joannepoh

Articles by Joanne Poh

In my previous life, I was a property lawyer who spent most of my time struggling to get out of bed or stuck in peak hour traffic. These days, as a freelance commercial writer, I work in bed, on the beach, in parks and at cafes, all while being really frugal. I like helping other people save money so they can stop living lives they don't like.

3 Ways Perfectly Competent Singaporean Employees Sabotage Their Careers
Career
3 Ways Perfectly Competent Singaporean Employees Sabotage Their Careers
That colleague of yours who’s so spectacularly incompetent that even the interns make him look stupid? Either his days of being employed are numbered, or he’s working for a family...
29 December 2016
Want to Spend Your Sabbatical in Thailand? Here’s How to Do It
Travel
Want to Spend Your Sabbatical in Thailand? Here’s How to Do It
It would be pretty awesome to be able to eat $2 pad thai every day of the week, in between $8 massages and shopping sprees at hip malls where everything...
27 December 2016
5 Biggest Reasons Hiring Managers Have Rejected Your Resume
Career
5 Biggest Reasons Hiring Managers Have Rejected Your Resume
’Member those days when you could hop to a new job every 6 months and people would still scramble to hire you? Those days are over thanks to the slowing...
27 December 2016
cheers app
Dining
The New Cheers 1-for-1 App Is Going to Change the Way You Buy Drinks in Singapore
If James Bond had been Singaporean, he’d have been stuck ordering Tiger Beer rather than martinis just to cut costs. That’s why Cheers is something we’ve been waiting for our...
23 December 2016
4 Ways Singaporeans Can Make a Bit of Spare Cash Over the Christmas and New Year Holidays
Budgeting
4 Ways Singaporeans Can Make a Bit of Spare Cash Over the Christmas and New Year Holidays
Is Christmas really a time for giving? Well, not if you’re a retail or F&B business—for these folks, the holiday season is a time to profit, as people gear up...
22 December 2016
4 Money Hacks All Fresh Grads in Singapore Need to Use
Budgeting
4 Money Hacks All Fresh Grads in Singapore Need to Use
The other day, I randomly ended up deep in conversation with these two university students in their early 20s. They were talking about opening bottles and clubbing 3 times a...
22 December 2016
The MOE System Has Churned Out PISA Top Scorers, But Is It Really Heading in the Right Direction?
Education
The MOE System Has Churned Out PISA Top Scorers, But Is It Really Heading in the Right Direction?
Looks like all those tuition hours paid off when Singaporean topped the PISA test in all three categories—reading, mathematics and science. While some people muttered about the sacrifices kids have...
22 December 2016
Before Dropping All Your Cash on Your First Home, Make Sure You’re Not Making These 3 Mistakes
Property
Before Dropping All Your Cash on Your First Home, Make Sure You’re Not Making These 3 Mistakes
When Singaporeans complain about the rising cost of living, what they’re really thinking about is the high cost of accommodation. (Okay, cars are expensive too, but you can survive without...
21 December 2016
5 Money Mistakes Fresh Grads Can’t Afford to Make
Budgeting
5 Money Mistakes Fresh Grads Can’t Afford to Make
Getting your first job should mean you’re no longer broke. But the bad habits of many local graduates have made them worse off than when they were jobless, judging by...
20 December 2016
3 Money Moves 30-something Singaporeans Should Make Before it’s Too Late
Opinion
3 Money Moves 30-something Singaporeans Should Make Before it’s Too Late
So you’ve finally bade your twenties a tearful farewell. What’s the first thing you must do? If you said start using anti-ageing facial products, we can guarantee that you’ll age...
20 December 2016
Will Amazon Go Eventually Destroy Millions of Jobs Worldwide?
Opinion
Will Amazon Go Eventually Destroy Millions of Jobs Worldwide?
Even if you don’t shop on Amazon, here’s why you might want to shop at Amazon Go (no relation to Pokémon Go).
20 December 2016
8 Stylish Bars in Singapore’s CBD With Happy Hour Deals
Entertainment
8 Stylish Bars in Singapore’s CBD With Happy Hour Deals
After a long day at your office in the CBD, it’s time to go for your nightly dose of alcohol—preferably a cheap one. But whenever anyone mentions cheap drinks, the...
19 December 2016
4 Tips to Make Your Next Trip to Bangkok Even Cheaper
Travel
4 Tips to Make Your Next Trip to Bangkok Even Cheaper
There’s nothing like a weekend getaway to Bangkok. Hit up Chatuchak Market, Platinum Mall or the Erawan Shrine and you’re sure to hear that familiar Singaporean accent.
19 December 2016
Why are Young Singaporeans Giving Up on Looking for Jobs, and is that Necessarily a Bad Thing?
Career
Why are Young Singaporeans Giving Up on Looking for Jobs, and is that Necessarily a Bad Thing?
It’s not the best time to be a fresh grad in Singapore. Amidst depressing news that fresh grads are entering a difficult market comes this dramatically-titled report that claims that...
19 December 2016
6 Christmas Gift Ideas for the Special People in Your Life
Shopping
6 Christmas Gift Ideas for the Special People in Your Life
Buying Christmas presents is stressful because it actually requires some thoughtfulness. You can’t just get your maid to nip out and choose gifts for the people in your life, and...
17 December 2016
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in Lisbon, Portugal for Under $1,500
Travel
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in Lisbon, Portugal for Under $1,500
For many Singaporeans, their closest brush with Portugal happens when they go to Macao on a casino binge and stuff their faces with Portuguese egg tarts.
16 December 2016
3 Ways Singaporean Companies Can Gamify Work and Stop Their Employees From Being So Damn Unmotivated
Career
3 Ways Singaporean Companies Can Gamify Work and Stop Their Employees From Being So Damn Unmotivated
The promise of a steady paycheck and not being unemployed is no longer enough to motivate millennials to show up at work every day and do a decent job. Younger...
16 December 2016
Can Singaporeans Living Overseas Still Get Credit Card Benefits from Their Singapore Credit Cards?
Credit Cards
Can Singaporeans Living Overseas Still Get Credit Card Benefits from Their Singapore Credit Cards?
So you’ve done the research and applied for a whole bunch of credit cards in order to milk as many cash rebates, air miles and rewards points as you can....
15 December 2016
4 Financial Concerns That Hit Hard When You’re in Your Thirties
Opinion
4 Financial Concerns That Hit Hard When You’re in Your Thirties
For many, being a twenty-something in Singapore is about spending all your cash on hipster cafes and craft beer, signing up for your first credit cards, and posting photos of...
14 December 2016
4 Free and Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Entertained During This Year’s School Holidays
Family
4 Free and Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Entertained During This Year’s School Holidays
The school holidays are a time of freedom, fun and sleeping in. Well, that’s if you’re a kid, that is. If you’re a busy parent, you might be wringing your...
14 December 2016
Want To Retire Earlier? Singaporeans Should Do These 3 Things
Budgeting
Want To Retire Earlier? Singaporeans Should Do These 3 Things
Ever had one of those days when you were so tired from work at the end of the day that you could barely even muster the energy to change out...
14 December 2016
Here’s How Top-Earning Millennials in Singapore Feel About Work and Money
Opinion
Here’s How Top-Earning Millennials in Singapore Feel About Work and Money
A lot has been said about millennials in Singapore, mostly in the form of snide remarks from the older generation about the “strawberry generation”. But don’t think that all millennials...
13 December 2016
3 Things All Kiasee Singaporeans Should Do to Protect Themselves in the Economic Slowdown
Opinion
3 Things All Kiasee Singaporeans Should Do to Protect Themselves in the Economic Slowdown
We all have that super kiasu friend or colleague who always, always chooses to err on the side of caution because he’s afraid some catastrophe will befall him.
13 December 2016
3 Reasons Singaporeans Choose to Rent Out Their Homes on Airbnb Rather Than Doing it the Legal Way
Property
3 Reasons Singaporeans Choose to Rent Out Their Homes on Airbnb Rather Than Doing it the Legal Way
Singaporeans are usually law-abiding folk because everyone’s so darned scared they’ll be caught and their future ruined.
12 December 2016
6 Clichéd Christmas Gifts Singaporeans are Sick of Receiving
Opinion
6 Clichéd Christmas Gifts Singaporeans are Sick of Receiving
For many people (mostly those under the age of 12), Christmas is when all your dreams come true, especially if those dreams involve a Nintendo 3DS or a new iPhone.
12 December 2016