Anna Agoncillo, Author at MoneyDigest.sg

6 Strategies To Control Your Urges To Spend

Self-control is one of the virtues that a savvy Singaporean can cultivate. Having a sense of self-control helps you to manage the seemingly irresistible urge to spend money. While, people who lack it have a tendency to instantly gratify their “itch” to splurge.

Combat this dilemma against your willpower by employing these strategies:

TRACK YOUR SPENDING

I know how cliché this sounds but, awareness is the key. You must note down how much money comes in and goes out. Previous literature displayed that this act of tracking your spending is an efficient tool to control one’s urges to spend. Start by keeping a daily list of your expenses.

IMPOSE LIMITS

To prevent accidents and to maintain order in the streets, authorities impose speed limits. Apply the same idea to your finances by imposing monetary limits.

It easy to create tangible boundaries to some services such as postpaid and bundle plans. However, this is not always the case. This is why Professor and TED Speaker Dan Ariely highlighted that it is important to dictate your own boundaries. Doing so was proven to help increase self-control. Furthermore, sharing your self-determined limitations to other people urges you to stick to it more.

MAKE ONE DECISION AT A TIME

The shiny distractions all over the shopping mall are designed to confuse your mind and to open your wallets. You see, findings showed that strain in cognition (thinking) depletes self-control. This is why shops are graced with flashy signs, vibrant colors, loud songs, and bright wall decor.

Conquer the distractions by making one financial decision at a time. This strategy is not only limited to shopping. Divide your financial decisions instead of overwhelming your mind.

SAVE AUTOMATICALLY

Avoid committing much of your willpower toward deciding whether to save or to spend by automatic your finances. Some institutions allow the employer to automate your salary in a bank account that is solely for your savings. Patronizing this method will lessen the temptation of immediate spending.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

TAKE TIME TO DECIDE

With my background in Psychology, I can attest to the idea that the emotional states affect the way you spend. Anxiety was shown to decrease the likelihood of taking risks and sadness was shown to increase spending. Emotions influence your self-control in complex ways.

This is why I encourage you to take sufficient time for contemplation before buying something. Wait for a few hours or a few days, especially for huge and expensive purchases. Many people have submitted to this efficient strategy. Be one of them!

PREVENT TEMPTATION

A surefire way to stay on top of finances is to avoid temptation at all costs. Reduce your time spent on shopping malls and invest it in more productive matters. Alternatively, you may leave your plastic cards (i.e., credit and debit) at home. Simply carry the amount of cash that you can confidently afford.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

These six strategies share one goal and that is to take control of your finances again. May these aforementioned help you to reclaim what was rightfully yours.

Sources: 1 & 2

You Snooze, You Lose: How Missing Opportunities Can Cost You

If you are not knowledgeable about the existence of English idioms, I bet you are wondering about the meaning behind the title.

What is it with me and my adoration for idiomatic expressions? For starters, most writers dance with the words to choreograph deeper stories. My fondness for the underlying meanings attracted me to this type of phrases. Let us go back to the matter at hand.

“You snooze, you lose” pertains to the rationale that waiting too long for an opportunity can result to not gaining what you want or to the success of someone else. Someone else can beat you at opening the doors of great possibilities if you let things slide. I cannot blame you! It is usually difficult to pinpoint if a certain opportunity can bring future rewards.

Image Credits: www.pixabay.com

If you had a fortune-telling ability or a magic crystal ball then, you could envision whether your decision is a clever move or a huge mistake. That sounds undeniably useful when used with precaution. However, it is far from reality! Just take a moment to reflect upon the missed opportunities at the tech industry. I will start with a story that is close to social media addict’s heart.

Facebook giant Mark Zuckerberg once invited five people to participate in his upcoming business venture. About a decade ago, only two people showed up. These two people namely Dustin Moskovitz and Eduardo Saverin are billionaires today. I can only imagine the impact of Facebook’s success to these three close-minded people.

The next story highlights a relevant brand in today’s culture – the Apple. Steve Jobs offered his boss, the Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell, a chance to invest US$50,000 (about S$67,000) to Apple. He let the opportunity pass by. If he accepted the offer, he would have owned a third of the company. Its market value now is about US$535 billion (about S$724 billion).

Turning down an innovative idea may cost you. But, what is worse than taking a conscious effort to say “NO”? Doing nothing!

Indifference toward an opportunity has its consequences and sometimes these consequences exceed that of a bad decision. For instance, Amy hired a financial consultant to help manage her trendy restaurant. The financial consultant exhausted all his resources to search the most profitable location for a new branch. Despite the priceless efforts that the financial consultant gave, Amy opted to do nothing about it. Among her reasons for indecision was lack of time to discuss about the matter. This can potentially cost affect the entire brand.

Aside from close-mindedness and indecisiveness, there are other ways to dodge a shining opportunity. Do yourself a favor and beware of these instances:

a. by beginning with a negative mindset or a wrong goal in mind,
b. by not being persuasive enough to make a recommendation,
c. by not doing sufficient research on the company you are applying for, and
d. by ignoring your online reputation.

Image Credits: www.pixabay.com

Analyze the situation and make a calculated decision when a blossoming chance comes along. The expense of missed opportunity can be exorbitant to your job performance, work relationships, credibility, and wealth. Do not risk these things due to indecisiveness and close-mindedness.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

5 Singapore Online Stores To Bookmark Now

My sister is sweeping the Web for the perfect birthday present that her friend will deeply appreciate. Helping her through this task made me realize that you can find just about anything online. From bacon lip balm to a Nicholas Cage pillowcase, you type it to get it!

On that note, here are the 5 Singapore online stores that are worth your time:

SMOOCH THE LABEL

If you are on a hunt for elegant dresses that can be worn for any occasion, search no further than Smooth the Label. It is Sarah Lim’s first leap of faith. Ever since she started the e-commerce business in 2010, she had been carefully choosing the pieces to be manufactured for the brand. Each of the designs are embellished with her own unique touch.

The shop’s widespread prices range from S$9.80 to S$80. Best of all? The shipping in Singapore is always free.

HIPVAN

Since its emergence in the past three years, HipVan has been making waves regionally due to its lifestyle design inspirations and great sales. It is founded by Danny Tan, Kevin Vo, Deborah Wee, and Shobhit Datta with a whopping fund of S$500,000. This awesome online store delights you with up to 70% off the retail prices of furniture, accessories, kitchen-wares, and so much more. Check their collections at www.hipvan.com.

Image Credits: www.facebook.com/thehipvan

ECO CITY HYDROPONICS

As the name suggests, Eco City Hydroponics focuses on the lesser-known subset of hydro-culture called the hydroponics. It is a method of cultivating plants using mineral nutrient solutions instead of soil. This online store provides home delivery of products such as Bunching Onion and Vegetable Soy Bean seeds. If you are critical about this type of urban farming, try out their Hydroponic Hobby Kit first.

KOHE PETS

Where else can you spot an online pet store that is affordable, convenient, accessible, and offers free samples? Well, nowhere but Kohe Pets!

Kohe Pets regularly dishes out free samples of their products so that the clients can easily find out the most suitable treat to their pet’s taste. It has a huge selection of more than 2,500 reasonably priced products ranging from the popular brands to the special brands that are difficult to find in the country. According to testimonials, their deliver service is swift as customers typically receive their orders on the next day.

BOOKSACTUALLY

One of my favorite hobbies to let the time pass is reading. Searching endlessly through a myriad of brands, I found an indie gem called BooksActually. It is my go-to place for enigmatic titles and creative stationary. It houses beautifully written pieces of literature by local and international authors.

The website is crisp, simple, and neat. Go and see for yourself!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Have fun while shopping! 🙂

Source: Vulcan Post

7 Clever Strategies To Save Cash While Shopping Healthy

According to a study published by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, consuming healthy food can save you money. The participants lost weight and reduced their grocery budget.

Mimic these effects by choosing healthier options and shying away from junk.

1. AVOID THE CONVENIENT

Salad sets containing assorted lettuce seems convenient but, these are a bit expensive. Individual greens can also be more vulnerable to turning wilted at a short amount of time. This is why it makes more sense to purchase the heads of lettuce, which are cheaper and usually longer lasting.

2. EMBRACE THE OATS

One of my go-to healthy fixes is the oatmeal. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber which helps lower your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. Embrace the power of the a bowl of oats by topping it off with grated apples, almonds, or honey. Try the Quaker Quickcook Oatmeal Hearty Supreme that retails for only S$2.95.

3. BULK UP

Bulking up is applicable to some situations than others. For staples like oil and noodles, you can always stock up when they are on sale. Do not forget to compare the prices per weight of the bulk items as well as standalone items before you decide that the bulk section provides a better deal.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

4. KEEP IT GROUNDED

Ground or minced beef has a reputation of being budget-friendly as compared to its other counterparts. To get the maximum benefits for your health, go for the lean ground beef. Use it as an ingredient to your tacos or spaghetti. You may also make some patties with lettuce as its buns.

5. DITCH THE SODAS

If you are looking forward to trimming your belly before the December festivities, ditch the sodas. Sodas are not only high in calories but they also contain carbonated bubbles. These bubbles can accumulate in your belly and add a bulge. Stick to water or tea as much as possible. Try the Sea Dyke Oolong Tea for S$1.10 or the Dilmah Green Tea for S$3.85.

6. BIGGER IS BETTER

What is better than a piece of carrot? A bunch of them, of course!

You can save more money by cutting your own “big” carrots into smaller bit-sized sticks instead of purchasing the prepackaged “baby” carrots. It is best to cook these carrots to get most of the beta-carotene as these root veggies can be internally hard to break down. Moreover, carrots are full of Vitamin A, Vitamin B8, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and Potassium.

7. ALWAYS COME PREPARED

It always pays well if you come to the store prepared. Nutrition expert Katherine Tallmadge encapsulates this concept when she said: “Take inventory of what you have on hand so you don’t overbuy. Create a detailed shopping list based on your needs and weekly menu plan, and take into account how you plan on using leftovers.”

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Moreover, you may bring your last grocery receipt along as a guide.

Sources: 1 & 2

Should You Spend Your Hard-Earned Money On Wireless Accessories?

Many people have been buzzing about Apple’s latest innovation – the AirPods. The AirPods are made to be wireless, effortless, and magical. These will sell for about S$238 a pop by October. The price is certainly outrageous for a simple gal like me!

Before you redirect to a review on Apple’s trendy wireless accessory, let me backtrack to the Bluetooth wireless headsets and headphones. There are many versions of Bluetooth wireless headsets and headphones attempted by different manufacturers. This is ideal as consumers can pick the most suitable device to suit their needs.

Speaking from my own experience, I was recently gifted with a Philips Bluetooth stereo headset. It let me take calls and listen to music conveniently. I was impressed at how easy and smooth it was to switch between music and calls while maintaining the strong connectivity. The cushion of the headset was soft, which makes it perfect for longer use. Its battery life is decent too. However, as I expected, the quality of the sound was not as good as a wired device. It did not live up to its claim of producing “lifelike sound balance quality”. Using this accessory for quite some time made me wonder if investing one’s hard-earned money on wireless accessories is worth it.

To make a solid decision, you will have to consider various factors that interact in this situation. Start by determining what you need. If your audiophile heart has a longstanding love affair with the “noise cancelling” feature then, go for it. Spending hundred dollars on an amazing Bluetooth wireless headphone that you will use all the time is a worthy investment. However, you can get better accessories without spending that much money if you can live without that feature. Some S$50 wired headphones may sound better than a S$200 Bluetooth wireless headphone. Keep this factor in mind.

Second, you must determine what you can realistically afford. A nice trick is to visualize the act of replacing your accessory every month or two. As you visualize this, think of an amount that you can easily work with if you are going thru the constant replacement. Do not spend more money than you can afford in a short-term basis.

Third, you must accept the seemingly opposing sound qualities produced by the wired and wireless accessories. This is one of the major reasons why people are hesitant to invest in one. For people who are sensitive and particular when it comes to sound, wireless accessories may not be for them. This is because Bluetooth accessories manipulate music unlike wired headphones. Brandt Ranj of Business Insider can simplify things for you.

“Wired headphones will sound better overall, but most people won’t be able to tell the difference.” – Brandt Ranj

The fourth factor is the battery life. Wireless accessories have batteries and these die down. They free you from the tangling cables but, you will have to worry about recharging it. The mere act of connecting the wired USB hub when the accessory is not used is such a chore for some people. I completely understand as recharging one’s headphones or earphones is a relatively new concept.

Lastly, you must consider the biggest benefit of the wireless accessories. I am talking about how hassle-free these pieces of technology are. You can leave your tablet at the kitchen counter while you sweep the floors and listen to happy tunes. You can also throw your smartphone in your bag while listening to energizing songs as you workout in the gym.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Do what you want without having to worry about getting caught in a fashion mishap. Let us face it! Getting your wires stuck on a stranger’s coat is never attractive.

Sources:1 & 2

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