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.

10 Cheap Things to Do When Having Friends Over at Your Place
Entertainment
10 Cheap Things to Do When Having Friends Over at Your Place
So you’ve blown all your cash on your resale flat and are now enjoying the much-delayed experience of having your own place. Congratulations, but now that you’re broke and repaying...
8 March 2016
4 Money-Saving Travel Tips That Can Make Your Trip More Memorable
Travel
4 Money-Saving Travel Tips That Can Make Your Trip More Memorable
Besides food and shopping, the one other thing many Singaporeans live for is travel. For many, their main motivation for all those evenings at the office is the satisfaction of...
8 March 2016
Think You’re Ready to Be Your Own Boss? Ask Yourself These 3 Things First
Career
Think You’re Ready to Be Your Own Boss? Ask Yourself These 3 Things First
To many Singaporeans, being your own boss can sound like a dream. Imagine being able to dictate the environment in which you work on a daily basis. No more boring...
4 March 2016
3 Easy Hacks Chronic Overspenders Can Use to Save More and Spend Less
Budgeting
3 Easy Hacks Chronic Overspenders Can Use to Save More and Spend Less
Look at your to-do list for the week. Does it involve entries like “save the world” or “become a billionaire”? If your answer is yes, you’re either Superman or failing...
4 March 2016
3 Things Fresh Grads Should Do Before Entering the Working World
Career
3 Things Fresh Grads Should Do Before Entering the Working World
Whether you spent your university days mugging furiously or trying valiantly not to pass out at Zouk, at some point you realised you had to clean up your act and...
4 March 2016
Need Emergency Short-Term Accommodation in Singapore? Here are 3 Affordable Ways to Get It
Property
Need Emergency Short-Term Accommodation in Singapore? Here are 3 Affordable Ways to Get It
If you were born and bred in Singapore, there’s a good chance you’ve never ever had to think about looking for accommodation in your own country, save for the usual...
3 March 2016
If Singaporeans Knew These 4 Things, They Might Change Their Spending Habits
Opinion
If Singaporeans Knew These 4 Things, They Might Change Their Spending Habits
A 2011 survey found that only 1% of the Singaporeans surveyed said they didn’t like shopping. The overwhelming majority—70% to be exact, either liked or loved shopping. Loved shopping.
2 March 2016
These 3 Factors Besides Salary and Work-Life Balance Determine Whether Singaporeans Leave Their Jobs
Career
These 3 Factors Besides Salary and Work-Life Balance Determine Whether Singaporeans Leave Their Jobs
The biggest problem businesses in Singapore face is, well, having to hire Singaporeans themselves. Many SME bosses complain that Singaporeans are not only more expensive to hire than foreign employees willing...
1 March 2016
3 Ways to Feel Like You Still Have a Life While on a Tight Budget
Budgeting
3 Ways to Feel Like You Still Have a Life While on a Tight Budget
Now and then, someone will tell you that the cost of living in Singapore is not that high. After all, hawker meals only cost $4 and bus rides are never...
1 March 2016
5 Common Part-time Jobs for Students in Singapore to Earn Some Money
Education
5 Common Part-time Jobs for Students in Singapore to Earn Some Money
When I was at school, “social media manager” was not a part-time job that existed… because Facebook didn’t exist either. If you wanted to make some extra pocket money, you...
29 February 2016
shopping singapore
Travel
3 Ways to Make Money Instead of Just Overspending When You Go on Holiday
The only way Singaporeans can get free holidays is to check in to Changi Prison. For the rest of us, holidays cost money—sometimes, a lot of it, if your main...
29 February 2016
3 Tough Questions You Might Get Asked at Job Interviews and How to Answer Them
Career
3 Tough Questions You Might Get Asked at Job Interviews and How to Answer Them
You might think your tattoos show off your personality and your dreams of travelling the world indicate an open mind, but if you’re going for an interview at a typical...
26 February 2016
travel smart rewards mrt singapore
Transportation
10 Productive Things to Do on Your Bus/MRT Ride
Judging by the general level of misery of your fellow commuters on the MRT, no amount of cabin decorations or MRT station busking is going to make public transport pleasant.
25 February 2016
Are Singaporeans’ Travel Plans and Insurance Going to be Affected by the Zika Virus?
Travel
Are Singaporeans’ Travel Plans and Insurance Going to be Affected by the Zika Virus?
Based on the number of inconsiderate neighbours breeding mosquitoes in the potted plants on their HDB balconies, Singaporeans aren’t that afraid of dengue fever.
24 February 2016
best credit cards students singapore
Budgeting
4 Money Saving Habits Tertiary Students Should Adopt
Listen up, students. We know some of your classmates drive to campus in cars their parents bought for their 18th birthday and are more likely to be seen eating than...
23 February 2016
3 Attitudes Singaporeans Need to Change to Increase Their Retirement-Readiness
Opinion
3 Attitudes Singaporeans Need to Change to Increase Their Retirement-Readiness
Here in Singapore, we’re pretty much used to blaming our environment for everything that happens to us. Zero work-life balance? It’s all the fault of your satanic boss. Kids tired out...
22 February 2016
3 Situations Where Singaporeans Should Not be Stupidly Jumping into Investing
Invest
3 Situations Where Singaporeans Should Not be Stupidly Jumping into Investing
There’s a whole lot of bandwagons to jump on in Singapore. Whether you’re joining a 10 km long queue thanks to the latest froyo/Rotiboy/bubble tea fad or enrolling your kid...
19 February 2016
Do Some Courses of Study Make Their Graduates More Employable Than Others?
Career
Do Some Courses of Study Make Their Graduates More Employable Than Others?
After a harrowing Chinese New Year, the students of Singapore heave a sigh of relief that they no longer have to listen to rude comments by nosy relatives about how...
19 February 2016
3 Pieces of Advice For Students Beginning Their Tertiary Studies in 2016
Education
3 Pieces of Advice For Students Beginning Their Tertiary Studies in 2016
So you’ve made it through MOE’s education system alive, and this year you will finally be embarking on your tertiary studies. Congrats.
18 February 2016
4 Ways to Schedule Your Time So You Spend Less Money
Budgeting
4 Ways to Schedule Your Time So You Spend Less Money
Instead of resorting to dumb clichés like “freezing your credit card in a block of ice” or “spending money to save money” (no, that forex investment seminar you saw an...
18 February 2016
7 Catchphrases Singaporeans Use to Sound Knowledgeable About Investing
Invest
7 Catchphrases Singaporeans Use to Sound Knowledgeable About Investing
If there’s one thing Singaporeans—especially Singaporeans of the uncle persuasion—like to boast about, it’s making money. And not the kind of money you have to toil 50 hours a week to...
17 February 2016
3 Things to Do if You’ve Quit Your Job and Need a New One Urgently
Career
3 Things to Do if You’ve Quit Your Job and Need a New One Urgently
Every single one of your friends has probably already told you it’s a mistake to quit your job without a new one lined up, especially in this economy.
17 February 2016
Getting Married? Here are 3 Things You Shouldn’t Spend Much On Because Nobody Cares About Them
Wedding
Getting Married? Here are 3 Things You Shouldn’t Spend Much On Because Nobody Cares About Them
I get the feeling that Singaporeans in their 20s and 30s attend way more weddings than their overseas counterparts.
16 February 2016
5 Part Time Jobs That Pay Over $8/hour for Fresh Grads Who are Still Job Hunting
Career
5 Part Time Jobs That Pay Over $8/hour for Fresh Grads Who are Still Job Hunting
So the job market isn’t exactly a big party right now, or if it is, nobody invited you. Just your luck to be graduating during the economic downturn.
15 February 2016
3 Tips For Deciding Whether to Spend Your Free Time Trying to Save or Earn More Money
Budgeting
3 Tips For Deciding Whether to Spend Your Free Time Trying to Save or Earn More Money
Suppose you have one hour at your disposal. What do you do in that time? Do you use it to whip up a meal at home, thereby saving you the...
15 February 2016