7 Ways To Make The Most Out Of Your Weekend

Who says you need to break the bank to have an awesome weekend? Here are seven weekend ideas that you can dive into:

1: CREATE A SCAVENGER HUNT

Spice up your weekend by creating an exciting scavenger hunt. Start by gathering group of people in one area. Then, divide the group into two. Act as the game master who will hide all the items around the vicinity.

Add an exciting twist to your scavenger hunt by letting each player bring a unique item related to a given theme. For instance, you may have a BTS-themed Scavenger Hunt complete with all the BT21 collectibles! Set a timer and enjoy the hunt. A friendly competition never hurt anybody!

2: VOLUNTEER TO BABYSIT

Parents, admit it! You all need a break every once in a while. Not to mention, many single parents hardly ever get a chance to unwind. This is why most of them would jump on a chance to let someone babysit their children for a day.

If you are passionate about taking care of kids and being surrounded by them, consider volunteering to babysit for a friend or a relative. Spend the day by doing arts and crafts or by visiting the nearby playground.

3: SHOP AT FLEA MARKETS

Expand your wardrobe without breaking your budget by investing in sustainable fashion. Fortunately for you, Singapore has a wealth of flea markets with items selling for as low as S$2.

Begin your search by checking out the Fleawhere and The Luggage Market. Fleawhere is a market organizer known for its regular flea parties at Lucky Plaza. In fact, it will be holding the 7th edition of the “Daebak Sale” this June 29 (Saturday). The Daebak Sale offers affordable items from your favorite Instagram Influencers. All items are under S$12! Check out www.fleawhere.com for more details.

Let us move on to The Luggage Market. As the name suggests, you will be greeted by a huge sight of vendors carrying luggages. These luggages are filled with preloved clothing ranging from S$2 to S$5. These insanely low prices attract crowds from far and wide. Visit the Grand Link Square on a Sunday to check it out!

4: GO ON A WALKING TOUR

See what is beyond the four walls of your cubicle by exploring the great outdoors! Get up close and personal with nature as you embark on any one of the National Parks’ walking or cycling trails.

Feast your eyes as you spot large numbers of biodiversity and hundreds of bird species that most trails provide. Whether you prefer a long seamless walk in a chain of hills or a peaceful cycling experience off the city, there is definitely a suitable trail for you. Learn more about the trails at
www.nparks.gov.sg.

5: MAKE A TIME CAPSULE

Treasure life’s precious moments by creating a time capsule that you will open a decade from now. A time capsule, often put in a small box, houses preserved articles or records of your present-day life. You can either put a polaroid selfie, a piece of clothing, or a heartfelt letter inside. Be as creative as you can when filling it up!

The fun never stops now! Imagine how you will react upon seeing the changes that happened in a span of 10 years.

6: REVAMP YOUR FLAT

There is a way to change your home’s entire look in a snap. You read that right! Simply rearrange the key elements – the furniture and decorations. Try moving the couch to a different wall or a table to a different corner.

You will be surprised to see how fresh a room looks just by moving a piece of furniture into different positions or angles.

7: PUSH STRESS AWAY

Whether you like it or not, stress is inescapable. Use the weekend to freshen up your mind in time for the weekday grind. One of the ways that you can overcome stress is by practicing the basic meditation technique. Best of all? It does not cost a cent!

Watch this short video to know the essential information on how to meditate:

Sources: 1 & 2

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Boost Your Financial Life By Creating A Reverse Bucket List

Whether you want to lead a simple life or an extravagant one, having financial goals gives you direction. It steers your focus on the things that you want to achieve at a particular time-frame. It has the power to make you more hopeful about the future.

However, having financial goals may not work for everyone. You see, others can get frustrated upon seeing the milestones that they have not achieved yet. Do not worry! There is a solution. Look at the brighter side of your financial life by creating a reverse bucket list.

What is a reverse bucket list exactly? For starters, it is a list of goals and achievements that you have already met. Apply this ideal to your finances to reap its benefits.

REVERSE BUCKET LIST HIGHLIGHTS PATTERNS

Creating a reverse bucket list gives you an opportunity to pinpoint your spending and saving patterns. Use your observations to improve your financial circumstance.

For instance, you may notice that most of your spending falls under skincare and cosmetics. Consider signing up for Sephora’s loyalty program to maximize your discounts. Alternatively, you may indulge in the affordable homegrown products brought by Shophouse Sixtyfive and Katfood. Shophouse Sixtyfive sells handmade lip balms infused with essential oils, vitamin E, and plant extracts. What’s more? These balms, such as Sir Stamford (S$9.80), have a local twist too.

Now, let’s move on to Katfood. Its playful name says a lot about its interesting background. You see, Katfood aims to create beauty products out of ingredients that you can actually eat. Everything is handmade with no preservatives and are infused with organic and raw elements. Its Cuckoo For Cocoa Dry Shampoo ($13.90) includes ingredients such as coconut flour and cocoa powder.

REVERSE BUCKET LIST MARKS YOUR MOTIVATION

Whether you like it or not…setbacks happen. You cannot be fully in control of your finances all the time. This is where motivation comes in. Motivation propels you to continue on this journey.

Seeing the list of financial achievements you have cemented will transform your motivation into manifestations. You will remember where it happened, why it happened, and how it happened. Making this list will enable you to see your financial situation realistically.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

As I said, you will experience some obstacles along the way. These obstacles do not reflect your financial capabilities or intelligence. Instead, these are merely challenges that you need to learn from. Keep moving forward!

Source: Wisebread

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How To Make Money While You Sleep

What is your idea about passive income? For most people, passive income provides an opportunity for freedom and independence. It gives an escape from our 9-5 jobs that occupy most of our week.

There are different ways to generate income while you are “sleeping”, here are just some of them:

START A BLOG

If playing with words comes naturally to you, you may find passion in writing. Establishing your own blog is quick and easy to do. Simply purchase your own domain or create your own website at no-cost thru website builders such as Wix.

Equipped with your glistening blog, you can either sell your stuff or share your expertise to earn some legitimate cash on the side.

CONSIDER P2P LENDING

Let’s face it! Banks do not lend money out of sheer kindness. They do it because it is profitable. Get a taste of the action by joining P2P websites, which allow companies from around the world to loan money from private people.

P2P Lending is highly attractive to both the borrowers and the lenders. Firstly, P2P Lending loan qualifications are more relaxed than that of given by the banks. On the flip-side, lenders can reap the benefits of up to 20% per annum.

INVEST YOUR MONEY

If you have money to spare, consider investing your funds to grow your nest. Let the company work for you as you receive dividends from them. Directly owning a stock in a company or through a fund enables you to receive dividends. A dividend is a cut of a portion from a company’s profits.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

The amount of money you receive depends on how much stock you own and how much profit there is to divide. Ultimately, the rewards that you will receive are decided by the board of directors. Do prior research before committing to a company.

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How To Deal With 3 Divorce-Inducing Money Issues

In the hustle and bustle of the city life, Singaporeans are exposed to the high economic pressures. What makes this concrete jungle thrive? Money, of course. Putting matrimony into the mix makes things more complicated.

Managing money is a complex task fraught with emotion. It is natural that conflicts can arise from time to time. To keep your marriage and finances in tact, open communication and teamwork are essential. If only more couples are having regular conversations about money issues before and after walking down the aisle then, we will less likely to have divorces.

MONETARY IMBALANCE

What will happen when there is a massive earning gap between partners? Or, when a spouse comes from a wealthy family and the other came from humble beginnings? More so, living in a single-income household is not uncommon. Sometimes, the imbalance between two people creates power play.

When power play occurs, the person who earns the most dictate the spending habits of the other. He or she will have personal spending priorities in mind. The other partner simply complies.

Handling this situation is tricky. You can either make a pre-nuptial agreement or open a joint account. Nonetheless, marriage should be founded by cooperation in all aspects.

OPPOSING PERSONALITIES

In the list of reasons why couples divorce, money is among the top answers. Friction brought by money can be due to the opposing personalities of two people. Personality towards money plays a vital part in a couple’s marital bliss or the lack thereof.

Imagine living 24/7 with a hoarder when you are a spender yourself. Or, living with someone who is a risk-avoidant when you are a risk-taker yourself. To the extreme, you may live with someone who believes that the person who dies with the most money wins. These opposing personalities can be mediated by empathy. Walk in the other person’s shoes to understand where he or she is coming from. You may also adopt your spouse’s money habits for a month to see how it works. Paying attention to money habits before and during matrimony can be beneficial. Talking about your financial views and feelings can help put both of you at ease.

OVERWHELMING DEBT

From school loans to shopping addiction, many people come to the altar bearing a financial baggage. If one partner has an outstanding mountain of debt and the other does not, this situation can spark a conflict.

In such situations, people often take solace in knowing that debts are not carried over thru the marriage. However, it is understandable to share the responsibility over housing and child care debts.

Knowing what you are getting yourself into can help you decide how to deal with it. Both partners have to be honest and non-judgmental when discussing about their financial habits and bad records. Apply several payoff strategies soon after. And, seek professional help when needed.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Money Motivator: Its Pros And Cons In The Workplace

Faced with a target in my head, most of my decisions as a head are calculated. The coveted reward at the end of the rainbow is the bucket full of gold.

While motivating employees with money has its significant advantages, it is not the only way that employees can be truly motivated.

MONEY IS UNIVERSAL

There is a reason why many hip-hop artists rap to the tune of money. It is a universal motivator that drives people of all walks of life. Without money, how can we survive?

Its universal nature is one of the advantages of using money as a motivational tool for employees. You see, most people see bonuses as a means to purchase material possessions or personal experiences that they have been putting off for a long time. While the monetary increase is the same for each employee, its uses vary. That is what makes money fit for all!

MONEY IS COSTLY

It comes as no surprise that money is costly. A huge drawback of using money to motivate your employees is that it adds to your overhead costs. You have to give up a portion of your profit for each time you offer a bonus or a raise.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

What is even costlier? Some employees may expect to get consistent monetary rewards for each time they exceed their performance expectations. The terms of the reward should be discussed clearly to your employees.

MONEY PROVIDES STRUCTURE

Monetary rewards can be quantified and structured, unlike its counterparts. A business owner may come up with a starting point and an end point. Incentives can be achieved once the end point has been reached. Sales programs usually structure money incentive through commission or quota-based sales. These two are individualistic.

On the other hand, you can fuel up the teamwork by creating a percentage goal. Reaching a certain percentage goal at the end of the year can equate to a certain bonus. This fosters teamwork where everyone is motivated to help each other.

MONEY BREWS CONFLICTS

Last but not the least, money motivator can cause conflicts within the group and the self. It can be demoralizing for some people to consistently fail in getting a certain reward. More so, comparing your bonuses to others can brew conflicts. Some team members may resent others when they do not automatically get their slice of the “cake”.

Image Credits:pixabay.com

As a leader, understanding your team is far greater than any monetary incentive. Know what is important for each employee and try your best to keep them happy and healthy. Find the best incentive program that will work for your team whether it involves money or not.

Sources: 1 & 2

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