Hubby and I are on a $29 Cap plan with '3' for our mobile phones.
My conversation with iPrimus customer service yesterday inspired me to take a closer look at our latest bill.
I'm trying to see if there's any way to cut down the monthly cost.
And here's what I discovered: the plan requires a minimum spend of $29 per person per month. If you spend more than that, they credit you the difference (you get rewarded). If you spend less than that, you get charged (penalized!).
Not only that, our plan actually has a $150 cap limit that includes $100 of international calls.
Which we've never used.
We've always just bought a $10 ICC and used it up till it expired, if we didn't remember to recharge it before.
Hubby spent only $10 last month and was charged $18 for breaching the minimum cap requirement.
I spent $34 and received a $5 credit that brought me back down to $29, so I actually benefitted.
Two options going forward - either use hubby's mobile to make international calls to SG to get up to the $29 cap, or ask '3' how we can downgrade hubby's plan.
We've had the plan for more than a year and this is the FIRST time I've actually bothered to scrutinize the plan.
All we've ever focused on is paying the bill on time (and this goes for all our other bills).
Until now.
Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Simple Savings
Yesterday was one of those productive days where I got down to ticking off things I'd been putting off for ages.
First thing in the morning, I rang the lady who runs the Kumon Centre in HX. I had left her a message on Monday but hadn't heard from her. I normally don't follow up on calls; I hate talking to answering machines and I try not to call someone if I can because I just can't handle the interaction. But for some reason, I thought I'd try and see if I could get through to her.
And she picked up!
The result was we had a very friendly and informative (for me) chat and I had most of my questions answered. We are booked in for a parent info session on Monday and Beth will sit a diagnostic test to see where she's at with her math. [Math ability is generally poor in Aus and I'm hoping Kumon can help Beth get an edge as she gets older.]
The next thing I did was to compare energy supply rates using GoSwitch and SwitchWise. I finally went with the supplier and plan that will save us $269 a year on a Loyalty Saver plan (the same retailer has an Easy Saver plan that would save us $270, but requires us to lock in a contract for 2 years, and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that).
The retailer is supposed to call me to confirm details.
Finally, I filled out an inquiry form on iPrimus, our broadband and home phone service provider (another way of avoiding direct contact!). I wanted to ask about their VOIP Lingo service.
The customer service officer called me back within the day, talked me through the options, answered all my questions, and after analyzing our monthly spend, actually advised me to downgrade to a cheaper plan so we could save money.
Instead of the $87+ we currently pay, we are switching to a plan that costs $59.95 with no change to our home phone or broadband usage, and with line rental included. So we get to enjoy a savings of $27+ every month. And it cost us nothing, just a couple of minutes on the phone.
Wow.
That's not all. The same guy suggested we look at the SIM Saver mobile phone plan that would allow us to retain our numbers while spending less on phone calls and texts.
It was a bit of info overload at that point, so I said I would look into it at a later time.
In all, we're looking at saving potentially $593 pa. Awesome.
The only thing that tops that is going through my insurance policies and writing up a table for my financial planner so he could review them and advise on the best strategy for the future.
I ended up writing three letters to my respective insurers asking questions and informing them (in some cases) that I wanted to surrender the policies. That should free up some cashflow to be redirected to where they are most needed.
Taking charge of where our money is going is so empowering!
First thing in the morning, I rang the lady who runs the Kumon Centre in HX. I had left her a message on Monday but hadn't heard from her. I normally don't follow up on calls; I hate talking to answering machines and I try not to call someone if I can because I just can't handle the interaction. But for some reason, I thought I'd try and see if I could get through to her.
And she picked up!
The result was we had a very friendly and informative (for me) chat and I had most of my questions answered. We are booked in for a parent info session on Monday and Beth will sit a diagnostic test to see where she's at with her math. [Math ability is generally poor in Aus and I'm hoping Kumon can help Beth get an edge as she gets older.]
The next thing I did was to compare energy supply rates using GoSwitch and SwitchWise. I finally went with the supplier and plan that will save us $269 a year on a Loyalty Saver plan (the same retailer has an Easy Saver plan that would save us $270, but requires us to lock in a contract for 2 years, and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that).
The retailer is supposed to call me to confirm details.
Finally, I filled out an inquiry form on iPrimus, our broadband and home phone service provider (another way of avoiding direct contact!). I wanted to ask about their VOIP Lingo service.
The customer service officer called me back within the day, talked me through the options, answered all my questions, and after analyzing our monthly spend, actually advised me to downgrade to a cheaper plan so we could save money.
Instead of the $87+ we currently pay, we are switching to a plan that costs $59.95 with no change to our home phone or broadband usage, and with line rental included. So we get to enjoy a savings of $27+ every month. And it cost us nothing, just a couple of minutes on the phone.
Wow.
That's not all. The same guy suggested we look at the SIM Saver mobile phone plan that would allow us to retain our numbers while spending less on phone calls and texts.
It was a bit of info overload at that point, so I said I would look into it at a later time.
In all, we're looking at saving potentially $593 pa. Awesome.
The only thing that tops that is going through my insurance policies and writing up a table for my financial planner so he could review them and advise on the best strategy for the future.
I ended up writing three letters to my respective insurers asking questions and informing them (in some cases) that I wanted to surrender the policies. That should free up some cashflow to be redirected to where they are most needed.
Taking charge of where our money is going is so empowering!
Saturday, August 07, 2010
How NOT to run a market stall
Had my second crack at running a market stall today.
While I had mentally psyched myself to detach from the outcome and to just make this an exercise in gaining exposure and developing conversation skills, it still felt GALLING to sit there for hours with people just swishing by with barely a glance at my table.
Some bypassed it altogether.
Perhaps the worst was having people actually STOPPING to look at my products - while I was across the room having a chat with another stallholder, and unable to get away for fear of being rude!
Cost of hiring stall: $20
Time spent packing, setting up and unpacking: 1 hour (assume $40)
Time spent at market: 4 hours ($40 x 4 = $160)
Revenue: $xx
Nett revenue after subtracting cost of my time: $ -xxx :(
Gain from embracing fear, trying something outside my comfort zone and chatting with strangers and friends: PRICELESS
While I had mentally psyched myself to detach from the outcome and to just make this an exercise in gaining exposure and developing conversation skills, it still felt GALLING to sit there for hours with people just swishing by with barely a glance at my table.
Some bypassed it altogether.
Perhaps the worst was having people actually STOPPING to look at my products - while I was across the room having a chat with another stallholder, and unable to get away for fear of being rude!
Cost of hiring stall: $20
Time spent packing, setting up and unpacking: 1 hour (assume $40)
Time spent at market: 4 hours ($40 x 4 = $160)
Revenue: $xx
Nett revenue after subtracting cost of my time: $ -xxx :(
Gain from embracing fear, trying something outside my comfort zone and chatting with strangers and friends: PRICELESS
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Forcing The Introvert To Converse
I have just made a commitment to run a market stall on the first Sat of each month between Aug and Dec.
The aims:
The aims:
- to promote my ONE Group business and products
- to have an excuse to talk with people about their needs and wants and see if my product and/or biz opp is the solution to their problem
- to get to know the other stall holders esp. those who are not HXUCA attendees, and look for opportunities to win them for Christ.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Past The Midpoint - At Last
This is the longest I've sat on an assignment. Ever.
From Nov 2009 till Feb 2010 for Assignment 7 and the first resubmission, and from Feb till Mar for the second resubmission.
Truth is, I was MORTIFIED when my instructor asked me to redo the assignment. I'm used to getting things right, and I've been academically inclined all my life. To have to redo something - twice at that - is a personal insult.
And yet, I had so much trouble fixing this assignment, because I couldn't see where the two sentence transpositions my instructor wanted were, and the three places where I'd made errors in copyediting. Worst of all, I couldn't see why my copyediting marks were deemed "all wrong".
This week, I made myself sit down and go through the tutorial notes. Page by laborious page. I went through the copyediting exercise again. And finally - eureka! I figured it out. At least, I hope I did. Because I really don't want to do this again. I have given the resubmission my best effort and I just hope it comes back duly rewarded - with some positive comments from my instructor. It can't be fun re-marking an assignment twice either. :-p
I can't wait to move on to Assignment 8. My assignments are piling up faster than I can complete them. Not a nice feeling.
This whole exercise has been a humbling experience. The know-it-all discovered that she really knows very little, and the not-very-resilient has learned the value of persistence and trying One More Time.
From Nov 2009 till Feb 2010 for Assignment 7 and the first resubmission, and from Feb till Mar for the second resubmission.
Truth is, I was MORTIFIED when my instructor asked me to redo the assignment. I'm used to getting things right, and I've been academically inclined all my life. To have to redo something - twice at that - is a personal insult.
And yet, I had so much trouble fixing this assignment, because I couldn't see where the two sentence transpositions my instructor wanted were, and the three places where I'd made errors in copyediting. Worst of all, I couldn't see why my copyediting marks were deemed "all wrong".
This week, I made myself sit down and go through the tutorial notes. Page by laborious page. I went through the copyediting exercise again. And finally - eureka! I figured it out. At least, I hope I did. Because I really don't want to do this again. I have given the resubmission my best effort and I just hope it comes back duly rewarded - with some positive comments from my instructor. It can't be fun re-marking an assignment twice either. :-p
I can't wait to move on to Assignment 8. My assignments are piling up faster than I can complete them. Not a nice feeling.
This whole exercise has been a humbling experience. The know-it-all discovered that she really knows very little, and the not-very-resilient has learned the value of persistence and trying One More Time.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Introduction to Godly Play
In Sat, I attended Refresh 2010 on Sat with 8 others from my church.
Refresh 2010 is a children's ministry workshop for CRE teachers, playgroup coordinators and Sunday School teachers, and an opportunity to pick up great ideas for faith activities in schools, homes and churches.
The organizers this year were our brothers and sisters from Barrabool Hills Baptist Church, Highton. The church is set in the beautiful hills near Queens Park and Barwon River in a new estate with the most stunning views I've seen in my time in VIC.
I chose the following as my electives:
What drew me and inspired me about Godly Play:
I can't wait to talk it through with my fellow Sunday School teachers and to have a go at it myself. I can already see myself doing it.
Here's a You Tube video to help you understand how Godly Play is presented.
Refresh 2010 is a children's ministry workshop for CRE teachers, playgroup coordinators and Sunday School teachers, and an opportunity to pick up great ideas for faith activities in schools, homes and churches.
The organizers this year were our brothers and sisters from Barrabool Hills Baptist Church, Highton. The church is set in the beautiful hills near Queens Park and Barwon River in a new estate with the most stunning views I've seen in my time in VIC.
I chose the following as my electives:
- Introducing Godly Play: because the title intrigued me. What does it mean to play in a godly way?
- Engaging All Ages in Worship: because I have often wondered how to heal the disconnect between Sunday School and the regular worship service which seems to be too long and boring for the young ones
- Using Music with Children: because I love music and believe it can be used in so many ways to pass on the faith e.g. Scripture memory through Steve Green's Hide 'em In Your Heart songs
What drew me and inspired me about Godly Play:
- the quiet, contemplative way it is conducted, so different from the sometimes rowdy atmosphere in Sunday School, when you have to struggle to keep the attention of the kids
- how it draws observers into the story with simple props (a golden gift box with wooden or felt figures representing people and objects in the story) and a powerful narrative,
- how it effectively engages all ages from preschoolers up to Grades 5 and 6 and all personality types, and
- how non-judgmental it is. There are no right or wrong answers, only "wondering questions" which the child can choose to answer (or not), and in the way that most speaks to his heart.
I can't wait to talk it through with my fellow Sunday School teachers and to have a go at it myself. I can already see myself doing it.
Here's a You Tube video to help you understand how Godly Play is presented.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Brain Recharge
Just signed up to Singapore Law Watch for regular updates on legislation, case judgments etc.
After 4 years away from the law, it's very very hard to read through a judgment without giving in to the temptation to get back to more interesting pursuits like Facebook, YouTube and random surfing.
After 4 years away from the law, it's very very hard to read through a judgment without giving in to the temptation to get back to more interesting pursuits like Facebook, YouTube and random surfing.
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