We read about celebrities splurging big bucks on fancy new homes all the time, but when it comes to Hongkong's notoriously pricey real estate, it looks like some stars still need to scrimp and save in order to afford their dream place.

Hongkong actor Max Cheung recently made a guest appearance on TVB variety show How to Buy a House, where he shared about his thrifty habits that helped him become a homeowner.

The 42-year-old, who has a four-year-old son and 18-year-old stepdaughter with his non-celebrity wife Kimmy, bought a three-bedroom unit in Tseung Kwan O's Metro City last year.

According to Max, even saving up for the initial down payment of his house was no easy feat, and he found himself resorting to scary methods of penny-pinching.

Whenever I received a wedding invitation from my friends, I would only show up for a little while and give a smaller cash gift so I could save more money, he said. Yup, he basically skimped on his wedding ang pows too.

Besides that, Max also invested in stocks and watched his daily expenses like a hawk, setting a rule on how much money he should be saving each month and only allowing himself to spend no more than HK$250 (about S$40) a day (at least, before he had children).

Even if it was only HK$1 (that's less than S$0.20), I still had to save it, he explained. After work, I would eat in the TVB canteen 'cos it was cheaper, and I would deliberately stay back late after filming on location 'cos they would prepare meals for us. If I went home earlier, there wouldn't be any meals available.

Seeing the rising property prices, Max and his wife quickly made the decision to buy their first apartment — just in time before the price per square foot in the area hit a new high of HK$20,000 (S$3,500).

It looks like his current home won't be his last, though, as Max revealed that the more he earns, the bigger he hopes his houses will be.

Photos: Max Cheung/Instagram, Kimmy Chan/Instagram