It is no secret that buying organic and healthy foods is more costly than buying junk. But, if you are willing to shop smartly, then you can enjoy the goodness and freshness of organic foods without breaking your food budget. Here are 5 Ways to Shop for Healthy Foods Without Spending Too Much…
1. Purchase Within Your Family’s Needs
Buy stocks of food to fit your whole family. Usually, to save more money, you will want to buy in bulk, but, not if you are a family of three or two. Rethink your family’s needs and list it down.
2. Shop Around
In order for you to find the best price in town, you must shop around different stores. Besides supermarkets, you can search for healthy foods in specialty stores, Gourmet Delis, Wet and Dry Markets, and even Online. For instance, you may go to two different stores to save money and buy the best product: one for the vegetables and one for the sea foods.
Image Credits: epSos .de via Flickr
3. Shop in Season
You will definitely save more money if you purchase the organic produce that is in season. Price always lowers when there is greater supply. Summer and fall are usually the best times to go creative with your food choices.
4. Grow Your Own Food
Growing your own food is organic at its finest. If you do not have a backyard or an apartment balcony there are community gardens for you to plant your own seed. Aside from being domestic, you can also save more money if you buy produce of the local supermarket’s brand (e.g. Mixed Vegetables by FairPrice).
5. Go Gaga over Greens
Kale, arugula, and spinach are some of the most nutritious and affordable foods you will find in a grocery store. As the color of the vegetable gets darker, the more nutritious it is because of its antioxidants and beta-carotene. If possible, buy the leafy greens that are not pre-packed because they are cheaper.
Image Credits: Amazing Almonds via Flickr
BONUS TIP! Stay on the outside aisles of the grocery store because the further you go inside, the less healthy it becomes. That is all for now. Have fun shopping!
“Do you want travel insurance?”, a sentence has become so common that it is now included in the menu of tour packages and online travel booking. While some of us may be guilty of travelling without getting covered, travel insurance has now evolved into a need rather than a want.
Ask yourself these questions:
Who will evacuate you when you are injured on top of Mount Fuji?
Who will bear the cost of cancelled air tickets or tour package during the protests in Hong Kong? A flood in Australia? Or if you and your travel companion is hospitalized days before your travel?
Who will be the one you call when you are terribly ill in Europe? Or when your rented car has crashed into a monumental sculpture?
Who will cover the cost of your essentials when you lost your baggage or your travel documents?
The list can go on but instead of trying to spoil your holiday planning, we have come up with a guide for you to compare travel insurance plans in Singapore.
We had compiled the data across different insurance companies so that you can have an idea of which offer the best cover for each risks you identified as well as getting the cheapest travel insurance in Singapore.
Let us first examine a few common benefits that you should be looking at when purchasing a travel insurance.
Medical treatment and emergency evacuation
(Image credit: Phalinn Ooi, via Flickr)
Sure, you can be as healthy as a horse but you can’t avoid getting hit by someone skiing down the mountain or prevent a dengue mosquito that wants to sting you. Shit happens, and that could cost you ten or thousands of dollars when you are overseas. It is not too bad if there is a hospital nearby but what if you are trekking on the remotest part of the island? Emergency medical evacuation could easily set you back between $75,000 – $300,000.
You don’t want me to add the medical expenses, do you?
From our list, Singapore Airline Travel Guard offers the best cover for medical and accidental dental expenses when you are overseas. You can claim unlimited benefits from their International plan underwritten by AIG. For emergency evacuation and repatriation, there are many companies that offer unlimited cover, including AIG’s own flagship Travel Guard plans. The word ‘unlimited’ is equivalent to a peace of mind that is important to all travelers, including myself.
Accidental death and permanent disability
(Image credit: Dominik Golenia, via Flickr)
Should the most unfortunate event that results in death and permanent disability, there is an additional payout to you and your family members. Aviva offers the highest coverage of up to $2million to protect you and you family from the liability of you suffering from permanently incapacitatation or premature death.
Hospital income
(Image credit: aenri05, via Flickr)
Whether you are hospitalized overseas or in Singapore, it may take weeks or months for you to recuperate. If you are still employed, you may end up having to take no-pay leaves and this could come in handy when you receive a daily income for your stay in hospital. It makes sense when you still have you bills and mortgage to pay and a parents to support. DBS TravellerShield and Allianz Gold plan has the best overseas hospital income benefits with the highest limit of $50,000, with the latter paying you $250 a day. (vs $200 a day from DBS)
However, if you are hospitalized in Singapore, a plan from UOB, Maybank’s TravelCare (Suite) and Etiqa’s Vacation Shield Plus (Suite) make more sense as they have the highest limit of $10,000.
So which should you choose?
Besides comparing the premium amounts, take the destination you will be travelling to into consideration and if it is located far away from Singapore. That is to say if you are travelling to Europe or the US where it may be difficult to transport you back to Singapore for local treatment, then overseas hospital income should be your priority. Whereas if you are travelling to a country in South East Asia, you should be looking at a higher hospital income limit in Singapore.
Travel cancellation, curtailment and disruption
(Image credit: Ross G. Strachan, via Flickr)
When you have spend thousands of dollars booking your tour package or air tickets months in advance, you may well want to get this covered. Some airlines offer a non-refundable air tickets and should you have a last minute cancellation due to serious illness, riots or flash flood, your month-worth of paycheck would be down in the drain.
Allianz Gold plan beat all other plans hands down as it tops the list of benefits with a $25,000 limit for travel cancellation, postponement, curtailment and interruption.
Delay or loss of personal baggage
(Image credit: donuzz, via Flickr)
Most people buy travel insurance to protect their baggage and belongings as it seems to be the most common mishap that could happen on a trip. Again, Allianz has outshone the rest with a $15,000 cover on personal baggage and a $10,000 cover on travel documents. However for baggage and travel delays, Etiqa Vacation Shield Plus Suite is a better option with a $5,000 limit.
Other benefits such as golf benefits, home cover, car rental excess and more
If you are planning to go on a green trip, golf benefits may be more attractive as you are covered from things such as loss or damage to your golf equipment to getting an incentive for getting a hole-in-one. With up to $3,000 cover limit for your golf equipments, golf junkies look no further to HSBC Comprehensive and AXA SmartTraveller plans. If you on your way to become Tiger Woods, Ace Ultimate plan will offer the highest bounty for a hole-in-one, currently at $750.
Insurance companies has gotten more creative over the years. From offering you cash incentive such as a hole-in-one, you can get covered at almost anything you can think of such as reimbursement for pet medical care to protecting your home from any damages. Besides taking into account of the benefits offered by insurers, you should also compare the premiums to make sure you get the most value for the cover.
Read the fine prints of the policy as some insurers define each benefits differently. For example, some insurer requires you to seek medical advice or treatment when you are overseas to be eligible to claim for your medical expenses incurred in Singapore, while some allow you to claim if you seek medical advice within 48 hours of returning to Singapore.
In short, some of the most common benefits are highlighted below:
Benefits
Recommended plans
Overseas Medical Expenses
Singapore Airline Travel Guard (International)
Medical Expenses in Singapore
SCB Enhanced Travel Protector Platinum
Overseas Hospital Income
Allianz Single Trip Gold, DBS Platinum Plan
Hospital Income in Singapore
UOB Individual, Maybank TravelCare Plus (Suite), Etiqa Vacation Shield Plus Suite
Emergency Medical Evacuation/Repatriation
AIG Travel Guard Superior/Premier, Ace Essential/Supreme/Ultimate, HSBC Essential/Comprehensive, Allianz Single Trip Silver/Gold, Tenet Sompo Travel Joy Deluxe, AXA SmartTraveller Essential/Comprehensive
Pre-existing medical conditions
NTUC Enhanced PreX
Child education grant, family assistance
MSIG Premier
Accidental Death & Permanent Disability
Aviva Travel Plus
Travel cancellation, postponement, etc
Allianz Single Trip Gold
Travel baggage delay, overbooking and misconnection
Etiqa Vacation Shield Plus Suite
Golf benefits
HSBC Comprehensive, AXA SmartTraveller Comprehensive
Visit our Travel Insurance Guide for a full list of benefits and the respective premiums of each insurers.
Living on an airport like Tom Hanks in the movie “Terminal” may sound impossible. You would need to be looking for places to eat, places to enjoy, and to rest.
In real life, being stuck in a transit really sucks especially if you checked-in early or the flight is delayed.
BUT…not if you find yourself stranded at the Singapore Changi Airport! This exquisitely designed airport has a few perks up its sleeves. I give you the 5 Free Things You Can Enjoy before boarding at the Singapore Changi Airport.
1. FREE WIFI
There are free WIFI services in all the three terminals of the airport. Just head to the Information Counter and present your passport, in return they will give you a WiFi username and password. Also, there are free candies in the counter while you wait.
Alternatively, you may enjoy the abundant and free Internet Kiosks located beside the TV Lounges and scattered through the three terminals (T). There are actually over 500 computers that you will never have to wait in line to use one!
2. VISIT THE FIVE GARDENS
If you have more than 3 hours to spare, take a stroll to the five indoor gardens. These are namely: Cactus Garden (Terminal 1), Orchid Garden (T2), Fern Garden (T2), Sunflower Garden (T2), and the Butterfly Gardens (T3).
Image Credits: Swaminathan via Flickr
While you are in there, enjoy the breath of fresh air, may your kids count the species of succulents and take colorful selfies that you can upload right away because of the Free WiFi!
3. FREE TOUR OF SINGAPORE
If you are a tourist with more than 5 hours to spare, then grab this awesome opportunity. To register for any of the tours, just approach the staff with your passport and boarding pass at the Free Singapore Tours Registration Booth located in T2 and T3.
Being in the transit for six hours will give you enough time to catch 2-3 movies for free! The airport boasts their 24-hour cinemas that screen the Fox Movies Premium Channel at T2 and the latest movies of various genres at T3.
5. PLAY XBOX 360 AND PLAYSTATION 3
Entertainment Deck in T2 is the place where the children and child at heart can go wild! Get caught in an action game while playing with the XBOX 360, Playstation 3 consoles or LAN gaming. All this for free! Parents, you can chill in the Cafeteria located in the middle of the Entertainment Deck as your kids play.
Nowadays, almost everyone uses a hand phone or a digital device (e.g. tablet, laptop). And as these devices grow in popularity, its complexity, features and parts also increase.
When a hand phone or cell phone is broken during the 1990’s, people will probably self-repair it by the use of small screwdrivers or even a pair of tweezers. But, self-repairing a Smartphone is not possible now…or is it?
The truth is…there are some repairs you don’t have to pay someone for. I bring you the ultimate list of 4 Smartphone Mishaps that You Can Repair Yourself (and save money in the process)…drum roll please!
1. REVAMP THE CHARGING PORT
With continued use; your charger may not fit as well into the port as it did before. The simple way to fix it is to use a sharp toothpick to remove the lint and dirt from the port. Clean the rest of your phone by using cotton swab/ cotton buds/ cotton tips with drops of distilled water on it.
Image Credits: Yutaka Tsutano via Flickr
2. IMPROVE THE AUDIO QUALITY
Overtime, you may experience hearing an inferior sound when you plug the earphones into the “jack” (usually on the upper-right hand corner of the phone). To fix this audio quality, stick a cotton swab into the jack and use it to clear out any dirt.
3. REPLACE A SHATTERED SCREEN
Replacing your smartphone’s screen is usually do-able and it is easier than you think! All it takes is the right tools and a little courage. Get concise instructions online (here or here) and buy a repair kit if you don’t have a toolbox. You may buy a repair kit on IFIXIT or Ebay.
Image Credits: Toby Charlton-Taylor via Flickr
4. REVIVE A SOAKED SMARTPHONE
One of the common mishaps is water damage. Even I experienced it myself. So, if your phone takes an unexpected swim, remove the battery (if possible), and place it in a bag of rice for one day or two to absorb the moisture within. With luck, this will do the trick.
Image Credits: rharrison via Flickr
Sources: Reader’s Digest Magazine, Lifehacker.com
Spare yourself some money and time by subtracting Smartphone repair to your expenses! Truly, there are some mishaps that you can handle yourself. All it takes are tools, courage, determination, and a little help from the Internet.
Can there be an economy where oil is cheaper than water? If yes, how will it affect its countrymen?
According to United Kingdom’s The Independent, a British national newspaper publication, Oil by barrel is now cheaper than the 6 packed bottles (1.5 liter each) of Evian Natural Mineral Water.
A liter of bottled water costs about 42 Pence (S$87 or US$0.66), while it costs about 24 Pence (S$0.49 or US$0.38) a liter for gas…that is 40 percent cheaper!
The price of oil has notably collapsed, affecting every single person in the country. A market analyst for Reuters named John Kemp, highlighted the bizarre state of economy on Twitter saying that not only that the current oil price represented “an unsustainable low level” – but that it was “impossible to predict how low prices might fall”.
Image Credits: Daniel Oines via Flickr
This is not the first time it has happened globally.
In 2011, Saudi Arabia’s petrol costs about 0.45 Saudi Arabian Riyal or 0.16 Singapore Dollars and 0.12 United States Dollars, which is absolutely much cheaper than bottled water. Saudi’s government spends SAR26 Billion on water subsidies every year to keep down their citizens’ water bills (Finfacts, 2011). That is equal to S$26 Billion.
An interesting thought is that unlike any other countries in Southeast Asia, the tap water in Singapore is safe to drink. We can just get a glass of tap water then refill it for free. But, a liter of bottled water in the supermarket is still more expensive than United Kingdom’s liter of oil today.
Image Credits: Luis via Flickr
Although this economic state in UK may cause lower annual prices of other goods easing the cost of living of the citizens…the falling energy prices may result to inflation and threaten the financial stability of the whole country. The Bank of England backs up this statement of warning.
