Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is one of several ministers who had givien advice to Malaysians on how to cope with rising prices. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — Rising cost of living was a topic painfully at the forefront for most Malaysians throughout 2015, with many left — as minister Khairy Jamaluddin put it — at their breaking point.

Over the year, Malaysians were hammered by the Goods and Services Tax (GST), continued subsidy withdrawals, price increases and a ringgit whose value fell at breakneck speeds unseen since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.

Malaysians struggling to mitigate skyrocketing costs were fortunate, however, to have government leaders who were ever ready to volunteer nuggets of their wisdom.

Here are some that Malay Mail Online were able to compile.

1. Grow your own vegetables — Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Then agriculture and agro-based Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in June that Malaysians should follow the trend of urban farming and grow their own vegetables as a means to alleviate the pressures of the rising costs.

He said Malaysians could grow their own greens in virtually any available space, from small gardens to even balconies of their flats.

“Lack of land is not an issue for urban farming as under the ministry’s urban farming project, we use the vertical farming method that uses very limited spaces, for example, we can plant in pots and we can even see some people uses recycled containers to plant their own vegetables,” he said then.

Read: Minister to Klang Valley motorists: Wake up earlier, use toll-free roads to save money

2. Wake up early to avoid tolled roads — Abdul Rahman Dahlan

Tolls on intercity highways in the Klang Valley were increased between 20 sen and RM3 in October, leaving motorists fuming.

But Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan had a simple solution for mitigating the increase, even avoiding tolls altogether: rise a little earlier each day.

“Wherever there are tolls, there are alternative routes. So you can avoid tolls just that you would have to brave the traffic. You would have to invest in more time, waking up earlier,” he said.

Read: Minister to Klang Valley motorists: Wake up earlier, use toll-free roads to save money

Read: #MPKotaBeludAdvice trends on Twitter after motorists told to wake up earlier

3. Home-cooked, GST-free recipes — Ahmad Maslan

Weeks after the implementation of the GST this April, then Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan told university students who were struggling with rising cost of living to cook their own meals instead.

In case that was not enough, Ahmad later went on to provide his own recipe for a home-cooked meal that was deliciously free of GST.

For those doubting the authenticity of his culinary skills, the deputy minister posted a picture on Twitter of him cooking the “GST-free Nasi Goreng Ahmad Maslan”, which he called “NGAM,” and the post instantly went viral within the hour.

Read: ‘I didn’t say cook at campus’, Ahmad Maslan fires back at critics

Read: Twitter users flame Ahmad Maslan over breaking fast with GST-free ‘NGAM’ dish

4. Avoid eating chicken if it’s too expensive — Hasan Malek

While many are content to just complain about rising prices, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek took pains to remind the public that they have the power to choose not to be affected.

In 2013, Hasan gave Malaysians grousing over the increase of poultry prices an obvious solution: stop eating chicken.

“Use consumer power to boycott chicken and teach them a lesson... we can still celebrate Aidilfitri without chicken. Buy meat instead,” Bernama reported him as saying on July 14, 2013.

Read: Avoid eating chicken if prices too high, says Hasan Malek

5. Don’t buy a house if it’s too expensive — Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor

Spiralling property prices have conspired to put houses — the single biggest purchase most Malaysians will make in their lives — beyond the reach of average wage earners.

Rather than complaining about rising home prices, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said Malaysians should not purchase them and seek out “affordable options”.

“If the houses developers are selling is expensive, then don’t buy,” he was quoted as saying by news portal The Malaysian Insider on September 9, 2013.

Read: “Willing buyer, willing seller rule” applies, don’t complain, says Ku Nan on rising property price

6. Get two jobs to make ends meet — Ahmad Maslan

Last but not least, if none of the preceding tips were enough to help Malaysians save enough to pay all their bills, Ahmad Maslan suggested that the ultimate solution of making more money.

The deputy minister of international trade and industry was reported as suggesting Malaysians take up secondary employment to help them deal with rising costs.

To demonstrate the viability of his suggestion, Ahmad told the public that he even did three jobs — deputy minister, Umno Information chief and Pontian MP — instead of just two as he suggested.

Read: Pilloried for suggesting Malaysians take two jobs, Ahmad Maslan says has three

Read: Now, Ahmad Maslan moots Airbnb as model for #2kerja