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.

data roaming singapore
Budgeting
4 Ways Singaporeans Will Benefit From Having a 4th Telco
Hands up everyone who hates their telco for overcharging them every month for a pathetic amount of data, but is helpless because, uh, we only have three and it often...
24 November 2016
Here’s What Kind of Hotel Room $50 Will Get You in Various Cities All Over the World
Travel
Here’s What Kind of Hotel Room $50 Will Get You in Various Cities All Over the World
We all know finding a place to live in Singapore is freaking expensive, weak property market notwithstanding, especially considering living in a tent is officially illegal. But what about staying...
23 November 2016
Here’s How A Little Spending Can Make Your Life Better, But Only If You Do It Correctly
Budgeting
Here’s How A Little Spending Can Make Your Life Better, But Only If You Do It Correctly
$5 doesn’t take you very far in Singapore. It’s a sum of money you can spend without even realising it—on a tasteless meal at some cookie cutter food court that...
23 November 2016
3 Tips for Maximising Your Money on Your Year-End Overseas Trip
Travel
3 Tips for Maximising Your Money on Your Year-End Overseas Trip
The Christmas season brings to mind wintry scenes and happy families, chestnuts roasting on an open fire and presents under the tree.
22 November 2016
Here’s What Singaporeans Really Need To Know About Planning for Health Shocks
Health Insurance
Here’s What Singaporeans Really Need To Know About Planning for Health Shocks
Most Singaporeans have some awareness of how expensive falling sick can get here. But guess what—it seems like, for all our complaining, we’re still not fully aware of the financial...
22 November 2016
4 Ways Singaporeans Working Long Hours Can Keep Their Health and Sanity at the Office
Career
4 Ways Singaporeans Working Long Hours Can Keep Their Health and Sanity at the Office
Considering the amount of time Singaporeans spend buying and then renovating their homes, they don’t get to spend as much time in them as they might like.
21 November 2016
investment scams singapore
Opinion
4 Scams That Singaporeans Are Still Falling For and What You Should Know
Singaporeans are very proud of the fact that theirs is one of the safest cities in the world, often citing as proof their ability to walk around at 3 in...
21 November 2016
4 Scams Singaporeans Lose Money In That Aren’t Actually Illegal
Budgeting
4 Scams Singaporeans Lose Money In That Aren’t Actually Illegal
In Singapore, you might not find scammers at street markets who’ll try to charge you five times the actual price of an item, or street hawkers who harass you to...
17 November 2016
3 Things Parents Should Avoid Doing if They Don’t Want to Go Broke During the School Holidays
Family
3 Things Parents Should Avoid Doing if They Don’t Want to Go Broke During the School Holidays
As much as Singaporean parents are (I hope) happy to let their kids de-stress a little during the school holidays, if both are juggling full-time jobs, having the kids at...
17 November 2016
university students new year resolution
Education
Can’t Figure Out What to Study at Tertiary Level? Here are 3 Tips to Help You Decide
When I was at school, local JCs and secondary schools were notoriously bad at providing career guidance. Poly and university courses were pretty much chosen by default, meaning everyone just...
15 November 2016
3 Reasons Why Toys “R” Us is The One Retailer in Singapore That Will Never Shut Down
Opinion
3 Reasons Why Toys “R” Us is The One Retailer in Singapore That Will Never Shut Down
Retail businesses have had it bad in Singapore. Once-bustling malls now look like Lim Chu Kang on a Saturday night, and many once-ubiquitous retailers like John Little have left or...
14 November 2016
3 Situations Where You Tell Yourself Spending Money on Something is an Investment, But It’s Really Not
Budgeting
3 Situations Where You Tell Yourself Spending Money on Something is an Investment, But It’s Really Not
When you have a friend who doesn’t know the difference between company stock and chicken stock, beware when he proudly announces he’s just bought something as an investment. Chances are,...
14 November 2016
How Singaporeans Can Gear Up for the Lousy Economy in Singapore’s Future
Opinion
How Singaporeans Can Gear Up for the Lousy Economy in Singapore’s Future
One of Singapore’s biggest claims to fame has been the fact that, well, the country’s pretty wealthy. On the surface, it looks like everyone’s either comfortably middle class or rolling...
11 November 2016
4 Ways to Survive When You Work Long Hours
Career
4 Ways to Survive When You Work Long Hours
There are many Singaporeans who rarely see the sun. No, they’re not all vampires or working the graveyard shift. These are many people who start work at 9am, but only...
10 November 2016
3 Awkward Job Applications You Might Have to Make at Least Once in Your Life
Career
3 Awkward Job Applications You Might Have to Make at Least Once in Your Life
Job interviews are pretty awkward. You show up all dressed up in that suit you only wear to wedding dinners, ready to impress, and your potential employer knows that if...
9 November 2016
4 Reasons Singaporeans are So Easily Scammed These Days
Opinion
4 Reasons Singaporeans are So Easily Scammed These Days
Ask anyone from Hong Kong, Mainland China or India what they think of Singaporeans, and you’ll often hear the words “gullible” or “naive”.
8 November 2016
Here are 3 Things Singaporeans Can DIY and Save Money On Thanks to the Internet
Budgeting
Here are 3 Things Singaporeans Can DIY and Save Money On Thanks to the Internet
Tell a Singaporean to DIY something—cook his own meals, change his car’s engine oil, or even walk down to the McDonald’s outlet and buy his own meal, and he’ll tell...
8 November 2016
Applying For a Job You’re Overqualified For? Do These 3 Things to Raise Your Chance of Getting Hired
Career
Applying For a Job You’re Overqualified For? Do These 3 Things to Raise Your Chance of Getting Hired
When you’re a rookie just starting out on the corporate ladder, you’re hungry for experience—any kind of experience that will pull you up a rung or two. But there comes...
8 November 2016
jobs future singapore
Career
5 Jobs That Will Evolve in the Next 10 Years
When you got your first “grown-up” job, the way to career success seemed like a straight, uncomplicated path, just like a bowling lane. So long as you kept moving forward...
7 November 2016
how to choose music lessons for children
Entertainment
4 Easy Ways to Make Some Spare Cash if You Play a Musical Instrument
Your parents put you through years of piano, violin or flute lessons, and now the only thing you can play is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If that’s the case, then...
7 November 2016
These 3 Industries are Booming Thanks to Singaporeans’ Lifestyles
Entertainment
These 3 Industries are Booming Thanks to Singaporeans’ Lifestyles
Remember the old days when Singaporeans used to head to Orchard Road in order to shop till they dropped? Well, all that’s changed now. Judging by the number of vacant...
7 November 2016
budapest europe travel
Travel
3 Stunning Destinations in Europe That are Cheap for Singaporeans
A trip to Europe usually ends in maxed out credit cards and a pile of shopping bags from Chanel and Prada, at least when Singaporeans are involved.
4 November 2016
4 Things You Must Do on the Last Day of Your Internship
Career
4 Things You Must Do on the Last Day of Your Internship
The school holidays have come and gone, and how did you spend yours? No, you didn’t take off on a backpacking trip across Europe, nor did you volunteer to teach...
4 November 2016
4 Ways Singaporeans Get Tricked into Overspending at Shopping Malls
Shopping
4 Ways Singaporeans Get Tricked into Overspending at Shopping Malls
Walking around shopping malls is a classic Singaporean past-time that’s not changing any time soon. Shopping malls provide free air conditioning, lots of food options and a myriad ways to...
3 November 2016
4 Skills That Will Help You Get Ahead in Any Job
Career
4 Skills That Will Help You Get Ahead in Any Job
So you’ve dutifully spent your $500 SkillsFuture credit on courses that claimed they’d help you upgrade your skills and get ahead at work. You take care never to be spotted...
3 November 2016