We Wish You A Frugal Christmas (In Taipei)

I really want to do a few Christmas-y things for the children this year, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, or run around Taipei looking for the things I "need".  So, I have been collecting ideas and making things in preparation.  Here is a run-down on my humble beginnings.  If you have any ideas for a fun, frugal Christmas in Taiwan, add them here!

1. Christmas music:  Do a search online for Christmas children's song radio stations, and you can get quite a selection of music to play from your computer.

2. Advent Calendar:  I made my own, using leftover materials around home.  I made little envelopes out of card (stuck together with homemade glue left over from an English class), and inside each one I put an activity we can do at home on that day.  They are now hanging up on spare ribbon with paper clips and pegs.  Activities include the kids writing a letter to our sponsored child, watching a Christmas DVD together, and making Christmas cookies to give out to friends.

3.  Christmas Crackers:  I did find some ideas online but they call for things like Christmas cracker pieces and decorative paper.  I'm going to do a Lucky Dip instead.  Still thinking about what to put in the Lucky Dip packages, but I will most likely go and pick up some small useful things from the discount store.

4.  Christmas Tree Decorations: We collected pinecones on a visit to Jung-Li a couple of months ago, and we will paint them and hang them on the tree.

5.  Christmas Dinner:  I'll stick to the roast chicken we do in NZ.  I understand many North Americans love to have turkey for big holiday dinners, but why not try to cook up a chicken instead?

A Great Little Cookbook

Rummaging through mum's drawers, I discovered a wonderful little cookbook printed in 2006 by NZ's Ministry of Social Development.  The book is filled with recipes designed for those on a strict budget or just trying to cut down grocery costs, as well as little hints, tips, and reminders.  I've made a few things for the family, and they have all been welcomed, with grandparents and kids all wanting to eat the dinners "again another day".  Best of all, the recipe book is available, free, online as a PDF file.  So, open up the book and try a recipe or two.

Rediscovering the Outdoors

Last weekend, we did something radical, something adventurous, something cheap.  We got together with a couple of other families and went CAMPING.  In tents.  Who would have thought you could do this so easily and cheaply in Taiwan? 

(I'd like to thank http://www.forumosa.com/ and it's Swap Shop section for providing me with a whole set of camping gear in return for some essential oils I had bought on a whim and left sitting in the closet.  Swapping things with online friends is just awesome; I never would have bought myself a hammock but it was a surprise in the swap items.) 

Here are a few things I discovered over the weekend:

1. Camping is easy.  There are numerous camping grounds around Taiwan, several not far from Taipei.  You can stay in cabins, and places also provide gear for hire if you need it.  Our tent site was only $400 which included use of the bathrooms, hot showers, electrical outlets, and grounds which boasted a very nice tennis court.
2. Kids love camping.  I'd forgotten this part. It is really easy to entertain kids when you take them to an open space, provide friends and a few bits of sports of equipment and food.  My favorite quote was my son's, right before bed, "I love camping.  I feel so free, with nobody telling me what to do and when."
3. Parents love camping.  Sit back, supervise the kids, and hang out with your friends.  Much better than dragging protesting boys and girls through supermarkets and shopping malls or putting up with the noise of an indoor playspace.
4. Camping is cheap.  In Taiwan, you can pick up camping gear at pretty good prices online, from Costco, or from camping stores.  (About $2,000 for a four-person tent.) You can also hire it from a friend of ours here (You can email them in English:dbk.dbk@hotmail.com).  If you stay in a camping ground, things like barbecues and tables are already there, so you don't need to worry about getting those.

So, before you head out for another day at SOGO or Happy Bear, how about doing a little investigation and seeing if you could have a much more memorable couple of days in the woods?  It's easier than I thought, easier than you think!

I Like Coffee, I Like Bodyshop...

When I was single, I liked to pamper myself - uhhem - now and then.  This included buying Bodyshop's tubs of exfoliates and body scrubs.  Taipei's air pollution and nights at smokey bars really made it a necessity.  Recently, I went into Bodyshop, looking to buy some more of this exfoliate.  After reading the ingredients on the tub (salt, water, scent), I decided to see whether I could make something like this at home.  Here are my results:

1. Salt Scrub:  Get some salt (I used some sea salt from Costco), dig out that conditioner or liquid soap you don't like or that has expired, and find the perfume your ex-boyfriend or MotherInLaw in gave you for Christmas.  Mix them together.  Jump in the shower, and then rub this concoction over your limbs and torso.  Rinse.

2.  Coffee Leftover Scrub:  If you make your own coffee in a coffee machine, keep the granules.  Mix them in the same conditioner and scent as listed in (1).  If you have essential oil sitting round, throw some of that in instead.  This is a fantastic scrub for coffee lovers, and it really does cleanse the skin well.  The only issue I had was, you have to work hard to make sure you clean up all the granules after the shower.

Feeling good and TWD650/tub richer!

For Better, For Worse, Me and My Money Till Death Do Us Part

It all began on a date with my now husband and self-proclaimed frugalist.  I had been to the stationery store and picked up some ever-so-adorable stickers, erasers, and notebooks; the kind that are all over Taipei screaming, "Cuteness!  Take Me Home!  Give Me To Your Relatives!"  Richard looked at me and stated rather too calmly, "I really don't like it when you buy those."

Now, many of you will be wondering, why didn't you snap back, "Because I LIKE THEM!"  But, really, the guy had a point.  What was an almost 30-year-old doing buying these things?  Did I really need them?  Were they helping me secure my financial future?  Were they bettering the world?  Did they serve a greater purpose?  I went home and pondered Richard's statement.

For several years.

We've been married for almost seven years now.  And, I have to confess that right next to me are some very cute pieces of stationery.  But, the difference between these and the ones I brought to that date so long ago is, I bought these purposefully.   And, I buy them rarely.  I am sure that the truly frugal amongst you are now cringing, but it is important you understand something.  This is not about a frugalist ranting to the masses how one can spend less than 30 Taiwan Dollars a day and live.  This is a story of my journey from spendthrift to frugal-wannabe, with lessons learned from those around me.  I hope I can give some direction for those of us  living in Taiwan and trying to fight the language and cultural barriers to come out winning financially, but I come with no guarantees.

So, thanks, Richard, for the role model.... and for meeting me half-way.

Let the blog begin!