Staycation Ideas That Won’t Break The Bank

By definition, staycation is a holiday taken at home or near your own home. Taking a much needed rest after countless hours of work is truly rewarding. However, the thought of spending on your short vacation may pull you back. Fret not! Budget or time constraint will not stop you from traveling within the wonders of our country.

STAYCATION FOR THE FAMILY

There are two local hotels that offer family packages perfect for a staycation. These hotels are Park Hotel and Village Hotel. The former entices you with two rooms for the price of one! What’s more? Park Hotel Clarke Quay has an exclusive family package that enables children under the age of 12 to stay there for FREE! This package includes breakfast, complimentary kid’s meals, in-house amenities, internet access, and weekend room upgrades. Book a room at parkhotelgroup.com to spend more time with the ones you love.

Now, the latter emphasizes on the nostalgic aura exuded by the Village Hotel Katong. For a little over S$250, you may enjoy a memory-inducing accommodation for two adults and two children. Take your children to the olden days by playing a free Singaporean family game set or by immersing yourselves in authentic Peranakan high teas. This ultimate staycation embodies the #throwback that Millennials overuse today. Booking period for this package is until December 30, 2019!

STAYCATION WITH FRIENDS

There are two ways to go about it – you can either camp out or slumber in. For camping out, you may consider forming a tent at East Coast Park. Skate or cycle your heart away, before indulging in a barbecue feast or picnic by the view. Having no bicycle is not a problem as you can rent from there.

For squads who prefer staying in, you may consider staying at Hotel G or Hotel Mi. Hotel G’s wide selection of 308 rooms are categorized from Good to Greater. Oh! I forgot to mention the affordable rates that start from S$128. The place is a surefire steal considering that it is nestled between Bugis and Dhoby!

I am sure that you are wondering about Hotel G‘s aesthetics. The rooms are decked out in an artistic or rather vintage-style manner. Its gym sways to the industrial design with its grey brick walls and monochromatic portraits. Burning calories through the punching bags, treadmills, and cycling machines is tiring. So, relax at the bar called Ginett. It serves up French wines that cost about S$6 at least.

Lastly, you may score a room for about a hundred-dollar a night at Hotel Mi. It stretches your buck as you can enjoy the in-house amenities such as the pool and the gym. The rooms are airy with a delightful modern look. However, the real steal is its superb location. It is merely a minute away from the Downtown Line. Spoil your options at it is surrounded by a slew of cafes, marts, and stores!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Sources: 1 & 2

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Organic Beer, Is It A Thing?

The 90s gave birth to iconic trends such as tattoo chokers and cropped tops. Along with these trends was the invention of the organic beer. In America, two breweries reign supreme when it comes to organic beer. These two where Lakefront Brewing Co. in Milwaukee and Eel River Brewing Co. in Northern California. Now there are a handful of brands to choose from.

It is easy to call something “organic”, but what does it mean exactly? A beer can put the organic seal if it meets the following guidelines:

a. it is at least 95% organically produced (i.e., without GMOs, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers)

b. the brewery must prove that the remaining ingredients are not available in sufficient organic quantities or organic form

A beer can still be labelled “made with organic…”, if the brewery used at least 70% of organic ingredients excluding salt and water. Beyond this, a beer can be given a 100% organic certification if the entire process including cleaning and making materials was organic. Such beers are understandably rare!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Why Should You Drink Organic Beer?

It comes as no surprise that drinking organic beer helps support agriculture. Beer is made with grains, fruits, vegetables, spices, yeast, and water. You can help keep the groundwater clean, reduce the toxic air pollution, and protect the organic farmers when you buy ingredients that are produced organically. If you already subscribe to organic meat and organic produce, why not switch to organic beer too?

Let us focus on the price of organic beer. In most cases, its price is the same as many craft beers. This enables you to enjoy the healthy taste of beer at budget-friendly prices.

Further research in the organic beer industry led me to the discovery of Bison’s Chocolate Stout. It is a product made with Peruvian cocoa from Bison Brewing Co. Aside from this, you may also try Bison Brewing Co’s Honey Basil beer or Organic Hop Cuvee West Coast Ale. Sweet beers quench my preference for sweet alcoholic beverages.

You may also try Lakefront Brewery’s Chad. It is a product that exudes a special bitter taste with a spicy flair. You may have guessed that the product was brewed by a cellar-man whose name is Chad.

Nonetheless, you may check out the organic alcoholic beverages at your nearby supermarket or by visiting alcohaul.sg.

“I wanted to create a beer that connected my healthy, active lifestyle with my social life, and bring it all together.” —Smart Beer Founder Gabriel Heymann

Can You Make Your Own Organic Beer?

The short answer is “YES”! Simply round up these ingredients: malted grain, hop, water, and yeast. Then, follow the instructions found in organicauthority.com.

Sources:1 & 2

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How to Sell Your Items Beyond Facebook

There are many ways to gain extra income by selling your old or new items. All you need is a good strategy!

CONCEPT STORES

The new wave of retail came in the recent years due to the boom of concept stores that integrate different types such as blog-shops or locker pop-up spaces. Concept stores or consignment stores fuse different brands in one house. Be advised that the store will take up rent fees as well as a cut from your sales. Many people are attracted to concept stores due to the convenience of having items sold in one place without worrying about various listings. You have to decide whether this works best for you.

PAWN SHOPS

When I was in Bangkok, I noticed that our driver watched The History Channel’s Pawn Stars during his downtime. The show revolves around a family spearheaded by owner Rick. People bid some of the most unique collectibles they hid in their basements. Pawn shops are good places to sell your ancestral jewelry, musical instruments, and other collectibles. You would get the most out of your money when you have your item appraised in person. Nonetheless, it is convenient to have others sell your items in an immediate period of time. Some of the Pawn shops in the country include Toa Payoh’s Min Tai and Tanjong Pagar’s Ban Joo.

GARAGE SALES

Whether you want to get rid of several items or you want to share your unused items, you could house a garage sale at your house. Prepare a space in your flat to showcase your items in a pleasing manner. Make invitations to give out to your friends and neighbors. Garage sales entail a traditional way to eliminate unwanted items.

Alternatively, you may rent a space for cheap. I found a website that offers cheap spaces for as low as S$10 per day. It is an eleven sq. ft. display counter at Suntec. Or, you may rent a forty-dollar per day space at Orchid Hotel.

ONLINE APPS

One of the easiest ways to sell your new or old products thru a smartphone is with Carousell. Simply snap a product, include basic information, and post it thru the app. Items on Carousell are presented in an Instagram-style grids. Buyers can leave public or private comments when they are interested. The only downside is that Carousell does not support any form of payments. Most users either meet up or do bank transfer to fulfill a deal.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

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Save Up To $82/Month On Delivery Fees With Grab’s Food Plans

If you love GrabFood (like we all do!), you are in for a treat with Grab’s latest offering.

Food Plans are subscription plans under GrabFood that are designed to help subscribers achieve massive savings automatically.

For a limited time only, subscribe to Grab’s Free Delivery Subscription Food Plan and save up to $82 on delivery fees in a month.

Arnold’s Fried Chicken on GrabFood

What Is The Free Delivery Subscription Food Plan?

Order the Dian Xiao Er’s Signature Herbal Roast Duck on GrabFood

For only $7.99/month, you will get 30 free deliveries per month under the Free Delivery Subscription Food Plan. Given that GrabFood’s delivery fee averages about $3 per delivery, the Free Delivery Subscription Food Plan can deliver (pun intended) massive savings of up to $82 per month! In case you are curious, here’s the math:

  • $3 X 30 Free Deliveries – $7.99 (Cost of Subscription of Free Delivery Subscription Food Plan)

Furthermore, as an added convenience for GrabFood user, subscription plans are also auto-renewed monthly. This smooth and hassle-free process ensures that you do not miss out on any savings. Not to worry, subscribers can cancel anytime they change their mind.

Toast Box’s Drumstick Braised Pork Rice

Limited-time Launch Promo Giveaways

As part of Food Plan’s launch promotion, you get to save EVEN MORE when you subscribe today! A total of $15 worth of GrabFood vouchers:

  • 1X$5 off (with min. spend of $10)
  • 1X$10 off (with min. spend of $20)

will be given away as part of the launch promotion. These vouchers will be credited into your account instantaneously upon confirmation of subscription.

How To Subscribe To Grab’s Food Plan?

  1. Launch the Grab App and tap on your Profile Picture
  2. Select ‘Subscriptions’
  3. Scroll to find ‘Food Plans’ & tap ‘View Plan’
  4. Select ‘Free Delivery Subscription’ and tap ‘Get This Plan’
  5. Tap ‘Confirm’ to subscribe after you have checked your payment details
  6. You will find the vouchers awarded to you instantly!

Wait no more and sign up for GrabFood’s Free Delivery Subscription Food Plan to save up to $82 of delivery fees in a month!

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Rise And Fall Of Sembawang Music Centre

Remember the time when cassette tapes and CDs were a big deal? Well, the popularity of stereo and portable CD players came with the massive impact of Sembawang Music Centre (SMC).

Before we reminisce the existence of this local legend, let us go back to the birth of the CD. The CD is often times attributed to inventor James Russell who used multiple optical mediums. However, it was finalized in the 80’s when Sony and Philips created the famed “Red Book” standard. The standard follows a 120mm diameter disc with music at a resolution of 16 bit/44.1kHz. To many, this is still regarded as the optimal digital standard. This newly revamped CD made its way to the greater public in 1983.

It makes sense why Sembawang Music Centre reigned supreme in the 1990’s to early 2000’s. From cassette tapes to CDs, music enthusiasts of the yesteryears were satisfied with the collection of SMC. It is a mainstay in the music retail industry with an operation spanning for more than two decades. Students often save up every cent of their allowance to buy an album or two!

Image Credits: straitstimes.com

It got its name from the shopping centre from which it started – the Sembawang Shopping Centre. In its humble beginnings, it stored some of the most rare music finds. It made every weekend a musical treasure hunt for adolescents and adults alike. During its peak, it had about 26 outlets in Singapore! Several outlets were found in Raffles City, Thomson Plaza, and Plaza Singapura. Having decent locations were not enough to avoid its downfall! The digital wave in the music industry made retail stores like SMC obsolete. You can buy almost any song from iTunes, stream your favorite playlists in Spotify, or download illegally at no-cost from various websites.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

People like to listen to music and they like it now! The convenience that digital music platforms can offer led to the diminishing popularity of physical music retail stores. As a result, Sembawang Music Center filed for bankruptcy and eventual closure in 2009. SMC, you will always be a part of Singapore’s musical history.

Sources: 1 & 2

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