The wallet or purse is basically just another form of ‘luggage’ that we carry around everyday. If you have the liberty to peep into your friends’ wallets, it can tell you a bit on how she manages her money. The wallet is such a personal accessory that the fashion industry has exploited very successfully- everyone has at least got one. Yet, the primary function of a wallet remains the same for the majority of the population- to store items that is crucial for day-to-day survival in our society. So, it’s almost ‘fatal’ to be carrying a wallet that is empty without cash or a working credit card. Most of us almost never leave the house without our wallets in the pocket. It is this very emotional attachment we have with our wallets that I had the chance to observe the relationship between these leather-made fashion accessories and our spending habits.

A few months back, I gave a personal finance workshop to a group of students who will be joining the work force in a few months time. I brought up the issue on controlling their expenditures and how they can limit it by a very simple trick. In my example, I told them how most of us would go to the ATM and withdraw a certain amount of cash that will be spent for the next couple of weeks. Some of us even withdraw as much as we can so that we don’t have to visit the ATM again until the next paycheck. Next, we will naturally insert all the cash which we’ve just withdrawn into the wallet. And it stays there until all of it is depleted. You might think there’s nothing wrong with that, but my observation tells me otherwise.

Let’s rewind to the scene where you were at the ATM machine, right before you press the figures on how much to withdraw. Now, just for a second, you force yourself only to withdraw only RM150 (this figure could vary according to your income size). RM150 would be a typical example for a fresh graduate, who has just got a new job with a monthly salary of RM2,000. Before this, you could have been withdrawing RM600 every time at the ATM, telling yourself it’s more convenient to withdraw RM600 once than to withdraw RM150 in four different sessions.

I have to agree that it does become an administrative burden if you had to visit the ATM machines more than 5 times a month. The trick here is to balance out the withdrawal figure (I would suggest not more than 8% of your monthly income, how many days it will last you (preferably 10 days), and how many ATM trips you have to make in a given month (preferable less than 3 times). From here onwards, I will refer to this specific figure you withdraw each time at the ATM as the ‘ATM-Limit‘.

By restricting the withdrawal amount to RM150, you will now have a maximum of RM150 in your wallet at any point of time. Now, here’s the interesting part: each time you decide to make a purchase with your cash, you will notice that you only have that much of cash in your wallet, which is going to make you think twice before splurging. By making a mental note of your ATM-limit, you will not be tempted to overspent. Since making trips to the ATM is going to be time-consuming, you can reduce the percentage of impulsive purchases too. Just look at how many ATM machines there are in the shopping malls catering to impulsive shoppers. In essence, you are giving more time for the logical part of your brain to process the buying decision, rather than allowing the emotional part of you to subconsciously open up your wallet and part with the cash inside.

Effectively, you will only be having RM450 cash in your wallet for the entire month. And if you manage to survive with that, you will would have a remaining RM1,550 left in the account to pay for the ‘fixed expenses’, such as your car loans, home loans and bills. There are times and emergency situations when you really need the extra cash to help out, but you must keep these extra cashing-out to the minimum. If you do this too often, it only means that you are not withdrawing a realistic figure each time at the ATM. So, practice a little logical budgeting when you set the ATM-Limit’s amount.

However, there can be a serious drawback to this strict cash management technique: the sudden increase in your credit card usage. This will happen if you don’t already have a strict rules for credit card usage. If you find yourself starting to use your credit card more often, then you should reevaluate if this technique is of any help to you at all. Hence, it is best to experiment with this technique only when you are not behind your credit card payments. Also, setting a realistic ATM-Limit will also help.

If you’ve been wondering why you just cannot see any money in the bank account at the end of the month, I really suggest that you try this method out and see if it works for you. If it doesn’t help at all, then there must be other loopholes that you must identify. Always refer to your cash flow spreadsheet. If you don’t already have one, I suggest you start one right now! You can’t be serious about managing your own finance without knowing your personal cash flow condition. You have to constantly monitor your expenditure and figure out ways to increase the income. Things can really get out of hand very quickly on the expenditure section, while growth in income might take a little longer.

Spending within your means takes a lot of will-power and discipline. It’s one of the toughest training for the mind. Imagine not being able to splurge like your friends and not being able to enjoy the lifestyles that you are constantly bombarded with by media. Online shopping is definitely not helping things either. If you are not careful, your money will slip away to places you don’t even know existed. Amassing money might not be your purpose in life, but mismanaging it will definitely leaves you without one.

If you have been running a blog for some time, I am sure you would have gotten some emails from your readers once in a while asking you questions related to your latest blog post or just to say how much you suck. I guess this is part of the blogging exercise, to interact and engage with your readers. Some will give you constructive feedbacks, and these are the readers that you want to keep, while some will just list down all the negative stuff about you, and probably forgot to commend on the blog’s content.

To stay alive in this kind of communication intensive environment, it is important not to take things too personal. I am not saying you shouldn’t care about what your readers feedback to you. Instead, it’s important that you take these feedback to fine tune your blogging strategy and provide even better value for your readers. Real constructive criticisms from your readers is almost never an attack on you or your character, but on the content that you have posted or the way your opinions are different from theirs. As a responsible and open-minded blogger (if you decide to blog for the long run that is), we have to remember that the day you’ve decided to publish your writings to the world, you have agreed to disagree. You have to accept that- ‘Opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one!’

The Hidden Gem in Your Blog
Anyway, back to my original point. If you’d been running your blog for a few years, you would have acquired quite a steady stream of readers, and also a rather good reputation with the major search engines. And if you are a blogger that fit this description, I would like to direct you to a treasure chest, if you haven’t already found it.

For every treasure quests, you must have the right tools to make your search easier. In this case, you will only need Google Analytics. Now, go to your ‘Keywords’ page, where you will find the list of what are the keywords people has been using to come to your website. It’s a good idea to set the time frame of your keyword list to about a year, since it will be much more relevant than a 5 years’ list.

The Six W’s
Now that you have the list of keywords within the specified timeframe, go to the ‘Filter Keyword’ tab at the bottom of the list. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll just use the basic ‘Filter’ feature. In the search field, type any of the following terms:

1) hoW
2) What
3) Why
4) When
5) Where
6) Who

Yes, the standard 6Ws. If you haven’t already been practicing this, you should be quite surprised at the questions people throw at you. Your next response should be something like this, “Have I thoroughly explained these questions in my writings?” I am not suggesting that you should answer every of the questions in the list. The idea of this exercise is actually to help you pick up ‘inspirations’ for your next post or just to help you workaround your writing block. One of the most helpful terms I like to use is ‘How to’ and the resulting keywords can look like anything like this (selected from Meshio.com’s actual keywords):

how to save money in kl for fresh grads
A blog post that gives money saving suggestions for fresh grads will definitely drive traffic up.

how to be a billionare in malaysia
Nope, you are not going to find it here on Meshio.com. I wish I have the answers :-)

how to set the goddamn maxis wireless broadband speed
Yeah, I was very vocal about Maxis hopeless broadband service in 2008.

how to hack an atm machine in malaysia
Though Meshio.com offers no manual on how to hack ATM machines, I can only hope this reader is not successful in his attempt.

how to hack into systems of ccris
Very ambitious reader we have here.

how to hack my bank account
This seems like a distress query by someone who’d forgotten his bank’s passwords. A blog post on how to manage your passwords would be helpful.

how to quicken menstrual cycle
Hmm…menstrual cycles. I’m no expert on this.

why visiber trinity ring so expensive?
Now, as you might have noticed, I haven’t been actively covering scams. Yes, no matter how many scams I’ve exposed, many new ones are still coming up, as long as they are gullible people falling for it. I can only conclude that people learn best when they make mistakes, if the mistakes don’t destroy them completely.

From the keyword list above, besides giving you a new perspective on how your readers dropped by on your blog, these question-oriented keywords also give you a lot of opportunities to drive traffic up by targeting your content to solve these questions. Again, I do not suggest that you solve every questions posed in your keyword list. Not everyone is an expert on menstrual cycles. Focus on the topics that are coherent with your writing direction and fits into your existing topics.

Conclusion
I hope with this new understanding of your readers, you will be able to approach your writing from a more guided source. There is this age old debate that if you start writing what your audience wants to read, you might start losing your originality and style. A paradox indeed. I do agree that if you write solely to please your readers, it’s not long before you begin to feel burn-out and are always under the pressure of fulfilling the bottomless appetite of your readers. Losing your personal voice is the last thing you want to happen to your blog. After all, that’s the whole reason why people read your blog in the first place- they want to hear your opinion on the issues that matter to them.

I’ve suggested that you only tackle questions or issues that matters to you. And this is where you can write and shine with your opinions and encourage a healthy discussion on the topic. Your readers will really appreciate if it comes from a genuine and sincere source. It doesn’t even have to please your readers. What you write might even offend some of them. But since we are in this business of blogging for the long term, you definitely don’t have to worry about pleasing all your visitors.

The following is an exhaustive list of statistics on consumer-related prices in the US:

● All items – old base; 1967=100 NSA
● Purchasing power of the consumer dollar – old base; 1967=100 NSA
● All items; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Energy; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less food; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less food and shelter; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less food, shelter, and energy; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less food, shelter, energy, and used cars and trucks; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less food and energy; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less shelter; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less medical care; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● All items less energy; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Purchasing power of the consumer dollar; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Apparel less footwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Men’s and boys’ apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Women’s and girls’ apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Commodities; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Energy commodities; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Commodities less food; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Commodities less food and beverages; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Commodities less food and energy commodities; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Commodities less food, energy, and used cars and trucks; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Durables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Education and communication; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Education; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Communication; December 1997=100 NSA
● Information and information processing; December 1997=100 NSA
● Food and beverages; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Food; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Food at home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Cereals and bakery products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Meats, poultry, and fish; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Meats; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fruits and vegetables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fresh fruits and vegetables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other food at home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Alcoholic beverages; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other goods and services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Personal care; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Housing; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Shelter; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fuels and utilities; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fuels; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Household furnishings and operations; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Medical care; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Medical care commodities; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Medical care services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nondurables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Domestically produced farm food; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nondurables less food; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nondurables less food and beverages; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nondurables less food and apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Recreation; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Utilities and public transportation; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Rent of shelter; December 1982=100 NSA, SA
● Other services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Transportation services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Services less rent of shelter; December 1982=100 NSA, SA
● Services less medical care services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Services less energy services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Transportation; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Private transportation; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Men’s apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Men’s suits, sport coats, and outerwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Men’s furnishings; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Men’s shirts and sweaters; December 1997=100 NSA
● Men’s pants and shorts; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Boys’ apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Women’s apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Women’s outerwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Women’s dresses; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Women’s suits and separates; December 1997=100 NSA
● Women’s underwear, nightwear, sportswear and accessories; December 1997=100 NSA
● Girls’ apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Footwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Men’s footwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Boys’ and girls’ footwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Women’s footwear; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Jewelry and watches; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Watches; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Jewelry; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Educational books and supplies; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Tuition, other school fees, and childcare; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● College tuition and fees; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Elementary and high school tuition and fees; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Child care and nursery school; December 1990=100 NSA, SA
● Technical and business school tuition and fees; December 1997=100 NSA
● Postage and delivery services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Postage; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Delivery services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Telephone services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Telephone services, local charges; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Telephone services, long distance charges; December 1997=100 NSA
● Cellular telephone services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Information and information processing other than telephone services; December 1988=100 NSA
● Personal computers and peripheral equipment; December 1997=100 NSA
● Computer software and accessories; December 1997=100 NSA
● Computer information processing services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other information processing equipment; December 1997=100 NSA
● Cereals and cereal products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Flour and prepared flour mixes; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Breakfast cereal; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Rice, pasta, cornmeal; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Bakery products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Bread; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fresh biscuits, rolls, muffins; December 1997=100 NSA
● Cakes, cupcakes, and cookies; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Other bakery products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Beef and veal; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Uncooked ground beef; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Uncooked beef roasts; December 1997=100 NSA
● Uncooked beef steaks; December 1997=100 NSA
● Uncooked other beef and veal; December 1997=100 NSA
● Pork; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Bacon, breakfast sausage, and related products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Ham; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Pork chops; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other pork including roasts and picnics; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other meats; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Poultry; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Chicken; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other poultry including turkey; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fish and seafood; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fresh fish and seafood; December 1997=100 NSA
● Processed fish and seafood; December 1997=100 NSA
● Eggs; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Dairy and related products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Milk; December 1997=100 NSA
● Cheese and related products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Ice cream and related products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other dairy and related products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fresh fruits; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Apples; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Bananas; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Citrus fruits; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other fresh fruits; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fresh vegetables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Potatoes; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Lettuce; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Tomatoes; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other fresh vegetables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Processed fruits and vegetables; December 1997=100 NSA
● Canned fruits and vegetables; December 1997=100 NSA
● Frozen fruits and vegetables; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other processed fruits and vegetables including dried; December 1997=100 NSA
● Juices and nonalcoholic drinks; December 1997=100 NSA
● Carbonated drinks; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks; December 1997=100 NSA
● Nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks; December 1997=100 NSA
● Beverage materials including coffee and tea; December 1997=100 NSA
● Coffee; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Other beverage materials including tea; December 1997=100 NSA
● Sugar and sweets; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Sugar and artificial sweeteners; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Candy and chewing gum; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other sweets; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fats and oils; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Butter and margarine; December 1997=100 NSA
● Salad dressing; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other fats and oils including peanut butter; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other foods; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Soups; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Frozen and freeze dried prepared foods; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Snacks; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Spices, seasonings, condiments, sauces; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Baby food; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other miscellaneous foods; December 1997=100 NSA
● Food away from home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Full service meals and snacks; December 1997=100 NSA
● Limited service meals and snacks; December 1997=100 NSA
● Food at employee sites and schools; December 1997=100 NSA
● Food from vending machines and mobile vendors; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other food away from home; December 1997=100 NSA
● Alcoholic beverages at home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Beer, ale, and other malt beverages at home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Distilled spirits at home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Wine at home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Alcoholic beverages away from home; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Tobacco and smoking products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Cigarettes; December 1997=100 NSA
● Tobacco products other than cigarettes; December 1997=100 NSA
● Personal care products; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Hair, dental, shaving, and miscellaneous personal care products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Cosmetics, perfume, bath, nail preparations and implements; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Personal care services; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Haircuts and other personal care services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Miscellaneous personal services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Legal services; December 1986=100 NSA
● Funeral expenses; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Laundry and dry cleaning services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Apparel services other than laundry and dry cleaning; December 1997=100 NSA
● Financial services; December 1986=100 NSA
● Miscellaneous personal goods; December 1997=100 NSA
● Rent of primary residence; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Lodging away from home; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Housing at school, excluding board; December 1982=100 NSA, SA
● Other lodging away from home including hotels and motels; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence; December 1982=100 NSA, SA
● Tenants’ and household insurance; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fuel oil and other fuels; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fuel oil; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other household fuels; December 1986=100 NSA
● Gas (piped) and electricity; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Electricity; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Utility natural gas service; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Water and sewer and trash collection services; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Water and sewerage maintenance; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Garbage and trash collection; December 1983=100 NSA, SA
● Window and floor coverings and other linens; December 1997=100 NSA
● Floor coverings; December 1997=100 NSA
● Window coverings; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other linens; December 1997=100 NSA
● Furniture and bedding; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Bedroom furniture; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Living room, kitchen, and dining room furniture; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other furniture; December 1997=100 NSA
● Appliances; December 1997=100 NSA
● Major appliances; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other appliances; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other household equipment and furnishings; December 1997=100 NSA
● Clocks, lamps, and decorator items; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Indoor plants and flowers; December 1990=100 NSA, SA
● Dishes and flatware; December 1997=100 NSA
● Nonelectric cookware and tableware; December 1997=100 NSA
● Tools, hardware, outdoor equipment and supplies; December 1997=100 NSA
● Tools, hardware and supplies; December 1997=100 NSA
● Outdoor equipment and supplies; December 1997=100 NSA
● Housekeeping supplies; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Household cleaning products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Household paper products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Miscellaneous household products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Household operations; December 1997=100 NSA
● Domestic services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Gardening and lawncare services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Moving, storage, freight expense; December 1997=100 NSA
● Repair of household items; December 1997=100 NSA
● Prescription drugs and medical supplies; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies; December 1986=100 NSA
● Internal and respiratory over-the-counter drugs; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Nonprescription medical equipment and supplies; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Professional services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Physicians’ services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Dental services; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Eyeglasses and eye care; December 1986=100 NSA
● Services by other medical professionals; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Hospital and related services; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Hospital services; December 1996=100 NSA
● Nursing homes and adult daycare; December 1996=100 NSA
● Video and audio; December 1997=100 NSA
● Televisions; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Cable television; December 1983=100 NSA, SA
● Other video equipment; December 1997=100 NSA
● Video cassettes, discs, and other media including rental; December 1997=100 NSA
● Audio equipment; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Audio discs, tapes and other media; December 1997=100 NSA
● Pets, pet products and services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Pets and pet products; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Pet services including veterinary; December 1997=100 NSA
● Sporting goods; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Sports vehicles including bicycles; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Sports equipment; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Photography; December 1997=100 NSA
● Photographic equipment and supplies; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Photographers and film processing; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other recreational goods; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Toys; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Sewing machines, fabric and supplies; December 1997=100 NSA
● Music instruments and accessories; December 1997=100 NSA
● Recreation services; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● Club membership dues and fees for participant sports; December 1997=100 NSA
● Admissions; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fees for lessons or instructions; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Recreational reading materials; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Newspapers and magazines; December 1997=100 NSA
● Recreational books; December 1997=100 NSA
● New and used motor vehicles; December 1997=100 NSA, SA
● New vehicles; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Used cars and trucks; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Car and truck rental; December 1997=100 NSA
● Motor fuel; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Gasoline (all types); 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other motor fuels; December 1997=100 NSA
● Motor vehicle parts and equipment; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Tires; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Vehicle accessories other than tires; December 1997=100 NSA
● Motor vehicle maintenance and repair; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Motor vehicle body work; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Motor vehicle maintenance and servicing; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Motor vehicle repair; December 1997=100 NSA
● Motor vehicle insurance; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Motor vehicle fees; December 1997=100 NSA
● State and local registration and license; December 1997=100 NSA
● Parking and other fees; December 1997=100 NSA
● Public transportation; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Airline fare; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Other intercity transportation; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Intracity transportation; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Rice; December 1997=100 NSA
● White bread; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Bread other than white; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Fresh cakes and cupcakes; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Cookies; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fresh sweetrolls, coffeecakes, doughnuts; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Crackers, bread, and cracker products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts, turnovers; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Bacon and related products; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Breakfast sausage and related products; December 1997=100 NSA
● Ham, excluding canned; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Frankfurters; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Lamb and organ meats; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Lamb and mutton; December 1997=100 NSA
● Lunchmeats; December 1997=100 NSA
● Fresh whole chicken; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Fresh and frozen chicken parts; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Canned fish and seafood; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Frozen fish and seafood; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fresh whole milk; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Fresh milk other than whole; December 1997=100 NSA
● Butter; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Oranges, including tangerines; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Canned fruits; December 1997=100 NSA
● Frozen vegetables; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Canned vegetables; December 1997=100 NSA
● Dried beans, peas, and lentils; December 1997=100 NSA
● Margarine; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Peanut butter; December 1997=100 NSA
● Roasted coffee; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Instant and freeze dried coffee; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Salt and other seasonings and spices; December 1997=100 NSA
● Olives, pickles, relishes; December 1997=100 NSA
● Sauces and gravies; December 1997=100 NSA
● Other condiments; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Prepared salads; December 1997=100 NSA
● Whiskey at home; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Distilled spirits, excluding whiskey, at home; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Beer, ale, and other malt beverages away from home; December 1997=100 NSA
● Wine away from home; December 1997=100 NSA
● Distilled spirits away from home; December 1997=100 NSA
● Interstate toll calls; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Intrastate toll calls; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Laundry equipment; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Video cassettes and discs, blank and prerecorded; December 1997=100 NSA
● Video game hardware, software and accessories; December 1997=100 NSA
● Stationery, stationery supplies, gift wrap; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● New cars; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● New cars and trucks; December 1997=100 NSA
● New trucks; December 1983=100 NSA, SA
● New motorcycles; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Gasoline, unleaded regular; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Gasoline, unleaded midgrade; December 1993=100 NSA
● Gasoline, unleaded premium; 1982-84=100 NSA, SA
● Motor oil, coolant, and fluids; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Vehicle parts and equipment other than tires; 1982-84=100 NSA
● Parking fees and tolls; December 1997=100 NSA
● Ship fare; December 1997=100 NSA
● Inpatient hospital services; December 1996=100 NSA
● Outpatient hospital services; December 1986=100 NSA, SA
● Toys, games, hobbies and playground equipment; December 1997=100 NSA
● Film and photographic supplies; December 1997=100 NSA
● Photographic equipment; December 1997=100 NSA
● Pet food; December 1997=100 NSA
● Purchase of pets, pet supplies, accessories; December 1997=100 NSA
● Automobile service clubs; December 1997=100 NSA
● Admission to movies, theaters, and concerts; December 1997=100 NSA
● Admission to sporting events; December 1997=100 NSA
● Photographer fees; December 1997=100 NSA
● Film processing; December 1997=100 NSA
● Pet services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Veterinarian services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Rental of video tapes and discs; December 1997=100 NSA
● Checking account and other bank services; December 1997=100 NSA
● Tax return preparation and other accounting fees; December 1997=100 NSA

Source: http://www.economagic.com/blscu.htm

The consumer prices tracked by our Department of Statistics are mainly grouped into the following category:

● Food and Non-alcohol Beverages
● Alcohol Beverages and Tobacco
● Clothing and Footwear
● Gross Rent, Fuel and Power
● Furniture Furnishings, Household Equipments and Operation
● Medical Care and Health Expenses
● Transport
● Communications
● Recreation, Entertainment and Cultural Services
● Education
● Miscellaneous Goods and Services
● Restaurant and Hotel

This grouping makes it almost impossible for individual consumers to estimate the actual impact of price increment to their unique lifestyles.

In cases like this, summarizing the data actually makes it less useful and less relevant. It would be great if there’s another level of breakdown to specific range of products, for instance, the Category ‘Communication’ is rather vague. Does it refer to communication equipments or the rate of usage charged by the telecommunication companies? Maybe there’s a definition for each category, but I have yet to find it on the website. ‘Miscellaneous Goods and Services’ really is an easy way out when compiling data. It should be renamed to ‘Things that Don’t Matter’.

The US Postal Service is revising the rate up by another 2 cents, about 4.35% increment, and this increment made headlines.

In Malaysia, our postal service has effectively been DOUBLED from 30 sen to 60 sen, and the Rakyat didn’t even had the chance to voice our discontent. Did POS even made any market research or findings from their existing customers, to see if the increment is justified at all by their existing quality of service?

Fighting to survive a deepening financial crisis, the Postal Service said Tuesday it wants to increase the price of first-class stamps by 2 cents — to 46 cents — starting in January. Other postage costs would rise as well.

The agency’s persisting problem: ever-declining mail volume as people and businesses shift to the Internet and the declining economy reduces advertising mail.

“The Postal Service faces a serious risk of financial insolvency,” postal vice president Stephen M. Kearney said, an indication that without significant changes a time could come when the agency would be unable to pay its bills.

The post office lost $3.8 billion last year, despite cutting 40,000 full-time positions and making other reductions, and Kearney said it is facing a $7 billion loss for this year and the same for fiscal 2011, which begins in October. The rate increase would bring in $2.5 billion, meaning there still would be a large loss for next year.

Read full article “Stamp prices going up again” on Yahoo Finance.

Okay, all is not lost yet. Readers can still send me birthday cards via Mel Rakyat (last I checked, information on Mel Rakyat is not readily available on www.pos.com.my).

DOMESTIC POSTAGE TARIFF – Effective 1 July 2010

Had a good laugh from this witty banner, along Jalan Bendahara, Melaka…

A Clearance Sales Banner along Jalan Bendahara, Melaka.

Translation: “Clearance Sales – Boss Not Around, Simply Sell; Market Not Good, Stocks to Clear.”