MONEY-SAVING TIPS SHARED BY THOSE IN THE KNOW
▶ Anne Marie McQueen reports on a Facebook page for the frugally minded
The Facebook post started out by wishing everyone a Happy New Year – moving swiftly on to the real issue. “I have been living for eight years in Dubai with my husband,” the woman wrote. “We both have good jobs and earn great salaries. We don’t go out much, don’t drink, don’t party, yet every month my salary is completely gone. It’s the biggest mystery of my life.” wrote the poster.
The words are a familiar story for many UAE residents, says Sel Ma, a German-Tunisian and the administrator of Dirham Stretcher, a Facebook group that started in Dubai four years ago.
“If you have never really learnt to manage your money, the Dubai lifestyle can be very challenging, especially as you can easily get into credit cards,” she says. “Having a look at Instagram or just your neighbours can make you feel like everybody else is ‘living the life’, so you tend to do the same without thinking about it.”
The Facebook group, which was started by two other women who have since left and passed it on to Ms Ma, has grown to 6,730 members. Along the way, it has continued to be about making choices and spending wisely, developing its own dynamic, with members posting messages of support, suggestions, tips and recipes.
As for the woman who could not figure out where her pay cheque goes, the first member suggestion was to try to lower the amount she spends each month on her car.
Ms Ma has arranged online group discounts in the past and plans to do so again. Members regularly post about product and service discounts – for example, recent shares were for savings on wrapping paper at Ikea, the discount code for the 2019 Entertainer app and a store at Ajman’s China Mall that sells cheap costumes – as well as warehouse and outlet clearance sales.
There are many people who participate on the Facebook page like Ms Ma, who make a good living but don’t want to spend their money frivolously.
“It’s a community of people who are quite active on Facebook and who are always on the lookout for good deals and who are always there to help each other out,” she says. “People will just give recommendations and support each other.”
Other thrifty Facebook pages UAE residents can join include Shop Well For Less. This page, started by a Dirham Stretcher member, has grown to 7,700 members and focuses solely on shopping deals.
“Our goal is to reduce how much you spend in supermarkets, while still creating tasty dishes and enjoying affordable meals while dining out,” the page says. While the site shares information about lowcost meals, restaurant deals and allows recipe sharing, the administrators stick to the core concept: no trying to unload your apartment before the lease is up or multi-level marketing allowed.
Alternatively, Great Deals in Dubai has 500 members. This open group is not carefully curated and it seems anything goes. Recent shared posts include a 50 per cent discount offer on laser hair removal at Dubai London Clinic, a Dh3,000 per month apartment in Discovery Gardens and halfoff an at-home aqua bike, no price listed.
For those looking to lead a pleasant life in the UAE, Ms Mas says it is possible – but residents have to keep it real and make priorities.
For example Ms Ma, an archaeologist who has two boys – a two-year-old and a baby – and her husband, who works in oil and commodities trading, have had to figure out what to focus on.
“I spend more on rent now, because we need a bigger house and facilities for the kids, such as a pool and park and a good nursery within walking distance,” she says.
The family cut back on luxury holidays – not that much fun with two children under two anyway – and focus travel spending on trips home to see their family.
Ms Ma is not above buying nice things, either, but she’ll search out where they are most reasonable. Recently she bought a St Laurent bag, but had a friend bring her one from Europe.
“It’s OK to indulge on a luxury handbag or on brunches or a car as long as it truly makes you happy and fits your budget,” she says. “Be aware of the cost of living, your regular expenses and keep it all under control.”
Money-saving tips regularly featured on Dirham Stretcher often focus on groceries. Ms Ma, who uses Spinneys and Waitrose for emergencies, recommends shopping online and having your groceries delivered.
Other tips relate to using locally available ingredients – such as baking bread using chakka atta as an alternative to wheat flour.
One member in Dirham Stretcher posted about using paratha dough in place of the pricier options in recipes for European pastry. And while psyllium husk is in demand in baking for the trendy Keto diet, it is called isabgol in India and can be found for a lot less.
“Some ingredients for specific recipes can be quite expensive at Spinneys or Waitrose, but if you know their Indian name you can get them for a fraction of the price in larger stores,” she says.