Yes, I had been out of work for almost a year since the beginning of January 2011.

I will probably hear lot’s of virtual gasp at the above statement & even may immediately call to advice me to search for jobs quickly otherwise “I won’t survive”.

Believe it or not, I did.

It’s not from stealing or robbing or anything illegal…but lowering my standard of living & making some sacrifices.

I understand my situation, my diploma certification from local polytechnic is no longer competitive enough compared with foreign talents that either just graduate from local Universities that I wasn’t accepted or studied overseas that I can’t afford.

Then I had been in & out of sales jobs (Credit Cards, Funds transfer, electricity sales & Road shows) & web support & technical support jobs which never last more than 3 years.

It had been very clear to me that I am expendable in any companies due to my certification & reputation of being a “job hopper”.

With the influx of young & well certified FT overseas, it’s very tough to compete in terms of salary & certification making it tough to even survive.

Now comes to my solution for HDB owners.

1. Stay with your parents
2. Co-Own the HDB flats & pay for the outstanding CPF housing loans (I have existing CPF contribution to last 4 years)
3. Rent out a room once the flat is eligible to rent out (5 years minimum occupancy)
4. Read the full HDB guidelines about renting out rooms
5. Take some part time freelance jobs
6. Eat in, cook your own meals
7. Stop traveling out unnecessary unless it’s for grocery or doing part time job
8. Prioritize your luxury purchases to the minimum
9. Eliminate all types of gambling
10. Stop all money wasting addictions like smoking or alcohol drinking

I managed to save enough money for buying gadgets for my passion such as iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4 and Mac Mini to do reviews for SimonVideo.com that does not really earn much per month.

Many may start to pity me, but instead…I pity the majority of the people out there.

The benefits that I enjoy

1. I control my time, I can sleep 12 hours or 5 hours without anyone controlling me
2. No need to take MC when you are overworked or lack of sleep
3. Focus on my passion on my application reviews
4. No need to fear for being axed in the current economic recession

Now that I had began my next phase to rent out my 2nd room in my 4 room HDB flat (making sure maximum of occupants is 9 people or less) by partitioning my living room.

Total investment of gypsum partition of my living room: $650

1. Contractor for partition & ceiling: Ah Huah 91323038
2. Contractor for Electrical wiring, installation & repairing: Ah Hong (Xiao Di): 91607717

My next investment is painting the walls & making the room comfy :D

As long we keep our rental within the legal framework of HDB’s guidelines we should be able to survive for a long time. :D