Last-Minute Christmas Shopping Guide In Singapore

The temptation to turn on the Jingle Bell Rock or the Polar Express movie is approaching its peak level! Despite it being the 24th of December, I am sure that some of you have yet to purchase a set of Yuletide gifts. Your time is running out and your meeting your family soon. What must you do to get all your presents sorted out for the party?

Firstly, throw the online shopping option out of the window. The shipping period will never come in time no matter how much you click the “express” option.

Alas! There is still work to be done. Consider these shopping spots while you begin your search.

#1: THE POPULAR ONE

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of shopping? Well, Orchard Road of course. Its world-class array of malls has gained popularity among tourists and locals alike. Hit up the retail havens such as ION Orchard and Paragon to explore international brands (of different price scales) such as Editor’s Market, Mango, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. Nonetheless, almost everything can be found in TANGS.

Score great deals in footwear, cosmetics, clothing, and other items as you stroll around Orchard Road.

#2: THE HIP ONE

If you want to take Instagrammable photos while you continue your last-minute shopping, head down to Haji Lane or Bugis Street. These places attract shoppers and tourists on a daily basis. These two venues may be in close proximity with each other but, they offer contrasting shopping experiences. Haji Lane has an array of vintage or artisanal items that highlight one’s craftsmanship. While, Bugis Street is well-loved for its extremely low prices and Korean-centric stores. Both venues offer trendy and timeless pieces that will delight your fashionista friend or family member.

Get the best prices by strolling around Haji Lane or Bugis Street before committing to a final purchase.

#3: THE ALL-NIGHTER

From traditional Indian clothing to brightly-colored accessories, you can make your way to Little India to shop in a lively cultural part of Singapore. Visit Mustafa Centre for Christmastime gifts varying from children’s toys to sporting goods. What’s more? This massive store is open for 24 hours. Thus, you may literally shop until you drop.

Do indulge in a cultural immersion while you shop around.

#4: THE BIG ONE

What better way to spend your last-minute shopping ordeal than by visiting the city’s largest shopping mall – the VivoCity. VivoCity houses the cheap Japanese outlet Daiso where you can spend as little as S$2 for a stocking stuffer. Furthermore, there are other glistening brands such as Sephora and Pandora. Who can say no to a set of jewels and makeup?

If you have your little ones with you, you may let them have fun at the open-air playground on the second level or splash around in the water-based Sky Park on the third level while you shop around.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

With a countless array of shopping malls and indie outlets, Singapore offers the perfect spot for your last-minute Yuletide shopping. Good luck!

Source: Visit Singapore

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How To Carry Foreign Currency When Traveling

Armed with a debit card and a stack of American dollars, my significant other and I went on a vacation recently. We needed to unwind as we take a step back from the hustle and bustle of the city.

One thing is for sure! It was a good idea for us to research on how to carry foreign currency in a country we have not been before. Consider the following methods to safely convert your money to foreign currency while traveling.

#1: CREDIT CARD

Credit cards are best used for significant purchases such as hotel reservations, car rentals, and airline tickets. Credit card purchases are usually exchanged at the interbank exchange rate, which leans towards your advantage. What’s more? There are credit cards that rub off their rewards such as added travel insurance or airport lounge access.

The only downside with carrying mere credit card is that some restaurants or stores do not accept credit card transactions. While there are advantages in carrying a credit card, keep in mind the charges that can add up quickly as you return home.

#2: DEBIT CARD OR ATM

Arguably the most convenient and cheapest way to get local cash is to swipe your debit card through the ATMs. You will reap the same interbank exchange rate when you make cash withdrawals through your ATM or debit card as you do when you make a credit card purchase. Spend directly from your bank account with your Visa or MasterCard debit card when you go overseas. Simply ensure that you are aware of the in tree international transaction fees that come with it.

The downside to using your debit card is its foreign ATM use and currency conversion fees. Research on this.

#3: CASH

For immediate purchases that you must consume within the first 24 hours, it is a good idea to carry an ample amount of foreign currency. Before you leave Singapore, remember to exchange your SGD to foreign currency to handle expenses such as taking a cab or buying a meal. Use your cash until you can find the nearest ATM.

It goes without saying that you would not get the greatest conversion rate from your home country. However, it provides a cushion for your immediate expenses and prevents you from being stranded. If you are traveling to a major international airport or a well-known city, you probably do not need to hoard cash as ATMs are of access.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

A WORD FOR SAFE KEEPING

When you are traveling or living overseas, it is entirely impossible that you will not need to spend money in the local currency. Whether you are paying for your essentials or sending money back home, there are several ways to secure your funds.

Research is your best-friend! Know where to get or how to convert your funds while you travel. Bring a small amount of foreign currency abroad unless you can guarantee that the conversion rate is favorable to you.

Nonetheless, you may carry your local currency along with your plastic cards as you cross different countries. Convert your local currency periodically when needed.

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Ways to organize budget-friendly kid’s birthday party in Singapore

Kids are the bundles of joy. They bring immense happiness to the lives of the family members. Being the parent you want to shower him/her with happiness only. You want to fulfill all the dreams that the little member of your family is weaving. That’s why your kid’s birthday is also a big event for you. Birthday comes once a year and you must spend this day well and shower him/her with gorgeous birthday gifts. But again for that, you don’t always need a huge bank balance. And even when you have profuse income, why not save the money for your kid’s education rather than spending lavishly on his birthday party? So, in case you are looking out for budget-friendly or low-budget ideas to celebrate your kid’s birthday party in Singapore, then read below:

Home is the best venue:

No venue can be as inexpensive as your home. It’s free if it’s your own and in case you are already paying rent then also it’s perfect. Streaks n Strokes, My Little Climbing Room, or MINT Museum of Toys are some of the happening places to host a kid’s birthday party. But these places would be expensive and that’s why bring some elements as per the taste of your kids and decorate your home. If your kid is a fan of Minions, then, bring things like cut-outs of Minions and place them at different places. Use all your kid’s favorite superhero quotes and images as theme to give your home a perfect birthday special makeover. That way, you will save lots of money. And also remember that if you book any outside area as the birthday party venue, then, you will also need extra transport costs to reach there.

Bake your cake:

There are various online shops and local shops where you will find various designer cakes. And you also know they are costly. You can prepare the same cake at your home. All you need to do is watch a few videos on YouTube and buy the baking accessory items that are necessary. United Bakery Supplies, Bake King, and Sun Lik Trading are some of the places where you can easily find what you want. If you say that you don’t have an oven then you can always borrow that from a friend or relative for a day.

E-mail or Messenger invitation:

Save paper and also the cost of printing on your kid’s birthday party and opt for easier ways to send out your invitation. This way you will be able to contribute something to the environment also. Simply write fun and cute invitation and send them through e-mail, messenger, or WhatsApp. It will save the time of going to a press, selecting a card, waiting for them to arrive, and then sending them to everyone’s address.

Plan Food cleverly:

The best time to host a kid’s birthday party would be post-lunch hours and bring an end to it by the evening. Those ways, there won’t be any heavy meal commitment and you will save much. The kids will have their lunch while they arrive at 3-3:30 P.M. Provide lemonade or any special drink that you can make at home and after the cake-cutting ceremony distribute plates with a piece of cake, some candies, and spring roll/sandwich.

Plan activities too:

Don’t spend anything on a balloon carrying guy or a joker for entertaining the kids. Go for treasure hunt games that you can arrange yourself. Arrange quiz contest and give out nice gifts. These gifts can be anything like fresh fruits or popcorns dipped in chocolates or a box of sketch pens or crayons – that you can arrange in a tight budget.

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Have a Personal Finance Question but Paiseh to Ask? Why Not Ask on Seedly?

Personal finance is one of those things which was never taught in school but it immediately became apparent how important it is when you start working and have to pay for your own sh*t.

It gets worse when your friends start talking about stuff like “qualifying for tax relief by doing voluntary top-ups to SA” and discussing hacks to “maximise miles accrual and cashback rebates” by using different credit cards to pay for their monthly bills.

After a while, it seems like everyone has successfully transitioned to adulthood while you’re still figuring out what you actually want to do with your life.

Eventually, you’ll find yourself going quiet during group gatherings because:

If this is you, or if you’re afraid that this will be you in a couple of years time…

Why not ask the Seedly Personal Finance Community your personal finance questions?

It’s a huge online community where lots of personal finance enthusiasts and professionals from various institutions related to personal finance (like insurance, wealth management, and investment) hang out.

Best of all, you can even ask your questions anonymously!

Free Advice? Sure Boh…

If you haven’t heard of Seedly, they’re a one-stop personal finance platform, which aims to help Singaporeans make smarter financial decisions.

They do this through their educational, but fun to read SeedlyReads, which explains issues and topics related to personal finance in a simple manner.

But they also recognised that readers of SeedlyReads might have questions after reading.

That’s why they created the Seedly Personal Finance Community where you can ask your personal finance-related questions and get answers.

Yep.

They’re awesome like that.

How Can the Seedly Personal Finance Community Help Me?

The Seedly Personal Finance Community is made up of various personal enthusiasts, experts from various institutions and even the CPF Board.

Regardless of what kind of questions you have, you will definitely find a community or topic page that should satiate your curiosity. Even if you can’t find the answer, you can post your question and a community member who can answer it will do so.

Oh, and if you come across a question which you can answer, why not pay it forward by leaving an answer as well?

Some of the communities you’ll find include:

MileLion

Are you a miles or points enthusiast who wants to learn and share new ways of travelling better for less?

Then you’ll want to join the MileLion community.

Curious about credit card points accrual systems? Want to deepen your knowledge on hotel and airline loyalty programs?

Aaron Wong, founder of MileLion, will personally answer your questions.

SG Budget Babe

If you’re interested in cashback hacks or are a parent (or soon-to-be), then this is the community for you.

The host of the community page, SG Budget Babe, is none other than Dawn Fiona (founder of SG Budget Babe) herself.

Fans of SG Budget Babe can ask her questions about how to achieve a financially free lifestyle in Singapore and she’ll answer them personally.

Stocks Discussion

Whether you’re a seasoned investor or an amateur looking to make your first investment, the Stocks Discussion community is the perfect place to ask like-minded stocks investing enthusiasts and gurus for their investment insights and advice.

Some active members on the page include:

After all, it’s always better to learn from someone’s mistakes than to make them yourself right?

So, How Do I Ask the Seedly Community My Questions?

Simply head over to the Seedly website, click on “Ask Community” to get to the Seedly Personal Finance Community Page.

Once you’re there, click on “Ask A Question” to ask your question.

If someone has asked a similar question, you’ll be prompted via a dropdown menu.

All you have to do is pick the question that is closest to yours to find out what the community’s answers are!

And if it’s a question that no one has asked before, simply complete the form, choose the category which you think best suits your question and click “Post”!

Psst! If you’re really shy, just check the “Ask anonymously” box and your question will be posted anonymously.

Why Should I Ask My Questions on Seedly?

Still sceptical about asking your personal finance questions and getting answers?

What if you could stand a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to Bali for 2 just by following Seedly communities and being active on their platform?

Seedly is sending three lucky winners to Bali (via Scoot) to enjoy a 3D2N stay at Lloyd’s Inn Bali, Seminyak for their Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway!

All you have to do is join one or all of the following communities: SG Budget Babe, MileLion, Stocks Discussion and be active.

You can ask or answer questions, and even receive upvotes to gain points and move up the leaderboard!

The Top 10 from each community will participate in a Live Lucky Draw during Seedly’s exclusive Christmas Party where one lucky member from each community will walk away with the Grand Prize. The rest will each win a $30 NTUC Income Voucher + a Mystery Gift!

Ask your burning personal finance questions, get answers, and even stand a chance to win Seedly’s Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway?

It’s truly a Christmas miracle.

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Shopee celebrates its Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale with non-stop deals, sales and promotions galore

Beauty products for men, electronics for women; you can buy everything on Shopee!

As the year-end shopping festival draws to a close, Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, celebrates its fourth birthday with the launch of the Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale. For this grand finale, Shopee is going all out to bring users unbeatable promotions, upsized Flash Deals, new in-app games,
and more.

The Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale: two weeks of non-stop deals From 29 November to 12 December, users can enjoy two weeks of super promotions and entertainment, as well as free shipping and 10% cashback with no minimum spend. Key highlights include:

● Unbeatable prices on some of our most in-demand products such as the Etude House Eyebrow Pencil and HP Sprocket Studio Photo Printer.
○ Interestingly, Shopee’s data showed that male shoppers are increasingly searching for beauty and personal care products such as eyebrow pencils, while women are searching for electronics such as photo printers!

● The return of the popular themed days such as the 12.12 Tech Day on 1 December and 12.12 Health & Beauty Day on 8 December.
● On 12 December, shoppers can enjoy storewide discounts of up to 90% off leading brands, upsized Flash Deals, and more.

Celebrate Shopee’s Birthday with a host of party games

Shopee will be bringing back iconic games such as Shopee Catch and Shopee Shake, along with new in-app games, to offer users an even more engaging and social shopping experience.
● Users can play Shopee Catch and Shopee Shake twice daily, and stand a chance to win up to 400,000 Shopee Coins and attractive prizes worth more than $1,000.
● Users can play Shopee Throw up to five times daily and win up to 110,000 Shopee Coins and vouchers.
● Flip & Match is a new memory game where users match cards within 90 seconds to win Shopee Coins.

Leading brands crash the party with irresistible deals

Leading brands on Shopee Mall will join the Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale to offer users tons of deals, including:
● Over 100 brand boxes with popular items from top brands, including Logitech, L’Oréal, SK Jewellery, and more, at up to 80% off.
● 2-Hour Brands Flash Sale on 12 December with upsized storewide discounts of up to 90% off brands like JBL, Razer, Philips, and Fossil

Key partners bring users more reasons to shop and give back this 12.12

Shopee has also teamed up with key partners to provide users with exclusive privileges and allow users to donate to causes they support during the Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale.
● Join the giving movement with #ShopeeGivesBack : Users can donate Shopee Coins to the Children’s Wishing Well, Food from the Heart, and Habitat for Humanity. With every Shopee Coin donated, Shopee will match the amount donated to the respective charity. Shopee is also collaborating with sellers to make food donations to
Food from the Heart.
● Win attractive prizes with Standard Chartered: From 29 November to 3 December, users can play a Standard Chartered adaptation of Shopee Slice to win attractive prizes such as a 2D1N staycation, Bose SoundLink Revolve Plus Bluetooth Speaker, and more.
● More discounts with exclusive bank partners :
○ On 29 November and 2 December, Shopee users can enjoy up to $20 off with a minimum spend of $120 when they check out on Shopee with a DBS/POSB Credit Card, OCBC Credit or Debit Card, Standard Chartered Credit Card, or a UOB Credit/Debit Card

○ On 12 December, Shopee users can enjoy $12 off with a minimum spend of $80 when they check out on Shopee with a DBS/POSB Credit Card, Standard Chartered Credit Card, UOB Credit/Debit Card, or Dash Visa Virtual Account

Tiger Wang, Head of Marketing, Shopee Singapore, said,

Shopee has achieved incredible success over the past year, cementing its position as the leading e-commerce platform in the region. We have done this by providing our users with a highly-localised, mobile-first, and social shopping experience. We would like to thank our shoppers, sellers, brands, and partners for their unwavering support, and share our success with them. As 2019 comes to a close, we invite all our users to end the year on a high note, and join us in celebrating yet another key milestone in our Shopee journey.

Find out more about the Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale here: https://shopee.sg/12-12.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play

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