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.

How to Dress Fashionably in Singapore Without Going Broke
Shopping
How to Dress Fashionably in Singapore Without Going Broke
Gone are the days when the Singaporean uniform of choice was shorts and flip flops. These days, more and more fashionistas ply our streets, with 80% of those under the...
13 April 2016
7 Overseas Natural Attractions Singaporeans Can Visit Cheaply
Travel
7 Overseas Natural Attractions Singaporeans Can Visit Cheaply
The typical caricature of a Singaporean tourist is that guy stuffing his face at hotel buffets, googling for restaurants to visit and coming home with a suitcase full of shopping....
13 April 2016
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Tokyo for Less Than $1,200
Travel
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Tokyo for Less Than $1,200
Japan is one of those destinations that nobody can say a single bad thing about. It’s impeccably clean, the service is insanely attentive, and it’s rich with culture, entertainment and...
12 April 2016
staycation singapore
Travel
Staycations Vs Overseas Trips – Which Would You Rather Choose?
If travel means adventure and the great outdoors to you, you need to get out of Singapore to get that vacation feeling.
11 April 2016
5 Work Benefits Singaporeans Would Love to Receive
Career
5 Work Benefits Singaporeans Would Love to Receive
When you sign that employment contract, you could be selling your soul to a company that’s going to use and abuse you. So you’d better make sure you’re getting not...
11 April 2016
3 Big Challenges Every Freelancer or Self-Employed Person Faces and How to Deal
Career
3 Big Challenges Every Freelancer or Self-Employed Person Faces and How to Deal
If you’ve ever wished your boss would just cease to exist, you’re not alone—in a 2014 report, difficult bosses were cited as a big reason Singaporean employees wanted to quit...
8 April 2016
4 Affordable Kid-Friendly Overseas Vacation Spots for Singaporean Families
Travel
4 Affordable Kid-Friendly Overseas Vacation Spots for Singaporean Families
If an exciting vacation spot sounds to you like somewhere you can bungee jump, smoke weed legally or watch transexuals pole dance, you probably don’t have kids yet.
7 April 2016
4 Ways Your Gym Membership Could be Costing You Even More Money Than You Think
Fitness & Beauty
4 Ways Your Gym Membership Could be Costing You Even More Money Than You Think
Tarzan had abs without the use of a gym, but as Singaporeans who spend most of our time sitting in front of computers rather than swinging from tree to tree,...
7 April 2016
4 Ways to Feel Like a Tourist Without Leaving Singapore
Entertainment
4 Ways to Feel Like a Tourist Without Leaving Singapore
It’s not news that Singaporeans try to flee the country each time they have the chance. We all have that colleague who’s constantly going on weekend trips, even if it...
6 April 2016
4 Awesome Countries Where Singaporean Freelancers Who Want to Live Abroad Can Get a Long Stay Visa
Career
4 Awesome Countries Where Singaporean Freelancers Who Want to Live Abroad Can Get a Long Stay Visa
Sick of working with bosses who insist on face-time above all else and throw hissy fits whenever they try to apply for more than two days of leave in a...
6 April 2016
5 Travel Trends Singaporean Yuppies are Spending Big Money on These Days
Travel
5 Travel Trends Singaporean Yuppies are Spending Big Money on These Days
Despite the fact that Singaporean tourists are often spotted in shorts and slippers while holidaying in neighbouring countries, the affluent Singaporean tourist is actually quite fond of expensive activities that...
5 April 2016
featured entrepreneurs business ideas singapore
Career
4 Changes That May Encourage More Singaporean Entrepreneurs
The classic formula has worked well for two generations of Singaporeans—study hard and do well at school, enter the most prestigious university course you qualify for, and then be a...
5 April 2016
Young Singaporeans Who are Thinking of Signing Up For UOB’s New YOLO Credit Card Need to Read This First
Opinion
Young Singaporeans Who are Thinking of Signing Up For UOB’s New YOLO Credit Card Need to Read This First
We here at MoneySmart aren’t the sort to be swayed by marketing. That’s why we’re saying that in spite of the provocative branding of UOB’s YOLO credit card, targeted at...
4 April 2016
3 Ways Singaporeans Can Improve Their Relationships Without Spending a Single Cent
Budgeting
3 Ways Singaporeans Can Improve Their Relationships Without Spending a Single Cent
High maintenance, materialistic—these are words Singaporean men often use to describe their female counterparts, before they sigh with relief and think about all the money they’ve saved because they’ve been...
4 April 2016
5 Atas-Sounding Things It’s Possible to Do Cheaply In and Around Singapore
Entertainment
5 Atas-Sounding Things It’s Possible to Do Cheaply In and Around Singapore
Singapore to me might mean sweating it out under the hot sun, plates of char kway teow and Milo ping in a plastic bag. To you, it might mean $30...
2 April 2016
Singaporeans Show Again That Changes in Work Culture is What Will Impact Birth Rates, and Not Money
Opinion
Singaporeans Show Again That Changes in Work Culture is What Will Impact Birth Rates, and Not Money
So once again, it looks like raising Singapore’s dismal birth rate is a priority in this year’s Budget, just as it is every year. And just like every year, it...
31 March 2016
change job singapore
Career
Hate Your Job But Like Your Work? Try These 3 Career Moves Instead of Quitting
Those days when people’s main criteria for their career were stability and decent pay are long gone. These days, millennials are searching for fulfilment, self-actualisation, peace and love, rainbows and...
31 March 2016
movie discounts 2016 infographic
Entertainment
The MoneySmart Guide to Singapore Movie Discounts 2016
The cheapest way to watch a movie is *cough* illegal. Since we would never dream of doing that, ahem, we prefer to catch all our movies in the cinema, of...
30 March 2016
3 Lessons Young Singaporeans Can Learn From the Retrenchment of Middle Aged PMETs
Career
3 Lessons Young Singaporeans Can Learn From the Retrenchment of Middle Aged PMETs
Once upon a time, getting a cushy PMET job and rising to senior management was the Singaporean dream. Claw your way to the top of the corporate ladder and you’d...
30 March 2016
3 Ways University Students Can Productively Spend Their School Holidays Abroad
Education
3 Ways University Students Can Productively Spend Their School Holidays Abroad
Once upon a time, the glorious 3 month holidays enjoyed by uni students were a time of fun, travel and discovery. These days, uni students seem to all be rushing...
29 March 2016
4 of Singaporeans’ Biggest Gripes About Public Transport and What You Can Do About Them
Transportation
4 of Singaporeans’ Biggest Gripes About Public Transport and What You Can Do About Them
Despite the changes over the past year (more buses, Downtown line, et al), ask anyone who has to take public transport to work in the CBD how their commute went,...
28 March 2016
3 Money Saving Tips For Freelancers in Singapore
Career
3 Money Saving Tips For Freelancers in Singapore
Freelancers and the self-employed pay a heavy price for their freedom and flexibility. Other than the lack of employer’s CPF contributions or benefits and an income that can fluctuate wildly...
28 March 2016
3 Minefields Singaporeans Must Learn to Navigate at Work
Career
3 Minefields Singaporeans Must Learn to Navigate at Work
When you’re still at the office at 8pm and you spot colleagues surfing the internet waiting for the boss to leave, you know you’re in Singapore.
28 March 2016
best credit cards students singapore
Education
3 Valuable Ways Singapore Students Can Spend Their Gap Year
Despite the fact that a gap year is still thought of as a big waste of time during which one is not economically productive (the shame!) in Singapore, more and...
24 March 2016
Singaporeans Who Are Tempted to Change Jobs This Year Should Ask Themselves This First
Career
Singaporeans Who Are Tempted to Change Jobs This Year Should Ask Themselves This First
Unless you’ve spent the past year glued to Korean dramas or DOTA, you probably know that the economy isn’t looking so hot this year, with more people getting retrenched and...
24 March 2016