My Coffee Journal

Disclaimer: This post is based on my own recent experience renewing my Indonesian passport in Australia. It's my first time doing it here, so while I’ve done my best to capture the details accurately, do cross-check as things may change over time. As you may know, renewing an Indonesian passport must be done in person—either at the Embassy or one of the Consulates of the Republic of Indonesia. These are located in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Darwin. For me, living in the Gold Coast, the closest is Sydney. So that’s where I made my appointment. It helped that our family also wanted a short holiday there—road trip style! (I’ll share that adventure in another post.) Remote Passport Services? The good news: the consulate occasionally runs remote passport services, including in the Gold Coast. However, these are only announced about a month in advance, with limited quota. Not ideal if you need your passport renewed within a specific timeframe. If you're not in a hurry though,...

Last year, I wrote about rewards and loyalty points that you can actually feel (Read here: Reward and Loyalty Points You Can Feel ). After spending a year trying to maximize the benefits from these programs, I’ve realized that many of them are much harder to earn from once the initial sign-up bonuses and promos wear off. Take Woolies Everyday Rewards , for example. Despite our family shopping regularly at Woolies for household needs, we haven’t even hit the points needed to redeem a $10 reward after several months. Sure, they offer “boosts” to earn more points, but the catch? You often have to buy specific items that we wouldn’t normally get—too much effort for too little return. So, what loyalty programs are still worth keeping? 1. Costco: Still a No-Brainer Even if you don’t bulk-buy, the fuel savings alone justify the membership cost. I wrote about our decision to commit to Costco here: Why We Finally Committed to Costco . No gimmicks, no hoops to jump through—just solid savi...

Disclaimer: I’m not a wine connoisseur, just someone who enjoys a good glass of wine with a meal. My approach to wine is straightforward: it either falls into the category of “will drink again” or “will not.” In 2024, I embarked on a quest to find my favorite wines under $10. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been easy. While there are plenty of decent options in this price range, most have left no lasting impression. A Taste of Perspective I’ve been fortunate to try some very expensive wines, thanks to the generosity of my social circle. While I could taste the difference in quality, it’s hard for someone like me to justify the price versus the taste. That’s why I set my sights on finding hidden gems for under $10. My Top Pick of 2024 So far, my favorite find has been Dan Murphy’s Cleanskin No 49 Soft Merlot , priced at $7.99. For those unfamiliar, Dan’s cleanskin wines are unbranded but surprisingly good value. This Merlot has hit the sweet spot for me—it’s smooth, enjoyable, and pairs well w...

Disclaimer: This post isn’t about promoting Costco or bulk-buying culture. It’s simply my family’s take on why we decided to sign up for a $65/year Costco membership, despite not being fans of buying in bulk or freezing multiple portions of the same food item (we don’t have much storage space anyway). Here’s why we think the membership is worth it—especially if you live near a Costco (in our case, the Coomera warehouse). 1. Petrol Savings Costco’s petrol prices are a game-changer. While other servos can be competitive, there are swing-up days when prices spike unpredictably. Costco typically doesn’t do that. I’ve saved as much as 20–30 cents per litre—those savings add up quickly and make a big difference. 2. Affordable Eggs We’re big fans of eggs in our household. At Costco, a tray of 30 cage-free eggs costs around $10–$11. By comparison, a tray of 12 at Woolies or Coles goes for about $6. That’s amazing savings for a staple we regularly use. 3. Unexpected Finds Costco has a knack fo...

This was the very first time my wife and I took a short weekend trip from the Gold Coast to Melbourne. During our planning, the questions that popped up were: How should we travel from home to Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport? How should we travel from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport to Melbourne Central? While Uber was the simple solution for many, we checked and realized it was rather costly. About $80-$100 for a one-way trip to the Gold Coast Airport (this was from our home in the Helensvale area, so your cost may vary depending on distance and timing) and about $60-$80 for a one-way trip from the Melbourne Airport to the city center. Thankfully, we discovered that the following solutions were both practical and economical for us. Gold Coast Airport Parking Website:  Gold Coast Airport Parking Since many of us may own cars when living in the Gold Coast, driving your own car and parking it at the airport for a short-term trip is very convenient. Don’t fret if all the pre-booking slot...

Screenshot from https://petrolspy.com.au/ When living in Singapore, I used to visit the same servo (petrol station) regularly. You could say I was a loyal customer. However, things are different here in Australia, where fuel prices can fluctuate frequently for various reasons. In any given area, there might be a network of ten or more servos but often, only a few of these servos offer fuel at lower or outdated rates - Prices that haven't yet increased but might do so within the next few hours. Since our family needs to top up fuel every few days, finding that budget-friendly servo quickly is essential. Fortunately, there are several apps that help drivers compare fuel prices. After some trial and error, I’ve settled on Petrol Spy ( https://petrolspy.com.au /) because their data seems to be accurate, at least for the suburbs where I live. This might not be the case for everyone. Pro-tip when using Petrol Spy: Use the list-view to easily find the lowest rate (Make sure you are in the...

As funny as it sounds, fruit and vegetable prices do matter to our family here in Australia, and observing their fluctuations is like playing a roulette when visiting supermarkets (Woolies or Coles). To provide a little context, fruit and vegetable prices in Singapore are reasonably economical throughout the year, allowing you or your family to continuously buy your preferred produce without much consideration. However, here in Australia, broccoli might cost $6.99/kg one week and $14.99/kg the next. That's a significant price fluctuation that can impact one's grocery budget if they are not careful with their purchases. I have yet to understand why this is so. It may be due to supply and demand or even factors such as the weather and season, but it's still intriguing that the movements are significant and occur frequently. For now, we view this so-called price index in a positive light. It encourages us to select vegetables that are well-priced for the week. This approach ke...

As our family arrived in Australia early this year, we wanted to quickly learn and apply for essential memberships that can lessen our household burden. Just like in Singapore, the important rewards usually revolve around groceries and fuel - the two most important ones. Before starting, make sure you have the following prepared: You have a local Australian phone number. Many membership registrations require validation via SMS. You have switched your account location (Apple or Google) to Australia. Otherwise, many of the membership apps are not available unless your region has been updated. Mind you, this is a very subjective opinion, as each family may have its own preferences when it comes to shops and services. We have signed up for more memberships than those listed below, but we have yet to discover their benefits in a meaningful way. Don't worry, I will update this list regularly. Let's begin! Everyday Rewards https://www.woolworthsrewards.com.au This membership offers a ...