Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

Is it just me or are prices on everything going up? Granted, I am working part-time now so I have less disposable cash. But, I've always been able to more or less get buy on 100,000 or less a week. Now that I'm part-time I find myself spending 120,000 or more and that's including frugal measures such as, cooking at home, avoiding pricey coffee shops (and coffee shops in general actually).

Any tips on living on the cheap here without resorting to ramyeon, soju and instant coffee?

[wooden nickels]

Prices tend to go up on many things every January. An item I had been purchasing for 7300 won over the past year has now went up to 7700 won.

At 100,000 to 120,000 won per week, you are living a frugal life. Look for items that are On Sale. Make that razor last for 4 shavings instead of 3. Avoid transportation costs except when extremely necessary. Quick showers. Do you really need the light on. But on your present budget, you have probably covered the things I have mentioned.

Probably your best option is to up your income.

[saram_]

Increased cost of living.. especially essentials.
Stagnated pay in most sectors.
Personal Debt increasing.

At the same time Consumer Spending in Retail etc at an all time low.

All leading to a vicious circle.
Hopefully things don't become too gloomy soon but for sure uncertain times for most people I'd say.

[Stan Rogers]

I know you probably already do this but shop around and check prices. When things are cheap buy them, and when they aren't, don't.

Example: Over the last 6 months I stopped buying pork because it was so expensive. This week I noticed that samgyupsal was much cheaper than it has been in some time so I bought some.

Example: I bought a new laptop computer this week because they were selling for 350,000 won at both Emart and Home Plus. They had been really expensive for a long time and I didn't buy one, but I occasionally check the prices and low and behold.

Foreigners too often assume that ******* is so expensive in Korea and never check at the price again. That is just stupid. Also the internet isn't always better.

[jvalmer]

Inflation...

[nicwr2002]

[wooden nickels]

[guavashake]

[EZE]

[EZE]

If you improvise and utilize your ingredients to the maximum extent possible, you can buy cheap ingredients and still eat well. Buying things in bulk when it's cheap also saves a lot of money.

Here's one example:

The 450 gram container of black pepper isn't much more expensive than a 100 gram container. The big 150 gram plastic container of dried basil at Homeplus isn't much more expensive than the 8 gram bottle in your local supermarket. Generic parmesan cheese is a lot cheaper than name brand. One grocery store sells the 1 kilo block of ham for around 3500 won, almost half what it costs at the other stores. It's not uncommon to find spaghetti sauce on the cheap, so that's a good time to buy a half dozen at once.

Cut off two or three slices of the ham, fry one side. Flip the slices and coat the slices in spaghetti sauce. Lay it on thick and let the other side fry for a few and heat up the sauce. Then put them on your saucer or plate and pour some black pepper on it. Then pour some parmesan cheese on it. Don't skimp. You bought the cheap generic, so you can afford it. Then sprinkle basil on it. I like a lot on mine. Then eat it. It takes just like the best veal parmesan you'd eat at a nice Italian restaurant for 15000 won, and you probably used less than 1000 won of ingredients for that dish. You cannot tell you're eating cheap processed pork. It tastes amazing. You'll have a lot of leftover ham and spaghetti sauce. You can do a rerun, or use the ham for omelettes, or eat it country-style, or whatever. The spaghetti sauce is equally as versatile.

Another example:

Buy the cans of boiled mackerel for 1700 won each. Buy some fresh tomatoes when they're cheap. Boil two or three tomatoes in order to remove the skins, slice them up, and put them back into the pot. Pour in the can of mackerel. Add salt, black pepper, and whatever herbs you like with your fish. Eat it as a soup. It tastes amazing and it's a cheap dinner that warms you up in the winter, especially if you add a lot of pepper. Using different sets of herbs or leaving out the tomatoes or adding other ingredients you like are ways to make a totally different soup from essentially the same idea.

I could go on and on with these bullshit recipes, but you can really save a lot of money and eat restaurant-quality meals on the cheap if you put in the time, effort, trial, error, and sweet success.

I don't like to spend money, but splurging on teas on iHerb is a way to enhance your beverage selection at a cost that is a mere fraction of what you'd pay in a café.

[Stan Rogers]

I bought samgyupsal the other day because 400 grams of bacon was 9000 won where 400 grams of samgyupsal was 3800 won minus the salt and preservatives you get in regular bacon. Less than half price and better quality.

Here is another thing you can do. Get in on the sale text messaging service offered at your local mom and pop stores. You'll have to read Korean but sometimes they have some great deals.

Example: Yesterday I got a text message from my local grocery store saying 1 kg of strawberries was on sale for 5000 won. Guess what Stan and the kids were pigging out on after school today?

You can save money if you are willing to make the effort to learn how to pay Korean prices and stop paying the stupid foreigner price.

[EZE]

[Roman Holiday]

I don't mind going to one of the coffee chains and buying a flat white, cappacino or whatever. You also buy the use of the space, and hey might even get to talk to someone pretty. There's more to life than pinching pennies.

[motiontodismiss]

[young_clinton]

Prices going up would include the price of the dollar.