iReview

*This post is written for beatthatquote.com*

Sometimes I wonder what more could I do to stretch the budget every month. One thing I notice that those loans will never change their amount and they seem to last forever.

And it is some kind of a blessing that I haven’t got myself tangled with any kind of mortgages yet. Though I know sooner or later I still need to apply for one if I want to buy this house that I am living in. I can’t be renting it and never wish to own it, right? And with the hiking up of the real estate price in my area, (there is another one hypermarket opening soon nearby) the sooner I sign the deal to buy the house, the better.

But on the practical side of saving, I think we can save a lot by cutting down the number of dining out and shopping on things that you don’t actually need but you think you want. Controlling the urge to spend is not an easy thing to do, easier said than done, I can vouch for it. The moment the money is in the account, I keep on thinking on what to buy with that money.

On the other hand, I realize that if I buy groceries and cook meals at home instead of eating out, I can really save a lot. But then if I am busy with other time consuming tasks, I have no choice but to eat take out. This really costs a lot and most of the time do not even fill me up, after a spoon or two I feel that the food is not tasty enough and lost my appetite to finish up the meal..huhu! Damn my fussy taste buds.

In my opinion, when it comes to saving money in this modern world, if you have someone that rely on you, make sure you have insurance. It is the only safety net that you can set aside for those that you love. You might think that nothing could happen to you, but if something were to happen, your death, an accident that leave your body paralyze for example (God forbid) what will happen to your family especially if you are the sole bread winner.

In the mean time try saving as much cash as you can, because there is nothing more powerful than having a stack of cash during rainy day!

My friend who has been planning to go to Australia for vacation this December finally managed to persuade her husband to go with her..haha! They went to Immigration office yesterday and got their passports ready within half a day. Good for her! So now is the time for her to look around for accommodation.

Since she has been scouting for cheaper deal on hotels in Melbourne, I have been doing some research on my own. I found one hotel - Claremont Hotel South Yarra Melbourne with the last minute price starting from AUD50. Located about 10 minutes from Melbourne CBD, this 3 star hotel is a tastefully restored 1886 Victorian Guest House. I think it would be great for those budget conscious travelers who want to spend more on shopping and spending less time in the room and rather go on Melbourne sight seeing trips. However for me, instead of shopping I will definitely go to The Royal Botanic Gardens and spend hours taking pictures of the plants and species. After all it is recognized as one of the world’s finest botanic gardens with over 10,000 species and 50,000 individual plants in the 38 hectare gardens.

Next if you are in Sydney and looking for last minute deals for hotels in Sydney, check out this Glenferrie Lodge. It provides 3 star accommodation in North Sydney at last minute prices from AUD59. Its perfect position on spectacular Sydney Harbor will let you soak in the view of the harbor while enjoying your comfy stay in the once historic federation property. It is also a short distance to the Sydney Opera House by taxi-boat.

And if somehow you happen to be in Brisbane, check out these deals for hotels in Brisbane. This Sapphire Resort Brisbane provides accommodation at last minute prices from AUD78. Since it is only 1200 meters from the CBD, you can avoid the traffic and just walk to your business destination and later come back to enjoy a swim in their saltwater pool. Or if you want some other option, check out Astor Best Western Hotel with the last minute prices from AUD79.

Now it’s my time to renew my passport..hehe!

*A Review Done For Wholesale Furniture Brokers*

If you ever go for a conventional bedroom furniture shopping trip you will realize how annoying sometimes the experience can be. I hate when I need to look for furniture and the salesman keeps on following me around and asking what kind of furniture I would like to buy. Come on, man! I’m not even sure your shop has what I want, give me a space to breathe..hehe!

Well, if you have some kind of claustrophobic feeling of being enclosed in by the salesman for not buying the TV armoire you have been checking in and out, it’s time you get a new place to shop for furniture virtually.

At Wholesale Furniture Brokers website, you are free to check each entry as long as you have the time in hand. Whether you want to see what they have in contemporary bedroom style or traditional, the choice is yours.

You can even add some additional bedroom furniture like 5 Drawer Chest, TV Armoire, and Chiffonier to the selection and see whether it fits your budget. Or you can even remove the items included in the furniture set.

Maybe this time you only want to buy the bed and the night stand so you can check how much you can save from the set price. For example the set shown above, without the dresser and mirror will cost you $1,249.00 from the whole set price of $1,849.00.

What about delivery? The set will be delivered to your door for only $150.00 but other extra items with this set will be shipped free.

So why wait further? Use their online shopping cart to buy the bedroom set you have been eyeing and if you still need to hear human voice while doing your shopping, call their Toll-Free at (866) 595-8930 to place your order.

I think I need to do some major mailboxes revamp at home.

At the moment all the houses in my area are having standard column mounted mailboxes with a slot so small that the postman has to fold my magazine in two in order for him to put inside the mailbox slot.

There is nothing more annoying than to find all my craft and scrapbooking items which I ordered from overseas and were sent as letter to be damaged just because it could not fit through the mailbox slot.

I really feel what the housing developers should think when they are going to construct new houses next time is to change the standard size of the residential mailboxes.

Maybe I have to get one of these commercial mailboxes.

For example this Dvault DVU0050BL Black Column or Post Mount Delivery Vault will let the postal guy do his job faster and I could get my parcel in good condition.

With its small bundle and package drop door, the delivery agents could simply open, drop and go. I’m waiting for another package of scrapbooking embellishment next week and I hope this time I could catch the mailman before he manage to do any excessive damage on that fragile stuffs..huhu!

I’m sure for all car owners out there, you must have taken your car for service at least once out of your auto life time (unless you have someone else to take the burden out of your driving hand..hehe).

I am a driver myself and find it such a chore to get my car for service and everything. What I know every time my mileage is up for the next service, it’s going to create a big hole in my monthly budget.

The auto parts will cost a certain amount and the labor cost is not that cheap either. Sometimes I think those mechanics make more than I do per month looking from the number of cars going in and out from the repair shop. Wouldn’t it be great if I know how to service my own car and simply buy the auto parts online?

Check out this website, DriveWire.com that sells discount auto parts and accessories. With more than 2 million items on their shelves, the OEM and Genuine parts are sold at a 40-50% discount. Plus if you are in the US, the ground shipping is free.

Since most of their products come from manufacturers from around the world, the pricing online are updated on weekly basis. This pricing is done to meet the change in the value of the US dollar. So I think it’s quite fun to constantly check the revised pricing in case I need to buy parts like Eibach Springs which for me is not urgent but would be cool for my car. Who knows with the the valuation of the dollar I could save some money to pay for more replacement parts and accessories..haha!

I wonder when will I get the chance to buy BMW part..wink!

*This post is written for Gammonish.com

I was reading the monthly dose of my women magazine the other day when I came across a suggestion on how to keep your mind interested and moving, more or less a tips on how not to get bored with your sometimes can be mundane life..heh!

One of the tips suggested in the article is to find a new hobby or learn new thing in life, something challenging that you might think you could never learn how to do it. So I thought I will learn how to play backgammon. Those who know me will understand how bad I am when it comes to games and such.

First I checked out the backgammon rules at this site, Gammonish.com. Fine, this looks not that hard. I can do that (I think..hehe!) So I will try one step at a time and see how well I can play backgammon.

But wait, I find something more interesting there. It seems that BackgammonMasters.com All-in-One Game Software has added another game into their game lobby. Apart from the existing backgammon, perudo and poker, now they are offering blackjack as one of the popular community games as well.

In conjunction of the recent launch, BackgammonMasters is holding a special free tournaments. Check out their multiplayer table where you can even chat real-time with other players while holding your cards..haha! Plus with cool graphics and avatar, this is your chance to show how great your blackjack skills will be.

Oh, now I have a reason to learn another game..huhu! It’s OK, for now I think I will try the unique View-Mode option in the software to watch others before I decide to join in, wink!

To own a house is like my ultimate goal for the next 5 years. It symbolizes my independence to get a place to call my own, a home to go back after a long day at work, a safe place that embodies all the dream and hope.

But in reality owning a house costs a lot of money which I’m sure I will be unable to get with just some cash I have in hand. (Unless I suddenly get a windfall of money inherited from some dead relative or win a one million dollar cash contest..haha!) Therefore in order to get a house to call my home, I need to consider taking mortgage loan for the next 15-30 years.

After browsing the Internet searching about info on mortgage, I found a site, Mortgage-Mart.com. I read through their pages and I learned new things like the Fixed Rate and Adjustable Rate Mortgage. For those in the US maybe terms like Private Mortgage Insurance-PMI, Discount Points and FHA Loan will be applicable when you are looking for home loan quote.

Mortgage-Mart.com will help you find the very best mortgage that suits your needs and finances. They are a lending referral service which means that they don’t offer you mortgage services but will refer you to mortgage company that will work best for you. The next step for you to do is to apply the mortgage straight with the company referred by Mortgage-Mart.com and hopefully your journey to own your dream house will come through soon enough.

If you ever want to be a little bit adventurous in your next vacation, try a trip to Western Australia. For those who are not sure about the geographical aspect of the land Down Under, Western Australia is Australia’s largest state. And Perth is one of the country’s most beautiful cities and the capital of Western Australia.

There is so much that you can do in that side of the country, whether to swim with the dolphins, soak your heart and soul with their beach getaway or simply to shop till you drop to feed your retail therapy hunger in the city’s department and fashion chain stores.

I would definitely go on the dolphin trip in Rockingham because it’s not everywhere you will get the chance to see those intelligent, bottlenose creatures. But before you go ahead with your outdoor plan, if you are first timer in Perth, let’s check out cheap hotels there at RatesToGo.com.

Those looking for Perth hotels will be overjoyed with the choices they offer. Plus the price advertised on the website is way cheaper than the retail price advertised by the hotels. Those extra savings could be spent on your travel itinerary or on cute souvenirs to give to those waiting back home.

Personally I love the fact that most people who have stayed in the hotels are willing to share their reviews on the hotels. Eventhough I might not be staying the whole day in the hotel room, but I do want to have a comfortable sleep and good breakfast before I start on my adventurous journey in Perth.

*This post is written for scubish.com*

If you are planning on a perfect scuba diving vacation, check out scubish.com Scuba Diving locations. They have almost 10,000 scuba diving shops information in their database, with extensive travel guide all around the world.

Or if you want to hear from other divers that share their enthusiasm on scuba diving for certain location, read what they say in the forum. You will get the first hand information about the place you are going to dive into and tips on the traveling part.

It is so easy to use the Scubish.com’s interactive map and check out what special about the diving location. I have checked scuba diving location in Malaysia like Perhentian and Sipadan and I think I will have to try this idea of vacation soon, but then I wonder whether I could survive the heavy equipment in the water..hehe! And I’m checking out the possibility of finding a cool divebuddy as well..wink!

Oh, if you love trivia and quiz, don’t miss to try out their ultimate underwater quiz.

Do you ever wonder why people play poker? I have read in the Internet that poker is not really a game of gambling, it is more an intellectual challenge - the ability to read other players’ hands and the social aspect of it.

Perhaps you have watched on TV series and movies how people stay up and talk during their poker game, it’s like a bonding ritual between men during their boys night out.

But personally I think what stir an interest in poker game is really the amount of money you could win, that is if you win..hehe! So if you feel like you are up to the challenge, this is the chance for you to try online poker.

Since there are so many online poker rooms to choose from, having a good guide about which room is good, what kind of graphic, software and system reliability each of the rooms has to offer is really helping in deciding what’s best for you.

Some people like to have avatar while some go for features like player statistics, player notes and so forth. Some like to have more games variety like Texas Hold’em and the more unusual poker games such as Pineapple. Whereas if you are dreaming to make money, look out for rooms that offer loose games and wild play.