How to save money in Indonesia

Priscilla wrote:

Did you plan your budget before your move to Indonesia? If so, how did you go about it?

No plan as such, just grabbed every penny I could find and off I went.
That kept me for several years.

Priscilla wrote:

How do you save money in your day to day life? Do you find there are any areas where you can't cut costs?

This is all down to the lifestyle you want, that meaning an expat (or anyone else can live expensive, cheap or somewhere in between.
There are tricks:

Electricity - Save money by having the lowest capacity supply you can manage on. The higher the wattage available, the more you pay even if you don't use it.
The aircon is the big eater of electricty so don't have big rooms to cool or you'll get a big bill you'll have to cool down from.
Last one - get the local meter reader's whatsapp number and send a photo of your meter about the 20th of each month. The meter readers often take a guess of they can't get to the meter and that can lead to massive bills. I was paying 2.5 to 3 million a month for a while and was too busy to sort it out. I went to the local PLN office with a photo of the meter and a nice attitide to hide my bad temper and ended up paying 130,000 for several months until the overpay ran out.

Shopping - Avoid the big centres. They tend to be a lot more expensive that small shops and you can get most things at the same quality far cheaper. My wife buys most of her clothes from a local lady who makes whatever she wants to order, The quality is easily as good as any of the best shops but you can choose your own styles right down to the material used to make it.
As an example, a ladies top in one of the vary large shops was priced at around Rp600,000 but my wife had one made in a similar style for only Rp80,000 and made to suit her.
Men's shirts can also be made up to any style you like from any material you like, that meaning you can get top quality shirts made to measure but at a fraction of the price.
Loads of small dressmakers and taylors around that can do a fine job, just ask around for recommendations.

HP sause is around Rp45,000 in the supermarkets but only Rp35,000 in the local modern markets. You'll be surprised what you can get in these places and often at a better price.

Avoid any 'expat' housing advertised and anything priced illegally in US$. These places are always crazy prices. Also, ask yourself if you really need a swimming pool or will the local sports centre pool do?

Your choice of car is a lifestyle thing but a Porsche 911 is about as fast as a 1000cc town car in a traffic jam but will cost you a lot more.
I drive a car because I have little real choice but go for economy. The larger the engine, the greater the yearly tax, and it can rise to a lot of money. An economy 1500cc in a large family car like a Luxio won't cost that much in tax and the fuel costs are tiny when compared to some four wheel drive monster that looks the part but will cost you a bomb.

Priscilla wrote:

Are there any apps or websites that have helped you to save money?

Always book holidays, hotels and flights through Agoda or the other travel sites.
Google maps will list local hotels to any given location and list the up to date prices for every travel site.
We still use supermarkets to a level but most shopping is from locals who pass by the house selling whatever and the rest is online shopping. Most will accept COD so no worries with card transactions. A lot of the big players such as Lotte and Carrefour have delivery sites now with a wide range of items listed cheaper than shelf prices. The same goes for electronics but I never buy that sort of thing from sites for a varity of reasons.
My wife does the majority of the everyday stuff but also uses sites to buy a lot of other things.

Schooling costs depend on the school you choose, not your nationality. Most westerners choose expensive schools but that's choice, not obligation.
The expensive schools do tend to be very good but some local and much cheaper schools are now starting to do the Cambridge curriculum and are getting pretty good at it. My daughter goes to such a school and will be taking check point 1 in grade 6, moving on to IGCSEs and A levels later.
Rp 1.5 million/month and all tuition in English except Indonesian language lessons.

Assuming she's any good, she'll leave school with a set of Cambridge university IGCSEs and A levels that'll be accepted without question in the UK and Indonesia leaving her a lot of choices but without the heavy costs associated with international schools.

I tend to buy 40/50% of things we need for myself and newborn son in Singapore when I'm on a visa run, I typically get my ferry paid for and lunch as an absolute minimum in the savings I make in SG compared to the over inflated prices in Batam.
Mothercare SG usually have better sales etc compared to jakarta but normal retail is 5/10% cheaper in Jakarta,
Very good point Fred suggested with electric bills and worth following the advice.
Beef, chicken etc I bulk purchase from a local import/ export supplier every 6/8 weeks and quality and price is second to none again compared to local fresh market prices and quality is terrible, bread I make my own for similar price I buy here but 30% bigger loaf and far better tasting (in my opinion) again ingredients from SG and cheaper / better quality than local
Depends a lot on lifestyle, I don't tend to get smashed as often in kampung Bule, and many "expat" bars have inflated prices compared to locally run and owned places especially with not a lot of work within oil and gas currently, for example one bar I know sells cans of Heineken (small) for 40,000 IDR local bar sells pint/ litre  bottles for 21,000 IDR no brainer for lads night out/ early doors before getting ripped off later in the night haha, branded goods I get sent over from UK and keep below 100GBP due to import taxes, usually visit UK twice a year minimum or friends do so certain things are no issue

We turn the water off all day and when we don't need it and have the electric paid through a meter so we are in control of the usage. My wife uses a tailor for some clothing but also buys and sells batik and that helps a little bit.
We don't have a car but a bike and I ferry my son around on that. He is starting a local kindergarten school as it is just as good as one filled with expats kids and it will be good for him. It's not that expensive for us but for locals it is.

We couldn't get into a government school for my step son which are free and some are extremely good but have gone to a Catholic school near Kemang however this ain't cheap but then it wasn't my decision.

We use a lot of gojeks and grab and over time they get cheaper with better deals and promotions.

We buy locally from around us including some electronics and use supermarkets for things we can't find locally. We eat from the restaurants around us.

Are we saving money? Yes but we need to save for school fees and rent which are both the main drainers of everything.

We all have healthcare either private or through employers so that's ok and not drinking beer and scoffing pringles every weekend we can cash for something more fun .

The responses are incredible in that even personal lifestyles can be gauged and creates a huge sense of a community or kampung.
Fred, Gwmeath Lukereg thank you very much

I have had a couple of bikes whilst over here the last 3 years mostly for work but once the little one was born (several months before actually) I purchased a new fortuner mostly for the room i.e. 2 adults 1 baby and 2 children mostly and a pram, plus the shopping but more importantly the safety side, but apart from the actual purchase of the vehicle I'm saving money as I won't allow my gf or children to use the bikes here and we no longer need taxis and it's convenient 24/7, car share if/ when working etc. Some months I was paying many many millions on taxis alone or driver hire half days/ full days though I do use on occasion if traffic is massively congested

Dear Gwmeath,

Your input is outstanding and removes so much worrying about matters.

I have one small inquiry, please. Is Go-Jek not a good solution when traveling alone?

In Djakarta it was invaluable: speedy and cheap. I must add that after 1 full working day with a Go-Jek guy my legs felt wobbly for the number of visits and eating off the road. But it was economical and fast. Taxis simply could not compete due to permanent congestion but were needed to carry goods/luggage etc.

Maybe they are not located nearby where you are located? Thank you

Narilulla
Go-jek are readily available here in Batam but because it is so heavily congested and I see accidents on a weekly basis I prefer bluebird or my own vehicle, bluebird are very reliable here and a decent price/ very competitive.
However in many shopping malls they can only drop you off NOT allowed to pick up, you have to use the taxi with license for the mall ( I think that is how it works?) and then the price doubles/ triples,
Most of my journeys are with the baby and girlfriend so the car/ taxi is essential especially for safety

Great post, i want to add one thing, i buy fruits and  vegetables from local fresh market, that is fresh and cheap compare to buying from super market, secondly if possible cook yourself and eat healthy food so that you dont have to worry about getting sick, I move around on GoJek as i am not confident of driving myself, never tried Trans Jakarta bus or those mini van/bus.

Transjakarta is great and cheap and easy to use if you know where you are going. It is hellish in the rain during peak times or on buses going to tourist sites but I take it a lot and its simple for me.

Fruit and veg is pretty cheap here but the imported stuff is far better quality than the locally grown but it comes with a price though.

I don't take many taxis but use grab, uber and go jek when needed but I have a bike and use that for work and school runs. Its OK and safe enough once if you never forget you are surrounded by people who are a danger to themselves therefore you.

I am 70 and I have health insurance in South Africa, but here in Bali It is extremely expensive. Any suggestions?

Supervan wrote:

I am 70 and I have health insurance in South Africa, but here in Bali It is extremely expensive. Any suggestions?

Expat policies are always crazy prices, even worse as you get older because they pump up the premiums.
Find out what the local use and try them.