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Amidst the skyrocketing price of food in Klang Valley, one woman has rediscovered a way to save up to 60% of her grocery bill – by going to the wet market in Klang at 3am.
Sometimes, the best ways to save money are based on the wisdom that has been passed down by our grandmothers.
For 28-year-old housewife Nad, this doesn’t mean eating less avocado toast, canceling her Netflix account, or stashing away money in robo-investors.
Instead, she and her husband wake up at 3am, pack their trolley into their Perodua, and drive 38 km to the biggest wet market in Meru, Klang.
They get the first pick of the freshest seafood, vegetables, and poultry at up to 60% of the average supermarket prices in Klang Valley.
Supermarket v.s. Wet market
Nad shares that before she discovered this lifehack, she only bought seafood once a month, but now she gets it every time she visits the wet market in Klang.
The difference between the marked up groceries at your average Jaya Grocer supermarket and the wet market prices is staggering:
1 kilo of large prawns would cost RM 18-20 at the wet market, while the same amount would set you back at least RM30 in Kuala Lumpur.
You can even get more varieties of freshly caught fish at the wet market for just RM5 per kilo.
In her recent grocery run, Nad bought 2 kg of prawns, 2 kg of squid, 1kg of crabs, and 4 types of fish, which she says can last her up to 3 weeks for 5 pax. She keeps her food fresh by storing them in a larger freezer at home.
“You can also get so many types of vegetables, like terung, serai, red chillies, green chillies, each weighing 1kg and the total comes up to less than RM20,” she shared in her Tiktok video.
Inspired by her nenek’s trips to the wet market
Since 2022, Nad’s household food bill has risen by more than 30%. When she was still buying from the supermarket, Nad’s monthly grocery bill was between RM1,200 – 1,300 for a family of 5.
Before she thought of this idea, Nad had been struggling to keep her household expenses down, due to the spike in the price of poultry and fish in recent years.
“Each time I go to the wet market, I spend RM189 and buy food which can last 3 weeks for 5 people,” shares Nad.
But after she started buying groceries at the wet market (pasar borong), she was able to cut it down to RM 720-800.
Incredibly, Nad is now saving at least RM400, even after factoring in the added cost of petrol, which comes up to less than RM20 per trip.
“How much can you get for RM200 at the Jaya Grocer?” she asks rhetorically.
The best time to go: Before 4am
According to Nad, the local fishmongers and vegetable sellers would open around 4am in the morning, but she is already waiting an hour earlier to get the best deals while they’re still setting up shop.
“ We usually go at 3am because we’re worried the best ones get snapped up quickly,” she laughed.
But Nad doesn’t plan to stop at just buying cheap veggies at the wet market. She shares that she plans to grow her own vegetables in her own backyard soon.
Although she doesn’t have a natural inclination towards farming, she says it’s worth it if she can save more money in the long run.
Little by little, becomes a hill
As the old saying goes, sikit sikit menjadi bukit (little by little, a tiny amount becomes a hill).
It seems Nad has rediscovered an old trick passed down from generations of frugal grandmothers and fathers who know where the best deals are.
“To save money, we must be willing to sacrifice a little time and energy,” Nad advised.
Nad’s experience is reminiscent of childhood memories of our neneks (grandmothers) and moyangs (grandfathers) bringing us along to the wet market when we were young at 6am in the morning.
“Life is hard, but the power is in our hands to adapt to hardships.”
Watch the video here:
@mommynad_deen Our way , trying to reduce groceries bil monthly. Alhamdulillah.. worth it walaupun kepenatan tidur 2 jam je n mengemas smpai ke subuh.. Jimat 50-60% 😍😍 boleh waze : kompleks pasar meru klang #pasarborongmeruklang #jimatkawkaw ♬ Nikmati Perjalanannya – Chintya Gabriella
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Also read: How Long Does It Take To Save RM50,000 in Klang Valley?
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