I just returned from a magical seven week sojourn back to the homeland and tour of a bit Asia and now my bank accounts are, to put it lightly, a bit…light. No matter how frugal you are, international flights and the other travel expenses put a dent in anyone’s bank account. Now that I am back from vacation and living in Korea again, I am in the process of enacting a few austerity measures to save money. Intensives at ChungDahm are coming up, a God-send to my bank account, but that alone will not fix the bank account dent. Here are three tips that can help you forget the sting of a post-vacation account balance and save money while living in Korea.
1. Food Deals
While eating out in Korea can be relatively inexpensive, cooking for yourself is a great way to save some cash. Go to Home Plus late at night to take advantage of the drastically reduced prices on meat, as they want to sell their perishable foods by closing time before they have to throw it out. If I am on the hunt for Home Plus pork or beef, I never go before 11 P.M, so a quick trip after works out perfectly for me.
Notice I said nothing about chicken. I refuse to buy chicken from Home Plus because there are much better deals on chicken at the Costco in Korea. I have probably mentioned the Costco chicken breast bags in a blog before, as they are one of the best values you can find, especially with the individually wrapped pieces. Unfortunately, by some twisted work of the devil, Costco elected to do away with this magical meat deal. However, E-Mart Traders has a similar deal on chicken, so that is another money-saving option.
If you are feeling a bit lazy and are shopping at Home-Plus, pick up something pre-made and already warm. At night they sell a variety of meals at dramatically lowered prices. I am a simple man with simple tastes, so I will snag the two hot-dogs for 3900 won. Since this is Korea, they put some weird cabbage type vegetables at the bottom of the hot dogs, but I am not picky so I still enjoy them nonetheless.
2. Membership Deals
Gyms can be a deceptively large expense for any Korean expat, but if you keep your eyes open, there are deals that can help you get your workout-fix at drastically reduced prices. During lulls in business or early morning hours, gyms will offer some pretty attractive discounts. I just snagged a membership for 25,000 won a month, which is about as good as it gets in this country.
Another pearl of saving wisdom I just stumbled across the other day is the Olleh membership app. The major Korean phone companies all have some type of membership app that offers discounts on everyday purchases, ranging from GS25 to Megabox to Paris Baguette to E-Mart. I know its not much but saving 1,000 won here and theres can start to fill that dent in your bank account.
3. Miscellaneous Tips
