69 Wine buffet
How much wine can you drink in three hours? Well, you can find out at Amuleto’s (03 2287 4128) wine buffet. The buffet offers free flow of house pouring wine (red and white) for only RM65. Don’t worry, it’s fairly decent wine.

70 Big book deals
Tucked away in the gloomy Atria Shopping Centre is a gem: the Big Bookshop Warehouse outlet (03 7726 6998), selling brand new books for young and old. Fiction – authors range from Raymond Carver to Louis de Bernières – goes for about RM12.  

71 Second-hand steals
Pay Less Books (03 4257 5214/www.paylessbooks.com.my) is great for secondhand books, but if you’re far too penny-pinching to spend RM15-RM20 on a book, join their mailing list. They’ll alert you when they have one of their amazing sales. 

72 Sub-Ringgit drinks
Hot drinks at Tony Roma’s (www.tonyromas.com) are an amazing 50sen every weekday from 3-6pm. We were equally stunned – looks like you can still get good stuff for under a buck in this day and age. A tip: ask for free bread if you don’t mind looking like the ultimate cheapskate.

73 Wok a deal
Set lunch frenzy has hit dining outlets everywhere. If you don’t mind paying RM15 and up, there are plenty of options. But if even RM10 is too much to part with, The Magic Wok (32 Jalan SS22/25, Damansara Jaya, PJ/03 7729 2288/www.themagicwok.com.my) has sets at RM7.

74 It’s up to you
Annalakshmi vegetarian restaurant (116 Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, KL/03 2274 3709) has maintained its philosophy for years: eat all you want, and pay what you feel is appropriate (of course, that doesn’t mean you should pull a Scrooge and pay 5sen for your meal).

75 Save small change
Save all the RM1 and RM5 notes you have and back them in at the end of the month. Soon you will have a nice little windfall.

76 Count your chickens
The Mentari area in Bandar Sunway is teeming with buffet steamboat-cum-BBQ restaurants, where you can stuff your face for less than RM20. Some restaurants, like the always-packed Yuen Buffet Steamboat (32A-1 Jalan PJS 8/6, Mentari Plaza, Bandar Sunway/03 5637 5825), also serve chicken wings that have attained cult-like status.

77 Dress for less
Most bazaars usually have pre-loved racks, such as 3K Inn Hotel’s Absolute Bazaar (017 242 8023/www.absolute-obsession.com), where we found second-hand dresses in great condition going for as low RM5.

78 Good as old clothes
Online boutiques selling vintage (read: secondhand, but oh-so-in at the moment) clothes have mushroomed in the past few months. Try Vintage Biri Biri (vintagebiribiri.blogspot.com).

79 Boutique cheap
If vintage isn’t your thing, online boutiques selling brand new, affordable threads are a dime a dozen. We like Our Mutual Passion, particularly for its sensible prices (ourmutualpassion.blogspot.com) and Electric Ladyland (electricladyland-shop.blogspot.com) for its mix of girly and grunge pieces.

80 Raw deals
Sign up for the Sushi King card (www.sushi-king.com) to be invited to the Sushi King sushi bonanza held twice a year. Feast on sushi at only RM2 a plate.

81 Securing sponsorship
Skyrocketing costs of education are giving students financial headaches. If you’re familiar with these woes, Malaysia’s one-stop scholarship site www.malaysia-scholarship.com should be helpful. Even better is ReCom (www.recom.org), a forum with plenty of scholarship information. And if you’re really stuck, turn to walking scholarship encyclopaedia Yeoh Chen Chow (chenchow.blogspot.com), who’s always glad to help.

82 Copies for three
Bormas (29 Jalan Haji Salleh, Off Jalan Sentul, KL/03 4042 6921) offers photocopying services for a mere 3sen a page. It’s got plenty of branches, so there’s bound to be an outlet nearby where you can get your cheap copying done.

83 Performance packages
Look up the details on performances before buying tickets. Many shows have group discounts, or give discounts if you buy tickets to more than one show on one receipt.

84 Learn how to mend
Fixing is not that difficult when you know how. Learning how to mend clothes, shoes, furniture and plumbing could save you hundreds over the months.

85 Save petrol
Make sure you warm up and cool down your car before and after every journey. Not only will this save you money on petrol, it will also ensure that your car stays well maintained, saving you on repair costs.

86 Pay for insurance and car insurance annually
Paying for items annually instead of monthly or bi-annually ensures that minor banking and credit card costs don’t creep into the bill.

87 Slim down your broadband
If you don’t need the bandwidth, why pay for it? Lowering your bandwidth to a slower speed will save you up to 50 per cent of your normal bill, and won’t slow down your average surfing that much.

88 Pick credit cards wisely
Different credit cards have different benefits; choose yours according to your lifestyle. Some offer discounts on performances, others on selected shops and brands. Shop for your credit card as you would shop with it.

89 One card to rule them all
Sign up for the 1 Utama One Card (www.onecard.com.my) to enjoy a variety of privileges, from discounts on shopping to cash rebates and exclusive parking.

90 Stop before you shop
There are a couple things to do before going for your next grocery shop. 1) Make a list of what you need to buy – you’ll then be less tempted by what you fancy in store. 2) Read our guide on the city’s best hypermarkets (page 16).

91 Financial freedom
Malaysia’s Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK) is a handy bunch to know if financial problems start to mount. Sound a little too familiar? Contact AKPK (1800 88 2575/www.akpk.org.my) for free financial education and counselling as well as an attractive – yet last resort – debt management programme open to all.

92 Your financial guide
Save money by buying a book. Victor Loh’s ‘Upsides in a Downturn’ (www.bigorangearrow.com) to be precise which features previous economic struggles and tips for surviving in both your business and personal life.


93 Buy your air ticket with a credit card
Most credit cards come with basic travel insurance if you charge your air ticket to your card. In the event that there’s a flight delay or cancellation, you can file for a claim. There, any way to make money.

94 Cash in on your hobbies
Do you make soaps, jewellery, ice-cream stick puppets or even bookmarks? Yes, you might get the raw materials for free but many people are willing to pay for things like these as gifts. Less creative than that? Go through your stuff at home and sell your preloved items instead. Offer them up at the weekend markets in Amcorp Mall (03 7958 5318), the Curve (www.thecurve.com.my), Jaya 33 (www.jaya33.com), The Weld (joujouandshugis.blogspot.com), CapSquare (www.capsquare.com.my), and Bangsar Shopping Centre (www.bsc.com.my).

95 Create a widget
If you know your 0s from your 1s, create the ultimate widget for iPhones and put it up for download (www.apple.com/iphone/appstore). There’s practically no start-up cost and many youngsters have struck it rich this way. Just make sure there’s no shaking babies.

96 Front of house
Want to watch shows but can’t afford them? Sign up as a front of house crew member (www.klpac.org). You get paid, and get to watch shows for free.

97 Hawk other people’s stuff online
Listing an item on eBay (www.ebay.com.my) takes just a few minutes, but some people are still too lazy. Offer to sell their stuff for ten per cent of the profit. If something doesn’t sell, repost it in a week. More often than not, second time’s the charm.

98 Higher interest = more money
Standard Chartered’s (www.standardchartered.com.my) e$aver savings account currently offers the highest interest rate (up to 2.8 per cent) in town – five times more than other banks. The best part is, you won’t be charged any ATM withdrawal fee like most banks charge.

99 Rent out a room
Have a spare room? Rent it out. The added money will surely sooth the annoyance of reduced living space.

100 Sell a bike
Or buy a bike. Listing a bicycle, or anything bicycle related for that matter, is free on local website Bicycle Buy Sell (www.bicyclebuysell.com)and the buyers are a receptive, genuine bunch.

101 Sell your photos to stock agencies
Corbis and Getty may be hard to break into. But try Shutterstock (submit.shutterstock.com). Each time a subscriber (magazine editors, graphic designers and the like) downloads your photo, you get USD0.25 (about RM0.90).

102 Undercut Ikea
Ikea offers furniture assembly for five per cent of the cost. Offer to assemble the bigger items like wardrobes and cupboards for less – say RM50. You can advertise your service through Facebook, Craigslist or even 7-eleven.


Click here to go to Part I or Click here to go to Part II