Earth hour at 8.30pm

Young mothers, did you introduce Earth Hour to your children? Not to worry if you miss it at 8.30pm. You need not have to wait for Earth Hour in order to teach them to do their parts in saving our earth. Start them off from young, so that it will become part of their lifestyle. Teaching children to save energy, not only save you money, it will not pamper your children too. A few simple ways to start them off.

• Use the washing machine only when a full load is reached
• Use a fan instead of an air-conditioner
• Use compact flurescent lamps
• Turn off the tap while brushing the teeth
• Turn off the shower while apply shampoo and soap Switch off light when you leave a room
• Switch on the heater before you shower and switch off after you are done. Alternative, you can train them to bathe with cold water.

The list doesn't end here. I believe you have much more to add on. Do it together with your children, participation will encourage and motivate them!

SAVING GAIA BEGINS WITH YOU

Start by saving (Part II of II)

One might never get to save if the inflow of money is simply left in the bank. Why? The tendency of human (especially ladies) to just spend when money is easily accessible. To make things worse, we have credit card luring us to spend future money.

You could try out OCBC MSA123 to help you. It is a monthly savings account (MSA) which you open with OCBC. You decide on the fixed amount and choose to save in a 13-month, 24-month or 36-month plan. It is hassle-free and a discipline way to save. You can open as many MSA as you like. If possible, you should open a few accounts at staggered time, so that your capital may be build-up faster and you do not have to wait too long for the next big thing in life - INVESTING! Want to know more about how MSA123 works, click on this link OCBCMSA123.

Another channel will be TCC. It works similarly to MSA. Of course you could simply just save in you existing bank account if it works for you.

One important thing to note. Do estimate your monthly expenses and deduct the amount from you income, to gauge how much you could afford to set aside, without running into daily cashflow problem affecting your daily life.

Start by saving (Part I of II)

People everywhere are talking about retirement planning, advising you to invest in this or that product. But how, with no capital nests to do so, especially when you just enter into working world or starting a family. Envy builds up when you see others (especially friends from rich families) with the extra cash to invest in financial products and make their money work harder for them. Often envy turns to frustration and defeat - we from the lower-middle income earners just resign to our fate and continue to live in such a sorry state.

You can be set free! Nah, you will think that I must be kidding! It may seem to be a slow start but it is the starting point to fulfil your bright future...... SAVE, SAVE & SAVE! You may think that the bank is not paying attractive interest rates, so what's the point to save, isn't it a waste of time. The point is not to earn bank interests but to BUILD UP the POOL OF CAPITAL first before you can start investing in products that give you better returns.

How long does it take to build one's capital? That will depend on your saving comfort level and the capital you require. You may decide to save $250 every month. So in 2 years, you will have $6000 ($250 x 12 months, excluding bank interests) at your disposal. To have some capital or zero capital in 2 years time will depend on the choice you make today.

It's never too late to start! The market is always there!

You will only be sorry if you never take the first step!