We should be moving to our new place in September 2024.

We can save a bit here and there and after some time, we will realise it’s actually a lot of money too. Then , we can use the money to buy something we want. Cheers.

Thank you for reading! Please do share if you believe others could benefit too. Thank you.

 Sign up for daily investment news updates (FREE since Nov 2013 and FOREVER). 

Alternatively, Follow me on Telegram here.

Please LIKE kopiandproperty.com FB page to get daily updates about the property market beyond kopiandproperty.com articles.

Else, follow me on Twitter here.