ECO Shop Items

Ever since Eco Shop opened near by parents house, we bought so many items from the shop. My mom likes the spices, dried foods, instant baking yeast and the senior eyeglasses. It was only RM2 per item, now it's RM2.60. I bought plastic containers, pots for plants, seeds (it do germinate, but most of it are eaten by snail), wallpaper, stationeries, and socks. I like their socks, not so thin and some are so cute. I bought some really cheap socks online and it's too thin, not comfortable. Eco shop socks are doing ok. My father bought a lot of the flip-flop sandals from Eco, I didn't understand it, he changed sandals so often, the money could be used to buy a proper sandals, instead of keep changing a very uncomfortable flip-flop sandals. Others are toys from Eco, my nephew toys box is so full of plastic toy from Eco. 

Anyway, other items that are worth to buy are cleaning agents. I went to Eco the other day to buy spray paint and looked at those cleaning stuffs. Some are cheaper than supermarket. I just learn that oxygen based cleaning agent are useful to clean away stain. 

Kuat Harimau oxi bleach

Ganso explosive salt

Ganso Power Oxygen Toilet bowl cleaner

Next what I like is the serai based cleaning solution. I planned to use it as spray to chase away ants, the smell is better than other insecticides. 

Kleenso Serai Wangi

Kleenso floor cleaner

Other items that I think worth buying is the shampoo. Eco has brands like Safi, The items are in small size bottle. I think can buy for travel. I didn't dare to use other brands though. Even googling the brands didn't yield much result.

 various shampoos

Erm, I wondered what is bath bomb. Sephora and Lush bath bomb is really not cheap. But like I mentioned earlier, I don't dare to use this on my body, unless someone I knew dearly tell me that it's safe. 

bath bomb

Ok. Initially I thought that the spray paint from Eco is RM2.60, it's not. It's RM5 per can. The price still so so ok. I bought two to paint the tube that have become rusty. Well, the paint is not for steel. After painting, I can still feel the powdery dust on the tube. Need to read the fine print. 

spray paint

after spray paint the tube

I normally don't buy the 3 in 1 mixes in ECO too. Eco repackaged it into smaller quantity. I feel that it's more expensive than buying the full packet in supermarket. However, if one wanted to have a taste on some new flavour or new brand, it's a good place to buy and test it out before committing to full packet. I bought a packet of Aik Cheong Cafe Art Hot Chocolate Kosong and had a very tough time to finish it, I need it to be a little more sugary. If I tried it before, I wouldn't buy such big packet. 

3 in 1 beverage mixes

There is one interesting item in Eco too, carbonated flavoured drinks. I never see this elsewhere. Not sure the taste. Anyway, it's such a big bottle for RM2.60. Maybe I will buy this to test it out.

Delicies brand carbonated flavoured drinks

And I found spicy konjat in Eco. This is one of the snacks from China that I couldn't stop eating. So unhealthy. I didn't buy also because I think 3 for RM2.60 is quite expensive. Will buy online when there's sales. 

spicy konjat

Ahhh. Eco is the shop that it's quite hard to walk out with only one item or nothing at all. Need to be prudent although it's not that expensive. 

Dinner With Instant Noodles, Canned Corn and Canned Sardine

I had cravings for sardines suddenly last Wednesday. So I went to speedmart to buy Ayam Brand Sardines, it's definitely on the higher price range compared to other brands (although cheaper than those premium brands), I tried some cheaper brands before, and it's not to my liking, it tasted off. Maybe I grew up with Ayam brand? While I was in the speedmart, I was looking at the canned food section and I saw canned corn! I watched a lot of youtube cooking videos and a lot of people eat canned corn. I like corn, carrot so so ok. But I am not a fan of green bean. I don't understand why almost all the frozen mix vegetables out there (in Malaysia) are mixture of carrot, corn and green beans! I think I once saw frozen corn only package in Tesco (now Lotus), but I didn't stay near Lotus. 

Anyway, I bought the canned Sardines (in tomato sauce) and canned corn. Actually I didn't know how to eat the canned corn. I had frozen and fresh corn before, never canned. Then I remember I had instant oat at home. So, I decided my dinner would be mi goreng with shredded sardine and instant oat with half can of corn. 

dinner 1 - instant mi goreng with canned sardine, instant oat with canned corn

I cooked the Maggi Mi Goreng Cili Ala Kampung and took the mee out first. Then, with the remaining boiling water, I put half can of sardines into a cup to heat it up. After that, I used forks to shred the sardines and tossed it to the mi goreng with the sauces that came with it. Well, the tomato sauce from the sardines are quite overwhelming, the mee tasted more tomatoey. 

warm up the sardines using leftover water from cooking the mee

mi goreng with shredded sardines

Next, I boiled water and poured it to a bowl with instant oat. Then, I poured half can of corn into it.

instant oat + canned corn

Well, the instant oat I used has no added sugar i think. I felt that the oat porridge is quite bland even with half can of corn. However, I could still taste the corn sweetness. Not bad.

oat porridge with corn

So for Wednesday dinner, it's around RM8.95 and I was so full. If I had my dinner at Kopitiam, I would spend similar amount without the fruit. One bowl of noodles would be like around RM8 to RM9, fried rice, noodles would be around the price point. And a glass of warm water is RM0.60. I didn't save that much with own cooking because I didn't choose the cheapest brands out there. If I substitute the instant noodle with the one without any flavourings, cheapest sardines brand and in house brand canned corn, I could save around 30% of the cost.

item	price (RM)
half canned Sardines	2.50
half canned corn	1.90
1 packet of instant oat	0.55
1 packet instant noodle	1.40
1 orange	2.00
miscellaneous	0.60
total (RM)	8.95

I was left with half canned of sardines and corn each. So on Thursday, I continue with the same items to avoid spoilage, I didn't how long can it be stored in fridge after opening. I chose soup type this round.

dinner 2

I had Mamee instant noodle, 5 packets around RM4 to RM5. For the oat, I had the Nestum as I wanted some creaminess. I cooked the noodle together with sardines. Like the day before, it tasted like tomato only from the canned sardines. 

mee soup with sardines

Next, Nestum cereals with canned corn.

canned corn texture

I poured a packet of Nestum cereals into a bowl and added the remaining canned corn, hot water last. Ermmmm, I should have added hot water to the cereals first, mixed it well, then last corn. I had issue to mix it well on the first method. Anyway, it tasted better than the instant oat only, need to add some sugar to the instant oat to make it taste better. Albeit, not so healthy.

Nestum cereals with canned corn

My second dinner cost around the same. If I really wanted to save money on food, I need to research more. However, with my hectic schedule on work days, I will still be eating out for the time being because money wise, I didn't save much. Time wise, I think I spent more time cooking and finally washing all the dishes. 

item	price (RM)
half canned Sardines	2.50
half canned corn	1.90
1 packet of cereals	1.00
1 packet instant noodle	0.90
1 orange	2.00
miscellaneous	0.60
total (RM)	8.90

The end.

Empties 2025

Getting older means my skin condition changes and most importantly, I think about my retirement fund. So I was tracking my expenses. One of the expenses was on skincare. For 2025, it constituted around 2% of my total expenses. It's only 2% due to I spent a lot on medical (unintentional) last year. Hospitalization and follow up eats up the money, so less money saved. Plus, most of the items were bought on double11 sales on 2024. So, 2025 is mostly on clearing the items and on items that are too heavily discounted that I couldn't resist.

Anyway, around 1% is spent on facial service. Well, I think I will still going for the service, but I will decline to buy the package. I will pay on the spot even if it means the price per facial is higher. I don't want to be tied to a service for long time again. 

Others are on cleaner, toner, moisturizer, essence, face cream, body lotion, hand lotion, personal care items like tooth paste, tooth brush, soaps and hair shampoo. I wouldn't choose the cheapest brand and I am already pass the phase where I would buy the more expensive brands. Anyway, below are the items that I finished, some even expired long before I could finish it. Note to self, do not buy too much skincare items!

Below is the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream, see the cutting line? I squeezed out all the snail mucin and before I threw it away, I cut it into half and finished everything! I did that to my tooth paste and cleanser too.

COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream

Below is Kundal Ylang Ylang body lotion, I only managed to finish this after few years. The smell is too strong, I couldn't use this on my body. Finally, I used this on my feet. I need to undergo electrostatic discharge (ESD) testing before going into the manufacturing line, and somehow for some socks, I would fail the test and I had to spray some water to the socks to pass the test. Well, I guess the feet were too dry? So I started to apply lotion on the feet, and my problem solved!

Kundal Ylang Ylang body lotion

Below Himalaya Intensive Moisturizing Cream, I used this on my neck, it's too rich for my face. Interesting fact, this is made in Dubai. Wow!!

Himalaya Intensive Moisturizing Cream

Below is my usual moisturizer from Naruko Rose series. However, I couldn't get this from Watsons or the official Naruko shop in Lazada anymore. I am using the moisturizer from other Naruko series. I am going to explore other brands. 

Naruko Rose Hydrating Moisturizer

AMPM RX10 peptide total-defense sunscreen SPF50

Naruko Essence 

Naruko Eye Cream

Others like Watsons WATER360 Mineral Spring Rich Moist Essence Toner is repeat purchases. However, as a in-house brand, it is definitely not cheap. 

WATER360 Mineral Spring Rich Moist Essence Toner and others

Below Hatomugi toner also a repeat purchase.

Hatomugi skin conditioner 

Last item that I had photo is the Paw Paw lip balm. Actually it's not even expired yet, but I felt that the texture is a bit weird. So I scrapped this. I decided to use only Nivea Creme for my lips. There are news that Nivea Creme formula is changed in 2026, not sure it will be effective on my lips or not later.  

Paw Paw Lip Balm

So for 2026, I will focus on finishing up the current stock. I am following a Japanese budget guru "Peach" and she only used 2 products, and singing praises on Squalane oil (moisturizer) and glycerin (diluted to be used as toner). I checked the prices on this, and I felt that in Malaysia, the cost of squalane oil is not that cheap, plus I am worry that the diluted glycerin will become bad before I had the chance to finish it. If I do a small batch, then it will use up my time. Hahhh, I think will stick to affordable brands instead of DIY skincare. 

Instant Noodle is a life saver

I am not a hardworking people in kitchen and I don't have the enthusiasm to cook, I might do it on a whim, but very rare (very very rare). If i am not at my mom's place, I eat out all the time. Well, I am not the type that splurge on expensive restaurant. I had my meals in Kopitiam, having economy rice, noodles, rice dishes, etc. If I worked late, then instant noodle is my go to food. It's so flavourful. 

But of course, I couldn't eat instant noodles for continuous few days. I had this experience when I was in university, it was the exam week and the next paper was like one week away, and that was the time when there's no e-wallet. The nearest ATM was near the exam hall, around half an hour walk. My money was enough for like 5 meals at the canteen (around there, don't really remember), so what I did was I bought one packet of bread for breakfast (I had instant coffee sticks for drinks), I had my lunch at the canteen, eating rice with some vegetable dishes, and dinner with instant noodles (mind you, chicken soup flavours some more). I think after that, I didn't touch instant noodles for months. Plus, I make sure I had enough cash on hand. Well, that was before the era of e-wallet. Now I still have some money in my wallet though. Mmmm, the last time I went to ATM was like a year ago? 

The next time I had so much instant noodles was during the covid time. I worked in "essential" industry and I had to work on-site. During that period, the restaurant had to close by 8pm and even supermarket will not let us to enter around 7.30pm. If I managed to leave by 7pm, I would message the Kopitiam first to order and took my order before 8pm. Me and my housemates took turns to order food depending who got to go back home first. All of us worked in factory. I remembered one time the Kopitiam kept calling me because it's almost 8pm. I managed to take it before the Kopitiam closed. 

However, manufacturing life was unpredictable. If I left the factory after 8pm (and my housemates as well), then the only food I could have is instant noodles. Compared to university life, as a working adult, I had money to buy more variety of instant noodles. However, maggi curry flavour is still in my list although there are so many varieties out there. 

Below photos were taken during the Covid lockdowns period. Hahaha, I am 5s ing my stuffs. Decided to write this down and move on. 

Maggi Curry Mee

Maggi Chicken Noodle with Tofu

Other favourites included the Mamee Chef series (Tomyam and Laksa), Mi Sedaap goreng, and Mee Goreng series from Maggi. Occasionally, I would buy the Korean, Japanese instant noodles, and the newer local kopitiam noodles, I think Covid really spurred this, since then I had instant Pan mee and Kolo Mee. It's not cheap and eating out for Pan mee and Kolo mee is like only few Ringgit more. Plus, eating out means no wok, plates and utensils to wash. 

Mamee Chef Thai Tomyam sauce and powder packets

Mi Sedaaap Goreng

Mi Goreng Cili Ala Kampung sauce packets

Mi Goreng Sambal Tumis Bilis powder packets

instant Mee Goreng

Happy eating. The end.

JBR Bundle Banting

All these years, I only bought second hand books. For clothes, I only accept second hand clothes from friends or family. I have never bought second hand clothes, electrical items, kitchen stuffs, etc. Well, I went to Perodua Service Center on last day of 2025 to service my Axia, and one of the absorbers needed to be replaced, and the technician told me that it might take some time. So, I decided to jalan-jalan at nearby area. There's two supermarket nearby, one Megah right opposite the service center and a Econsave on walking distance. 

JBR Plastic Bag

Initially, I decided to walk to Econsave first, and I passed by this JBR Bundle shop. The exterior looks kind of inviting. So, I walked into this shop. Well, it's a second hand shop that sells used clothes, kitchen utensils, toys, plates, cups, blankets, etc. I still couldn't accept second hand clothes though. As I was walking around the cups and plates area. My eyes were attracted to a Greek-themed plate and cost only RM2. The first thing that came to my mind was I could use that as a space for my keys. 

I walked here and there thinking whether I should get it or not. Along the aisle, I saw many interesting cups and mugs. There are quite a number of mugs featuring the UK royal family. I am interested to know why the person who donated these bought it in the first place. Wow.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana mug

Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II

King Charles III's coronation

Silver Jubilee of George V

Anyway, the plate to commemorate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton is much more expensive, whole RM8 compared to the mugs. 

Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

There are many other interesting mugs. Someone sold or donate the "payroll center" mug. Maybe mug from workplace or free gift from payroll department. Kind of interesting looking at all the items. 

workplace mug?

Finally, I decided to get two plates and four cups for grand total of RM8. The cup costs RM1 each only. The cashier wrapped it with old newspaper to provide some cushion against impact. 

wrapped in newspaper

After I got home, I gave all the items a good scrub. I didn't know what have been done on the plates and cups before. After I cleaned that,  I threw away the stainless steel dish washing net and the scotch brite. Initially I only planned to throw away the scotch brite, but the price sticker is too difficult to remove, so finally I used the stainless steel dish washing net too. 

give a good cleaning job

For all the cups, managed to clean without damaging anything. However, for the first item that caught my eyes, an area of paint is peeled off after scrubbing the price sticker away. It's not glazed. Definitely not a plate for food!

my keys' home (Greek-themed plate)

The plate is clay based, I think. There's even a hole? behind the plate. 

clay plate? I am not sure

For my other purchases, cleaning did not change anything, other than removing the dust. I bought below cup due to it's made in German. LOL. I was thinking to use this as pen holder. However, it still sits on my table doing nothing as of now. 

Lorenz & Sohn Bavaria

Other three cups are tea cups. Two of the cups are same design, made in Japan. I think the brand is Anatole. I planned to put my crystal bracelets into this. 

Anatole Japan

Next cup is made in England. Still thinking what to do this cup. 

Royal Doulton Andante tea cup

Last item is a plate, the image is from a painting of John Constable called The Hay Wain. I think this is a souvenir plate from the museum or gallery. Also didn't know what to do with this, definitely not as my food plate, although this is a glazed ceramic. 

Bone China England

After the initial excitement, now only the Greek-themed plate is being used. Others are starting to collect dust on my table. Yeah, I have to keep remining myself not to buy just because it's cheap. So, that's all my experience in buying second hand items apart from books. I think the idea of second hand goods is good, but my mindset is difficult to change!