Weekend Expenses in Johor Bahru

I think we are an average middle-income group of family in Malaysia. A typical family of four, you know... Papa bear, Mama bear and two baby bears. Papa and Mama bears have full-time jobs, baby bears are either in a childcare, at babysitter's, at grandparents' or at home with a domestic helper. Weekdays are spent working, then dinners and some hang-out time at home.

Then come weekends. Some families just stay at home, eat at home, play at home. That is what the Ruling government is forcing motivating us to do. 

But I think most families eat out during weekends. And families with young children usually end up in malls. In Johor Bahru, the dominant indoor hang-out is AEON (Jusco). It has something for the Mom (ladies shopping), something for the Dad (digital, phone, electronics) and something for the kiddos (the arcade/game/playground theme park). It's the best. But not so best for the tight pocket.

Here's a glimpse of our wallet's point of view.

SATURDAY

Wet market grocery shopping for Monday-Friday's lunch for 2 and dinner for 4. This includes a whole free-range chicken, pork parts for soup, minced meat, 3 types of fishes (cod fish now and then), veges, banana, guava, apples, 10 kampung eggs, and dry goods.

RM160.

Breakfast for 2 at traditional coffeeshop, includes two slices of kaya butter toast, two eggs, two Milos and a plate of meesiam.

RM10+

Lunch for 3. Chicken rice from our favorite Tampoi hawkerstall.

RM10.50

Dinner for 4. Mee Hoon Kueh from Tampoi makeshift stall by an old abandoned house.

RM16

SUNDAY

Breakfast at Delifrance, AEON Tebrau City: Baguette, Chicken Rendang Pie, slice of cake, one Cappuccino.

RM48+

Lunch for 2 at Tang Shifu, AEON Tebrau City: Tonic soup+rice, meesuah, buns. 

RM60+

Kid's theme park at AEON Tebrau City: 10 tokens.

RM10

Dinner for 5 at tze char restaurant.

RM50+

Giant Grocery Shopping: Biscuits, Cereal, Milk, Detergent, Tissues, Diapers, Wet Wipes.
RM200

OK, that Delifrance breakfast was the first time. Mighty pricey if you ask me. I'd stick to the coffeeshop style. Mall dining is getting 'heavier'. But we gotta drive the economy, right?

psst.. I'm not even buying fashion!