[PDF]39 Ways To Save Money In China

Introduction

When I moved to China I lived in Beijing for about 3 and a half months. I made a good salary but when
I moved to Hohhot I had literally nothing to show for it. I also didn't think this was a problem.

In America I had no concept of saving or future planning (for retirement, vacation or anything except
the next phone). I always wondered how certain people seemed to find the money to take a trip to
Thailand or Europe yet I was always at square one. I was simply making about 82 small mistakes when
it came to saving money.

In the past 2 years I have made it my goal to see the world and money is a big part of that. It has led to
quite a few calls of “cheapskate”, I sit out several expensive lunches and dinners with friends and I
always have to ask “what does it cost?” before I commit to anything. All of it has been worth it to have
an ever increasing bank account that gives me the freedom to travel as I feel during my breaks.

In just 28 months I have traveled to Xian, Datong, Beijing, Shanghai, Thailand, Cambodia (twice),
Japan (twice), back home for break, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Italy, Switzerland, France and
Vietnam (I know I'm forgetting a few) with no end in sight.

Life is most definitely meant to be lived and, no, money isn't everything but money is freedom. Money
is freedom to shop where you want, wear what you want, eat what you want, travel where you want and
no one can question anything you do because it is with your money.


Living in China will set you up for a middle class lifestyle and the ability to put 60%+ of your salary in
the bank every single month. You won't be a millionaire but you will be free.



Financial Independence

Financial Indepence is the simple idea of maximizing your income and preparing for the future with the
goal of creating passive income to retire comfortably on. At the heart of this is saving every bit of
money you can.

We spend so much of our money needlessly either on incremental costs (over-expensive phone plans,
media subscriptions), excessive luxury spending (movie tickets, expensive dinners, Starbucks) or
unwise personal purchases (bow and arrow set, tattoos, Playstation 4).

Attacking even one of these types of money wasters will create an immediate effect on your take home
salary at the end of the day. Stupid foreigner nature is to roll this saved money to another stupid
purchase but instead we will advocate attacking every sector possible and SAVING THE MONEY!

I will not cover investments specifically but this book will provide a practical base for your new life.



About the Author


Steven left for China shortly after his 28 th birthday with just a few hundred dollars and has turned it into
a lazy career. Steven is an ESL teacher and world traveler for almost 3 years and he makes videos as
“The Culture Bum” about his life in China, teaching and travel highlights. He lives in Hohhot, China in
the Inner Mongolia Province and has taught kindergarten, private school, university and public high
school while in China.



Food and night life





Eat like a local (and find your spot)


China has a few tiers of restaurants. These tiers separate price and style of food but also how many
people are meant to eat there. I'll simply call them 1 and 2 to be simple but there are a dozen more.

Tier 1 Chinese restaurants look a lot like Chinese restaurants in the US. They are brightly colored in
Red and gold, maybe there are statues and dragons out front and inside are fish tanks, dozens of wait
staff, sometimes an open kitchen, etc. Far too often I see foreigners flock to these places because they
thi nk this is what a Chinese restaurant looks like so this is where I go.



The problem is these restaurants are designed for large parties of 3 or more. The menus will have an


item such as deep fried mushroom or an egg based soup with vegetables for what seems like normal US
prices (45-60 RMB or $7-10) but the portions will be at least 4 times what you expected. It is literally
impossible to comfortably finish one of these meals on your own. These are traditional Chinese meal
types that are meant to be shared around the table for a large group

Instead stick to the tier 2 restaurants. You pass these hole in the wall shacks with menus printed on the
wall and a staticky television in the corner at least a dozen times a day and odds are there is one at the
bottom of your apartment complex. They will usually specialize in either rice or noodles so make up
your mind what sounds good today. Meals are usually less than 14 RMB for a big plate of
rice,vegetables and a little meat or similar noodle dishes. This is perfect for a few laowais who don't
want to share their meal or just a lonely night between prepping for classes.

The other restaurant type I want to mention would be “mix you face” places such as Malatang or Dry
Pot. This is where you fill up a container with raw produce, noodles and meats from a rack and they
cook it in a sauce for you, usually into a thick type of soup. I love these places but don't let your eyes
be larger than your stomach when your grabbing your ingredients.






Cook at home


As cheap as restaurant food is in China it is even easier to cook at home. Two big bags of vegetables
will cost you 20 RMB at most and if you can cook in even the most beginner of ways, using staples
such as rice and potatoes with a little brocolli, carrots, meat or tofu you can eat for pennies a day and
cooking is a great skill to develop with your free time.



Don't buy imported Produce


Imported produce items at the grocery store can easily be double the price of local grown items. When
your only buying a bunch of bananas it is no big deal but I've walked out of stores with 2 bags of
groceries only for my wife to point out I overspent by 40-50 RMB. Try and buy local, you'll know by

which one is half the price.



Save napkins as TP


Unlike most Western nations toilet paper is not a guarantee in Chinese bathrooms (or Cambodia,
Thailand, Mongolia, etc.). It is an absolute must that you carry a pack of toilet tissues with you at all
times for emergency reasons (the diet has a tendency to digest fast). If for any reason a restaurant offers
tissues its not a bad idea to grab a handful and stuff it in the tiny pocket of your bag. I hate buying
tissue, accidentally leaving it at home and then having to buy a whole new box.



Shop at Wet Markets


Near your home will be a wet market, likely several of them, a small produce market run by an old
married couple. They are cramped, with way too many products including basic vegetables, most fruits,
tofu, oil and sauces, toilet paper, packaged snacks, nuts, kitchen products and tons more. The food
prices found at these markets will be just cheaper enough to warrant making the stop vs. going to a
grocery store.

After a few weeks you'll have a friend for life and they will toss in bits and bobs for free like a few
oranges or a handful of sunflower seeds, buying water in bulk will shave a few RMB off and in general
you'll find a few extra bucks in your pocket after a week.






NO TIPPING


China is not a tipping nation for haircuts, taxi rides, servers, etc. I've honestly had taxi drivers throw
money back at me in annoyance. It is seen as pity money. Just smile, say thank you and go on your

way.


Sir, we don't ^

_| That's

take tips, at

—1 Just come '

this restaurant.

back! t



Then how do t
show appreciation
for your
great service?






Cj

























Bring your own chopsticks and tissue


Small restaurants will provide you with napkins (sometimes its just a toilet paper roll on a table) but the
larger restaurants do not. In fact they tease you and put an unopened box of tissue on the table without
telling you that if you crack the seal it'll be 2-6 RMB. Same goes for the shrink wrapped set of plates,
bowls, cups and chop sticks. Us foreigners are unaware but this adds 10 RMB to every restaurant meal
easily.

I never leave home without my own chopsticks and a box of tissues in my bag.

Split tableware when possible. If you are out with another person you can share the plates and bowls
(you usually get 1 plate and 2 bowls) and save a little bit. Maybe don't try this on a date.



BYOB


Most restaurants and bars in China (NOT CLUBS) are very lax when it comes to bringing in outside
food and drinks. I've walked into restaurants with open bottles of wine, 12 packs of beer and even my
own tub of noodles. I'm afraid I'm a cheap bastard and I take advantage of this regularly.




to bring your
own bottle



A cheap, watered down Chinese beer will run you 10-25 RMB at a bar/BBQ/restaurant while a hearty
foreign beer can go anywhere from 30-100 RMB easily. I will go to a local liquor store and pick up a
bottle of wine for 20-25 RMB and drink that openly while we play some cards. It may be tacky but it

saves me at least 100 RMB every time.



Avoid overpriced package produce

This tip can be used in every country.

Just don't buy packaged produce. Chopped up apples and carrots stuffed into a plastic bin with triple
the cost slapped on. It takes minutes to wash, peel and cut fruit and vegetables, don’t be lazy.



Freeze fruit


Produce in China can be shockingly cheap and shockingly expensive all in the same trip to the grocery
store. In and out of season makes all the difference. When fruit such as strawberries is in season and
runs you 10-20 RMB for a kilo buy gigantic bags of it and store it in the freezer before it can go bad. I
am able to have strawberry smoothies all winter long for pennies.




Transportation












Learn the bus schedules


Taking a taxi will usually run you 12-30 RMB vs. a bus which is 1 RMB, 2 RMB if you have to
transfer. I take the bus more than anybody else I know and it saves me at least 60 RMB a week. Not
only that but it gives me a much more intimate view of not only my city but anywhere I go. When I
traveled to Xian I became lost but using my bus skills I still find my way back to the hotel in 10

minutes.

The first step is to SAVE EVERY ADDRESS YOU EVER GET! I use Evemote and sync it with my
Google Accounts so I always have these addresses. These come in handy over and over and over.


>/ A s <# a < :

Note @ Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

P FIRST NOTEBOOK Q

Electronic mall:


The second step is to copy and paste the address into Baidu Maps which you can download from your
browser using Bing or any search enging or in the Google Play or Apple App stores. Pasting the
address will easily find it.


^ m m 56% CH 5:49 f





o ttfisw sr®

mao

9 mm r*

***** 1466At5raa

P Mfs&Krtsffin
0 ism®®

Finally at the top of the menu will be several options in Chinese. The second option will give you turn
by turn directions that you can use in a car or a bike and the third option will give you a listing for the
buses that will take you to your destination. It is up to you to figure out which side of the street to stand
on though.






<


&£ £fr mfr


10E22B 17:51*^ ~

58?§

C 40#8>

1344 6.5^S £*7556#

5EfEirSS±$

71S§/303S§ - 76S8/26SS

G 46#%t>

1144 6.6'^M £*t508*

**«gtt?E44±$

73S§/32S§ ^ 76SS/26SS

G 48#%t>

1344 6.5&M £?t555*




Buy a bike


Taking the buss definitely separates you from most foreigners in China but go one step further and get
a bicycle! It give you a lot of “get up and go” freedom, its free (except when it breaks), and provides a

lot of exercise which some of us need more than others.

Don't buy a new bike, it will get stolen. A new bike can cost 300-600 RMB depending on a few bells
and whistles OR you can buy a used bike with a little paint chipped off, for 100-200. Not only is it cost
effective but your bike will be at the bottom of the “steal” pile when you park it at the mall.




Buy E-bike (and lock it)


If your going to be living in China for more than 6 months it is in your best interest to pick up an E-
bike. Imagine a bicycle but it goes 4 times as fast and allows you to cover way more ground in a single
day. My E-bike has made going from job to job a breeze and saved me thousands on taxis (my different
jobs were too far apart to make them all on a regular bike). If I have to run across town, covering 14
KM in 70 minutes a pedal bike won't cut it but the E-bike is nothing but make sure you lock it up.







Carry spare bike parts


I've busted plenty of tires. Potholes, speed bumps, glass all over the road, etc. A tiny leak left

unchecked will shred an inner tube in no time.

You will see bike fixing/key making/shoe repair on every other corner is most cities (tier-1 only on the
outskirts usually). Fixing bikes is a nice little comer business for a lot of older and retired men in
China. Getting a new inner tube at these guys truck will ran you anywhere from 30-40 RMB but that

includes the price of the inner tube itself.

I've gotten into the habit is always having a spare inner tube (which costs 3-4 RMB) and they'll put it
on my bike for 5 RMB so a total cost of 8-9 RMB vs. 30-40.



Don't use black (illegal/unmarked) taxis


This is mostly an issue is larger cities but black taxis are very common. Before Uber came along
average Joe's in big cities would buy a little red light to hang from their mirror and offer rides to hailing

passengers.

I've taken my fair share of black taxis, after a late night on the outskirts of town with no legit taxis in
sight, and regretted every single one. They will hassle you and charge a minimum of 3 times the real
cost of the fare. Safety does become an issue when they have buddies (or prostitutes) riding shotgun
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