2014's Investment for the Future..

Over je title kan?

It's 2015. The beginning of the year. And I think I have achieved nearly all the major items that I've been wanting to have.

So finally we have a kitchen cabinet (KC) and a helper at home. The main expenses in 2014 were definitely from the installation of the KC and applying for a helper.

Workmanship and KC installation = RM 12000
Rubine hood and hob = RM1300
Rubine kitchen sink = RM540

So in total we spent RM13840 , that's almost 14k. And the next biggest chunk would be the hiring of our helper which cost us RM10,000. 

Towards end of December I thought that baby L should not just be at home for the whole day so we decided to enrol her in a montessori nearby for a half a day programme. So that took another chunk of moolah. RM1550 not inclusive of January's fees of another RM350.

Finally gotten a KC after almost 4 years of living at the not-so-new house. It's a big investment, hopefully it'll last long :).

So what did i give up in order to buy all this? No designer shoes, not even that many shoes to be exact.. especially not for my baby. Heck I don't even buy clarks for myself..there is no way I would spend a bomb on something as silly as that (unless I earn at least RM15k a month, then maybela). Plus kids overgrow shoes quite fast so rugi belikan mahal..hehe..

Also, have not bought an expensive handbag or make ups for a while now. And that was not a problem for me. Dior, Mac, Simply Siti ke and the rest can wait. 

Latest gadgets?hmm..Let me see.. Well the only thing i bought was the Samsung S5 and yes my old iphone was working fine at the time but I needed a much bigger phone.. susah nak baca kecik2.

The most important thing is, we did not choke ourselves with a big long term liability such as buying a new car this year ( yup, the myvi is turning 8 but it is doing all right). If at all, that would probably be my 2015 goal. Not really a necessity but definitely will be more comfy for the family. Itupun kena kira betul-betul.. whether I would want to separate with an increased amount of car loan installment every month. Hati mau tapi purse kata JANGAN! NEHI NEHI!

So yeah, I think I was quite disciplined last year (eventhough I bought many hijabs :) ). Don't really have to worry about my other half.. he rarely spends on himself too.

Always plan for the future, some are lucky to have people to turn to when they are in need. But those who are independent and want to stay independent, plan wisely (kalau tergelincir sikit-sikit tu ok je).

Tambah lagi satu goal for 2015 - nak save enough for 2016. kenapa? it's a secret! 

Stroller World

After months of procrastination (and also because I was waiting for the $), we finally made our way to Stroller World in Puchong. They used to be in IOI Mall Puchong but moved to this new place just recently.

We test drove 2 types of Maclaren strollers (I've set my eyes on them for months and didn't even look at other brands). First the Triumph and then the other one was Quest. Triumph was retailing at RM699 (original price RM899) while Quest was at RM799 (original price RM1299). Both were light and easy to maneuver but Quest was the winner for sure because it had a smoother ride.

We also bought the Maclaren organiser at RM89 (cannot remember if this was before or after discount) since there is no space to place water bottles or the baby's stuff. All in all am quite happy with the purchase and we're sooooo glad we change to this light and space saving stroller. No need to change to an MPV now...mwhahaha.. 

The deets on Stroller World is as below. Use GPS if you're not familiar with Puchong..we used Waze and it led us spot on to the store.

What am I going to do with the Graco stroller? I don't know yet but I don't think we'll be using it for much longer.

Maclaren Quest in Coffee/deepwater colour. Another reason we chose this is because of the extra leg room for the baby as compared to the Triumph below.

Pic from Google, Maclaren Tiumph. Our organiser is the same as in the picture above.

The row of strollers at Stroller World. 

Carseats and other accessories are also sold here

Stroller World Details:

Phone	:	+603 8070 7716 / +603 8070 3716
Biz Hour	:	11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Biz Day	:	Monday - Sunday (Includes Public Holidays)
Address1	:	31-G, Jalan Kenari 12, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong, Selangor

Majlis berendoi Lana Adelea - part deux

The berendoi set at RM400. I bought the stool from Ikea coz I know I would not be able to sit on the floor and get up gracefully after the event's done.

Baby L giving the swing a test drive :)

During the ceremony. Should have sat in front but was blocked so nasib got some space behind the swing.

Some of my relatives giving honey to Baby L. I didn't do the cukur jambul because i didn't want to shave off all her hair again.

Budak dah penat

On top - the cupcakes from Kindees Desserts at RM2.50 per piece.  I ordered 200 pcs but I think I should have just ordered 150pcs.
The fancy bottles containing sweets were made by SIL. Pretty lil thang. She's always good in this crafty stuff.
And finally some of the gifts from relatives and friends. Angpows? Keeping them safe with me. Still need to open a Yippie account for her.

Memang grateful sangat sebab ramai friends and sedara datang memeriahkan majlis. Thank you makcik pakcik ali, angah izham and kak ngah siti, pak wan, mak itam semua datang dari kampung. Alia and baby yang dalam pantang pun datang :). Cik Tin and family, Uteh, Babai, Mamat, Kak Ana and family, friends and of course my sisters. We love love you all :)

Majlis Berendoi Lana Adelea

Alhamdulillah..on Saturday 14 December recently, we managed to hold the berendoi ceremony for Baby L.
The theme was pink and lilac. Nearly of our invited guests came to the event and I have to say we were very happy and felt that it was very meriah.

I initially had some doorgift crisis when the baker that should have supplied my cupcakes contacted me on Friday afternoon ( a day before the event) to say that she had some problems with the cuppies. To cut the story short, I had to forego doing business with her and called Shikin from Kindee Desserts for help. With less that 24 hours to do 200 cupcakes for me, she said she could only do the basic vanilla/choc cuppies with buttercream frosting. I was okay with that asalkan it looks good and was good to eat as well.

That night the berendoi deco people also came quite late..11.30pm at night! i was already fuming mad tapi tahan jelah ngantuk. I think the end result was good. All went well. The doorgift (additional ones made by my SIL) also came in handy..the kids liked them. Will share the pics sooooooon... meanwhile, this was how much I spent on the event. Can use this as a guide or basis if you are planning to do one soon. It's for 120 pax.

Katerer - Manisa Catering

Berendoi set - Azrin Dais (cannot remember the official name though)

Cuppies - Kindees Dessert

Kenduri total cost = RM5582.2
     
                Qty   RM RM

Caterer 120 15 1800
bubur
Teh tarik
Khemah 370
Doorgift:
cupcakes 200 2.5 500

Kuih talam    2 30 60
Karipap 200 0.5 100
Baju baby
Berendoi 400
sticker tkasih 2.2
                          3232.2

Miscellaneous expenses
RM
Sofa                     1970
Electrician - lampu 120
Cleaner 2 days        130
Helper 14/12 - 8hrs 130
                          2350

Grand total           5582.2

*tak masuk harga kambing lagi RM1200

PS: this also does not include the cost of the Marhaban team. FIL sponsored. Maybe can estimate RM400-500 for the cost.

The bling ring

When i was pregnant, I did not have any cravings..not so muchla. But the one thing that I wanted was to buy a gold ring..yellow gold to be exact. That to me, was a funny thing because I've never fancied wearing gold...tak minat. 

Finally, before I came back to work, we went balik kampung and it was a spur of the moment decision that I wanted to buy a ring at the kampung's goldsmith. And so we went with one of my aunties to one of the shops... it was a quick and easy purchase because I knew what I wanted. Just a simple ring with one stone. The owner knows my mum and my aunties from when they were young... small business kat kampung kan so i guess it's easier to remember the repeat customers.

Anyway, haggled a bit with the salesperson and managed to get it for RM150 lesser than the selling price. Btw, Kuala Pilah is known for its cheaper than the market price gold.. so if you're into gold, bolehla singgah my kampung and shop till you drop! 

I'm a happy mommy!

The bling ring.

Heartbreak...

So heartbreaking to be sending baby L to the nursery every morning and leave her there. I wonder how those with more than 1 child cope with this. Maybe it's separation anxiety for the moment... maybe it won't be so bad later on. Sometimes she would make the cutest face as I lay her down in the playpen at the nursery... sometimes she will still be asleep and she'd be awakened when I lift her to put her in the carseat and all.
I think this is what most mommies would say. 'If I had all the money in the world, I'd quit my job and be with you little girl'. ok maybe OTT la if all the money in the world.. maybe if we have sufficient income to maintain the monthly commitments and still live comfortably, then mommy would gladly be all yours as well as an LOL (lady of leisure :) )

the steamer and blender combined into one

by the by, starting to research on what to feed baby L when she reaches 6 months old. First and foremost, I need to buy this thing that will be a lot of help later.. the avent food steamer and blender to make fruits and veggies puree. Have not researched on the price.. hope it's not too expensive. 

Apple(s) of my eye

When she is in her diva mode..she likes a wee bit more of tender, love & care :)

Recalculating my finances

Such a boring and dull subject but I guess I just have to jot this down so that I won't forget. Now that we have baby Lana, we've to adjust our finances to include

Car - 540
Electricity & water bills - 180
Insurance - 250
Tngo - 250
Petrol - 300
MBB - 300
Work - 300
Phone bills - 120
Shopping - 500
Lana's savings - xxx
Mine - xxx
Nursery - 500 including overtime fee 
house installment - 1000
buffer into CIMB - 400
Miscellaneous i.e car service, cleaning lady, ironing at the laundry bla bla bla - 400

Susu, diapers semua suruh the daddy budget for it..hehehe.. oklah tu, my shopping amount includes any baju that i might need to buy for her which I don't think i need to buy any in the near future. :) Nak yahoo yahoo tunggu bonus jelah ye.. itupun kalau bonus yahoo jugak. :p

Oh and I have to start saving for her kenduri that we plan to do in December. And I also need to save some $ to buy another stroller. Have seen the maclaren techno XLT, it's a bit big for me. I think I'll go for either maclaren triumph or maclaren quest. But since I'm budgeting for a stroller that is not more than RM700 then I think the triumph would be the best choice. have to go and see what it looks like and have a test run.

Why Buy Me:

• Ultra lightweight (5.2kg) and agile with lockable front swivel wheels and soft foam handles
• Suitable from 6 months with a strap operated multi-position padded seat
• Super quick 5 second one-hand fold with handy carry strap

Features & Benefits:

• Weighing just 5.2kg the Triumph is suitable from 6 months and features a comfy, padded seat with a convenient multi-position strap recline. Other features include:
• Lockable front swivel wheels and linked brakes
• 5 point safety buckle and height adjustable shoulder harness
• Soft foam handles and a handy carry strap for ease of use
• Super quick 5 second one-hand fold.
• Co-ordinates with accessories available separately including reversible seat liners, footmuff, parasol, universal organiser, carry bag and buggy blanket

Includes: 

• Includes hood, raincover and shopping basket
• Guaranteed for life with the Maclaren Sovereign Lifetime Warranty

Age Suitability:

• From 6 months

there's one in red.. looks nice eh? But maybe I'll go for the blue one below if they have it in stock.