FOMO.

A word that was trending several years ago, but is still more relevant than ever. How? It’s the reason why 40% of millennials overspend – literally just to keep up with trends, friends, and for instant gratifications. 

So a hard but necessary question would be: what is your current financial situation like? And is it creating financial anxiety? Nearly 30% of millennials from that same study said they feel uncomfortable saying ‘no’ when someone suggests something unaffordable.

But you don’t have to feel that way. Know that you can always regain control of your finances and that it can be as easy as listed below:

Set Boundaries

• Switch To Cash: leave your debit or credit card at home in order to not overspend; practicing this trick will help you learn how to budget, too! If you’re a frequent Grab user, then gentle reminder that you can switch to cash. When ordering food via the app, use your Grab Wallet as opposed to your card, so that you limit your spending and don’t give into cravings. 
• Hold Yourself Accountable: Find someone (a friend, family member etc.) with similar financial goals as you, then support each other in smashing those goals. Knowing someone else will check in on you and your spending means you will feel more inclined to perform according to your goals. 
• Prepare An Exit Strategy: If you know you’re meeting someone who will tempt you to overspend, prepare your exit strategy. Your exit strategy can even include your financial goal buddy! Alternatively, it can be as simple as saying that you need to leave without disclosing why. 

 

Practice Gratitude

• Cook More: Eating out or ordering takeaway is usually more expensive than cooking at home; not only that, but your gratitude for what you’re eating diminishes, too. When you prepare an entire meal for yourself, you will appreciate the meal more as you know the effort that went into creating the dish. You will know what each ingredient is as well and can use that knowledge to cultivate a healthy relationship with food. Bonus: here is a list of 7 quick recipe ideas courtesy of TikTok. 
• Get Organised: Find time to organise your closet – you just may be surprised at what fashionable items you (re)discover. By sorting through your belongings, you will be able to appreciate just how much you already have. If what you (re)discover is not your vibe anymore, then set up a swap session with your gal pals. Leftover items can be donated to orphanages, refugee centres, or Uniqlo if that’s easier for you. The brand collects and distributes unwanted clothes to the underprivileged. 
• Make Your Spa Treatments Less Frequent: By reducing your number of visits to the beauty parlour, you will start to genuinely cherish each visit as opposed to visiting out of habit. Switching up the frequency will ensure that whenever you do visit, you really feel like you’re treating yourself, too – not just getting another thing checked off your to-do list. 

 

Find Budget-friendly Alternatives

• Utilise Lunch-sets: Most restaurants will provide set meals that typically include a drink or dessert with a main meal – especially if you visit during lunch hour or dinner time. Remember to utilise these promotions by taking time to check what’s on offer. If you don’t like what you see, just find a restaurant that offers what you do like. It’s as easy as that!
• Go Thrifting: By visiting thrift stores, you will not only support the local economy, but also slow fashion. Plus, by buying thrifted clothes, your outfit will 100% be more unique unlike fast fashion, every item is (usually) one-off. OkGo in Subang is known for its hip selection, although it’s on the pricier side of the thrifting spectrum. 
• Treat Yourself, At Home: Most of what is on offer at a beauty parlour can be replicated at home. After learning how to perfect an at-home manicure and/ or pedicure, you will be shocked at how much you can save! If you prefer massages, then you need to try an Ayuverdic abhyanga massage which incorporates warm oil. 

 

Pro Tips

• Host A Potluck: Visiting aesthetic cafes and restaurants can be fun, but gathering at home over a potluck is always more intimate. Pro tip: if you and your friends drink, make it a ‘bring your own booze’ (BYOB) potluck.
• Go To Events: Free events, even during the CMCO, exist. Better yet, viewing art can help your mental health. Pro tip: follow The Art Seni on Instagram for updates on free art exhibitions.
• Explore Nature: If you haven’t explored the jungles of Malaysia, then the fact that it’s a free activity may incentivise you. Pro tip: Taman Tugu is ideal for beginners and most importantly, extremely Instagramable. 

You Goal, Girl!

Saturday, 27 March, 2021

Stitchworks, Level 3, Unit 3-9, KEDAI KL (MAHSA Avenue, Jalan Universiti)

12pm – 3pm

 

 

We’re ending International Women’s Month with a bang! For this celebration, we’re partnering with Stitchworks to bring you a fabulous vision board workshop to help you bring your dreams to life. In this intimate event, you’ll be able to network with other ambitious women and create an empowering vision board that will motivate you to reach your goals on the daily. 

 

Here’s what your RM60 ticket includes:

• A welcome drink and snack box from The Cravesify
• A gift bag from Stitchworks and Wild Ginger
• A game of We’re Not Really Strangers pong
• Vision board supplies
• A chance to win a Stitchworks tote bag
• A live DJ set by Aidaho

 

Introducing your hosts:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ♡ H (@_stitchworks)

Hannah Nazasli, founder and designer of Stitchworks

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KEDAI (@kedai.kl)

Aida Azrin, founder and editor of Wild Ginger

 

There are only 10 spaces available! DM Stitchworks on Instagram now for a ticket.

The event will strictly abide by social distancing guidelines.

We entered 2021 hopeful, but cautious. Hopeful because there’s a vaccine on the way, and things were slowly starting to feel normal again. Cautious because if there’s anything we learned from last year (other than just how important mental health and hygiene are), it’s to always expect the unexpected.

We were given less than two weeks to revel in the glow of a new year before going back into lockdown. Businesses were barely surviving, unemployment rates were rising, and mentally, everyone was trying to “hang in there”. Now here we are, two weeks later and a week closer to another month. As relieving as pay day is, it has recently left some of us wondering if it may be our last, or the beginning of pay cuts.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start keeping track of your finances, and prepare for any uncertainties. Taking charge of your expenses can seem intimidating at first, but it will allow you to adjust your spending habits for reduced incomes, and plan out your savings in case of an emergency. Here’s how you can start tracking your finances to cope with the current climate:

1. Organize your finances

First and foremost, you’ve got to face the ugly truth. Gah! Head to your bank account and download your most recent bank statements. Start by separating your expenses into two categories: Fixed Costs (Needs) and Variable Costs (Wants). Your fixed costs are essential recurring costs, such as rent, car loans, phone bills, groceries – these are all necessities. Variable costs are those you can do without, like eating out, buying clothes, subscriptions and memberships.

2. Develop a budget

Now that you know how much your fixed expenses are, you can calculate how much you’re able to save, and spend on variable expenses. Divide the spendable amount by weeks, or days, to give you a better understanding of how much to spend. We recently found out that a majority of our followers don’t have a budget because they don’t believe they have enough money – it’s not about having excess cash, it’s about tracking your finances and making sure you spend within your means. You can learn more about budgeting from HeyAlfred, a personal finance app, here.

3. Create a table

Get into the habit of tracking your finances daily – it makes it easier for you to remember what you’ve spent on. A spreadsheet will allow you to see how much money you have left to spend, and help you decide which variable costs to reduce or eliminate. You can follow our example below:

Email us at contact@wildginger.my for the editable and automatically-calculated template!

View this post on Instagram

Happy Malaysia Day 🇲🇾 We sat down with a few East Malaysians (@elenalaurel, @_llyshae, @aniqdurar & @sam.tzes) to understand them better and how we can create a more inclusive environment for our fellow Malaysians. Don’t miss the good food recommendations at the end! #BreakingByWildGingerMY

A post shared by Wild Ginger (@wildgingermy) on Sep 16, 2020 at 3:06am PDT

For the first episode of Breaking! – a series that aims to break stigmas, stereotypes, boundaries and barriers through simple conversations, we invited four East Malaysians to share the disconnect they’ve been facing in West Malaysia.

Although Sarawak and Sabah are the biggest states in Malaysia, their physical separation from the peninsular has them often overlooked and othered by their own country.

“There’s definitely a disparity to me,” says Ellysha, a student from Sarawak, “especially with the culture”. She noticed that people are more segregated in West Malaysia compared to the multicultural and multi-religious Borneo.  “I got really shocked when people were really interested in my religion or race.”

Samuel, a fresh graduate from Sabah, was also startled by the ignorance that still exists. He shares that “do you live in trees?” continues to be a common stereotype. “Yeah, we even have WiFi on the tree”, is his comeback to the off-colour joke.

Stereotypes are used to oppress minorities. Elena, a freelancer from Sabah, asks West Malaysians to recognise their privilege and use it to help East Malaysians. She worries that because of their lack of access to good education and reliable information, ” When some Sabahans don’t know better – I really hope West Malaysians won’t take advantage of that”.

How can we improve this cultural incompetence? Aniq, an actor from Sarawak, simplifies the solution to “stop talking and listen to us”. He sees media as a powerful tool and calls for more representation both in front of and behind the camera to help amplify their voices. “Redefine what Malaysia looks like to you … There’s more than just this one narrative – it’s diverse.”