MoneyDigest - Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Money Saving Tips

Do-It-Yourself Gift Ideas Your BFF Would Love

As Samuel Butler once said: “Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.”

This is why it is so special to have a best friend whom is there with you for the longest time. What better message of gratitude can you convey when you pour your heart on handmade gifts? The good news is that you do not have to spend loads of cash since you can just use the materials you already have at home!

1. FOR YOUR BOOKWORM BFF

If you have beautiful earrings but you lost the other piece, do not throw it away. You can still use it as vintage looking bookmarks. Simply follow these instructions by Jewelry designer, Andrea Singarella. You can buy a meter of ribbons for only S$1.50-3 at any Spotlight or Daiso store.

Image Credits: www.countryliving.com

2. FOR YOUR JEWELS LOVING BFF

So you bought an inexpensive and simple gloves in the Flea Market or in the online shops such as Zalora and Forever 21 but you realize that it is so plain. You can make a DIY present by adding jewel embellishments that you can buy in Daiso for S$2.

Image Credits: www.clonesnclowns.com

3. FOR YOUR WORKAHOLIC BFF

The best way to reward your workaholic BFF is by giving the present of an enjoyable bath time filled with relaxing fragrance. Achieve that by making bath bombs that are similar to the ones sold at Lush Singapore.

Image Credits: www.lushsg.com

Here are four ways you can make different types of bath bombs from basic to herbal type.

4. FOR YOUR FORGETFUL BFF

Does your friend misplace his or her keys a lot? Well, you can make a special keychain for her that is easy to find. Turn your printed fabric extras or used clothing into fabric keychains. To personalize these keychains even more, you can add some finish touches such as the first letter of your BFF’s name or assorted buttons and sequins.

Image Credits: www.craftinessisnotoptional.com

Full instructions are available here.

5. FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY-JUNKIE BFF

Bring your wonderful memories to life by turning photos into very personal greeting cards. Print his or her favorite Instagram photos in JPEG format using glossy or matte photo papers available for as low as S$2 at Popular bookstores.

Image Credits: www.sayyes.com

Have fun crafting!

9 Clever Uses For A S$2 Bottle of White Vinegar

Who would have thought that S$2-3 bottle of white vinegar can lighten your teeth, clean up your toilet, and soften your feet? This all-purpose kitchen spice can do so much more to help you save time, effort, and money.

1. GET THE SHINY SMILE

Lighten your teeth by brushing it once a week with distilled white vinegar. Also, it helps to fight bad breath.

2. AVOID CRACKED EGGS

Cooking hard-boiled eggs with your Kaya Toast? Try adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to the water. The eggs and its shells will stay in place.

3. CLEAN UP YOUR BATHROOM

To clean the toilet, pour a cup of distilled white vinegar into the bowl and let it stay there for 5 hours or overnight. Then, scrub it well and flush. To clean your tub and kill the germs, spray white vinegar around the tub. Then, wipe it with wet cloth to clean.

4. STOP ITCHING FROM INSECT BITES

Treat your mosquito or insect bites with a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar. This helps disinfect the area and stop itching sensations.

5. GET SHINY COFFEE CUPS AND TEA CUPS

Easter is coming up! Showcase bright cups to your guests by scrubbing stains with ½ white vinegar and ½ salt solution.

6. RESTORE PAINT BRUSHES

Repainting your flat? There is no need to buy new paintbrushes because the old one has paint stuck on them. Simply place the brushes in a pot or vessel with white vinegar. Let it soak there for an hour then, turn the stove on and let the white vinegar simmer. Rinse the brushes to clean.

7. REMOVE CRAYON MARKS

Sometimes, children get too excited that they draw on the wall with crayons. Believe me, it is hard to remove crayon marks. For an inexpensive and non-toxic route, dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and gently scrub the surface.

Image Credits: Brandie Heinel via Flickr

8. UNSTICK OLD SCREWS

Loosen up some old screws easily by pouring white vinegar on it.

9. GET SOFT AND SMOOTH FEET

What to go to the Siloso Beach but afraid of your callused feet touching the sand? Say goodbye to calluses and cracked heels by soaking your feet in one part white vinegar and two parts lukewarm water at least 20 minutes a day. It works as the vinegar removes your dead skin.

White vinegar, you are a life saver!

Source: AllYou

Best Credit Cards For Online Shopping

Modern technology optimized our shopping experiences by letting us purchase items online. Now it is our job to maximize our hard earned money by choosing the right credit cards to shop with. Here is a list of the best credit cards available in the Singapore market…

3. DBS WOMAN’S MASTERCARD® CARD

Minimum Annual Income (Singaporean/PR): S$30,000

Take it from Beyonce as girls truly run the world – virtual shopping world to be exact!

With DBS Woman’s MasterCard®, you can earn rewards points 5x if you shop anywhere online. Also, you can get S$40 worth of Qoo10 discount coupons every month or complimentary access to selected True Yoga and True Fitness Centres! Go crazy with these privileges by using the DBS Woman Mobile App. The annual fee of S$161 is waived for a year.

2. OCBC FRANK CARD

Minimum Annual Income (Singaporean/PR): S$30,000

With over 120 free card designs to choose from, OCBC Frank Card proves to be a stylish companion to your online shopping. It gives you 6% rebates on every online purchase you make up to a cap of S$60 a month. If you exceed that, you will enjoy unlimited rebates of 0.5% on all other purchases. You can easily track your spending and rebates by going to OCBC Online.

The good news is that you can get 10% off hotel bookings by booking online through Expedia.com.sg, 10% off regular-priced items on The Travel Store, 10 off purchases on GoBuyLah.sg, and 15% off purchases on Ruedusucre.com. Also, the annual fee of only S$32 is waived for 2 years!

1. CITIBANK REWARDS CARD

Minimum Annual Income (Singaporean/PR): S$40,000

How does Citibank welcome its new rewards cardholders? Well, with complimentary shopping vouchers worth up to S$100 of course. Enjoy shopping vouchers from Havaianas & CommonThread, Dockers®, Headline Seoul, New Look, Max&Co., Victor York, and more. The Citibank Rewards Card allows you to earn 10x reward points when you shop online. Aside from this, gives you discounts to several online shops.

Want to know more? Here is the concise list of their current online shopping offers…

Blue Nile: 10% off on all purchases of standard jewelry products storewide.

HipVan: 15% off on the site’s items

IN GOOD COMPANY: 10% off storewide

Klareti: 7% off on regular priced items storewide

Luxola: 25-40% off depending on spending

Menlook: 10% off with minimum spend of S$150

Modajar: 10% off storewide

Rakuten: 10% off on the site’s items

Reebonz: 7% off on all purchases

ShopBack: 20% rebate on the site’s items

Victor York: 20% off storewide

ZALORA: 25% off on the site’s items

Fret not about the annual fee of S$193 because it is waived for a year.

Why You Must Stop Comparing Your Earnings To Someone Else’s

As Buddha once said: “Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”

Even though we are not aware of it, we as human beings have the tendency to compare ourselves to others in order to know what state in life we really are. The sad truth is, most people feel happier when they perceive that they are wealthier than others than the fact of being able to earn for a living. Simply, several studies showed that one’s earnings in comparison with others play an important role in one’s happiness.

But people’s economic positions are not as perfect as your mind makes it out to be! Here are the other reasons why you must avoid comparing yourself to others in terms of money…

1. YOU OFTEN COMPARE INACCURATELY

Often, when you compare yourself to others, you may not get the 360 view of the person’s life. You only get the glimpse of what they want to show in public especially in social media. In Facebook, most publicize their lavish possessions and greatest achievements while masking their struggles such as domestic disputes or living from paycheck to paycheck. On the other hand, you may be envious of how your friend is always getting the big commissions but you are not aware that he has to lose those loads of money right away just to pay off his student loan. So, it is important to not make any assumptions and move the spotlight towards your life.

2. YOU ARE ENTERING A CYCLE OF NO END

This endless cycle of comparison will only take you to a downward spiral as your goals get higher and higher where there are many categories for you to choose from. You may compare your HDB flat to your colleague’s high-rise condominium, or her designer shoes compared to your shoes that were on sale. There will always be others who may appear that they have better material possessions that you. This is why measuring your worth by comparing your earnings and material possessions to others are an unhealthy habit that may lead to depression.

3. YOU MUST ACCEPT THAT WE ARE ALL SPECIAL

Whenever you desire to purchase something, whether it be a new purse or a new car, pause and ask yourself if you really want to buy it because it is what you want or because you want to fit in with everyone else. By knowing how detrimental this habit can be, learning to accept our differences is essential. While they are willing to spend more time in the office to earn better wages, you are spending more quality time at home with your family.

Image Credits: Windell Oskay via Flickr

We may be created uniquely but, we are all special.

How To Save Up To 50% When You Dine With The Eatigo App

What if i say you have been paying more than what you have to for your meals in restaurants? Yes, that’s right – most of us have been paying the full price without knowing that they can save up to 50% for the past few years!

Eatigo is an app founded by a group of entrepreneurs with their objective of:

Connecting empty stomachs to empty tables

What this means is that they create a win-win situation where restaurants can maximize their capacity during off-peak hours by offering patrons to dine at a discount of up to 50%! Even if you dine during peak hours, you still get a discount of 10 to 20% for using the app! There is no need to pay upfront or to enter your credit card details, making it a fuss-free app.

1) First, launch the the app and search their database of over 100 restaurants.There are different filters to help enhance your search experience. Search from A – Z listing or pick from their list of recommended restaurants. You can also use their location service to find restaurants around your vicinity.

2) Each of the listed restaurant have different level of discount available throughout the day, usually ranging from 10% – 50%. If you dine during the non-peak hours where there are more empty tables, you can usually enjoy a greater discount. Scroll down and check out the “Menu items” to see if the discount is applicable to the food you would like to order. There is even a map for you to check out the location on the map.

3) Once you have selected the timing that you would like to dine from, you can proceed to make the reservation by entering your details such as the date, time, name and the no. of pax. You can either enter your email or mobile number for confirmation. No upfront payment or credit card details are required. Just go to the restaurant and quote “Eatigo Booking”.4) You will received a SMS or email confirmation shortly after you confirm booking.Just flash this when you are at the restaurant.

5) Voila, you are done and you now save 50% off your meal with Eatigo! Don’t forget to register an account with them so that you don’t have to re-enter your personal details the next time you book with Eatigo.

As you can see from their listing, there are a good variety of well established restaurants. You can even enjoy buffet at Cafe Mosaic & Marriott Cafe at 50% off! Some of the participating outlets are: Bali Thai, Bangkok Jam, So Pho, Lime House, Ambush and many more to be added over time!

The next time your stomach is growling, whip out your mobile phone and log onto the Eatigo app and search from hundreds of participating restaurants. Now you can dine without paying the full price!

Check out their homepage for more details: http://www.eatigo.com/home/sg/en/

Now make sure you share this article to your friends and family members. With more people using this app, you’d expect more restaurants to be added overtime.

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