At the time of writing, it is day 47 of Movement Control Order (MCO)  in Malaysia.

How do you feel about your life during the MCO period?

For me, initially I started my first two weeks of MCO feeling stressed out. As time goes by, and with the extension of MCO (for a few times), I am getting used to this new normal of life.

I found that I can actually live just with basics and  still stay happy.

At the same time, I realized that I spend so much less money during MCO.

1. Food & Beverage

I have saved at least 30% of my usual food & beverage spending (per month basis). Usually, I got to meet clients during lunch & dinner time for discussion. 

Now with MCO & working from home, I started home cooking more diligently. Yes, I did cook prior to MCO, but lower frequency compared to MCO period. 

Not only did I save money by cooking at home, I also eat more healthily.

My food are prepared with:

Healthier cooking styles such as steaming & boiling.

Healthier food ingredients such as whole grain rice, extra virgin olive oil, fish & others.

Also, I am getting myself to drink more water & eat more fruits!

MCO is great in getting a healthier me, I think! 

2. Gym Membership

Prior to MCO, I got my gym membership frozen because the gym place is a high risk spot to spread covid-19. I am glad that I made the right choice, or else I will continue being charged for gym membership even during the MCO period.

During  the first 2 weeks of the MCO period, I found myself eating a lot (probably due to stress being locked down at home). So, I started working out just with a yoga mat & youtube video. 

And to my own surprise, I actually got consistent in working out at home!

Yes, I just need a yoga mat, empty space and youtube videos.

There are no longer excuses like I got to travel to the gym, find parking, etc.

So, it got me thinking that my gym membership could be redundant (for me).

3. Work Expenses

Due to MCO, my usual work routine of meeting clients face to face is replaced with e-meeting via zoom meeting done at home. My work expenses such as petrol, toll fee and parking fee are significantly reduced.

Covid 19 has driven digitalization even faster.

We are creatures of adapting to changes. New normal of working from home and digitalization will be the way to move forward. 

This new way of working will save more resources (time & money) & increase productivity.  

I do like this new way of working, it saves so much of travel time for meeting clients face to face in real persons. Because of travel time saved, I got more time to do my workout consistently, feed myself with healthy home cooked meals, and read more too. 🙂 

Above are the 3 areas of reduced spending that I found during the MCO period. 

My other area of spending remains the same, except spending more on personal care (face masks & sanitizers) & health care (getting more vitamin c).

Overall, my monthly spending drops during MCO month. 

How about you? 

Do you spend more / less during MCO month?

If you have a problem in identifying your expenses (ie cash flow management), drop me a message (https://bit.ly/budgeting_with_soo_yee) for a discussion.

Stay home & stay safe!

Leave me a comment on your expenses too!