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.

shopping bad habits singapore
Shopping
4 Bad Habits All Singaporean Shoppers Need to Break Now
When the birds are chirping and the sun is shining, Singaporeans flock to… not the beach or the park, but shopping malls, where they seek shelter from bird droppings and...
2 December 2014
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in Barcelona, Spain for Under $1,600
Travel
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in Barcelona, Spain for Under $1,600
If you’ve ever wanted to see the trippy architecture of Gaudí or sip real sangria while being serenaded by a modern day Don Juan, a trip to Barcelona might be...
1 December 2014
retirement planning
Budgeting
3 Things You Might Not Have Thought About When Planning for Retirement
Mention retirement in front of a bunch of Singaporeans and everyone instantly starts griping about the rising cost of living, low wages and having to work from the cradle to...
30 November 2014
money matters couples need to discuss
Wedding
Money Matters Every Couple Needs to Discuss When They’re Dating But Not Married
Most of the money advice targeted at couples is for people who are married or at least cohabiting. But knowing how to handle joint accounts, split the rent and divide...
26 November 2014
last minute travel singapore
Travel
5 Travel Strategies to Get Out of Singapore at the Last Minute During Public Holidays
Trying to book a last minute holiday over public holidays in Singapore screams “Titanic” as everyone scrambles to get out before it’s too late. A cheap flight to a place...
26 November 2014
why singaporeans get into debt
Budgeting
The Top 3 Idiotic Reasons Singaporeans Get into Debt
Getting into debt isn’t like transferring $10,000 to your new Nigerian friend who also happens to be a prince. In other words, it’s not stupid 100% of the time. Yes,...
26 November 2014
how to tell if your boss sucks
Career
4 Questions to Ask at an Interview That Can Help You Determine If an Employer Sucks
Being so desperate when you attend an interview that you’re willing to help your new boss tie his shoes might actually get you hired in Singapore. There’s nothing bosses like...
26 November 2014
budget travel london holiday
Travel
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in London for Under $1,600
If you’ve ever wondered why older Singaporeans use quaint British expressions like “donkey’s ears”, a trip to London, the capital of Singapore’s former colonial masters, might be in order. To...
24 November 2014
how to deal with conservative bosses
Career
3 Ways to Deal with Conservative Local Bosses in Singapore
Anyone who’s worked for a Singapore company knows the horrors of trying to deal with a Conservative Local Boss. Conventional career advice exhorting employees to speak up whenever they can...
24 November 2014
cheap food alternatives cbd singapore
Dining
6 Places in the CBD Where You Can Have Lunch For Less Than $10
If you’re working in the CBD area around Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar, you’d better hope you’re getting paid a lot. Because it’s not cheap to exist in the land...
24 November 2014
how to make your things last longer and save money
Budgeting
6 Simple Hacks to Save Money by Making Your Stuff Last Longer
No matter how cheap something is at the time you buy it, if it breaks two months later you haven’t really saved that much money, have you? Here are 6...
19 November 2014
how to make the most of your annual leave
Career
How to Stop Getting Shortchanged By Your Employer and Make the Most of Your Annual Leave
I once had a friend who, fresh out of engineering school, got a job with a 6-day work week and only 7 days of annual leave (true story). After two...
19 November 2014
travel to melbourne australia on a budget
Travel
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Melbourne, Australia for Less Than $1,400
If there were a definitive list of Singaporeans’ favourite cities, Melbourne would definitely be within the top three. In fact, these days you see more Singaporeans on the streets of...
17 November 2014
why your budget will fail
Budgeting
4 Reasons Why Your Budgeting Plan is Doomed To Failure
You already know how important it is to have a budget if you want to get your finances in order, especially in the oversized shopping mall that is Singapore, but...
14 November 2014
best massage places singapore
Entertainment
3 Ways to Get a Cheap Massage in Singapore For Not More Than $60
When life gets too stressful, as it does 99% of the time in Singapore, some turn to alcohol, and others turn to spas. Unfortunately, like everything else here, both are...
14 November 2014
how to maximise your company benefits
Career
Don’t Waste the Employee Benefits your Company Gives You – Here’s How to Maximise Them
Think about your job. Is there anything good about it besides the pay? If your answer is no, you’re wrong, even if your boss is the devil incarnate and the...
13 November 2014
holiday to iceland under $2,000
Travel
How to Spend a Week in Reykjavík, Iceland for Under $2,000 Including Flights
There are holiday destinations that everybody has been to and nobody is really impressed by, like Australia and Thailand. And then there are those destinations that most people only dream...
11 November 2014
eating healthy on a budget singapore
Budgeting
Think Eating Healthy is Hard in Singapore? Here’s Why It’s Even Harder on a Budget
Although 99% of the people on Singapore streets still look like sticks to me, according to many anxious news reports, Singaporeans are actually getting fatter. And even if you’re all...
10 November 2014
why are gen y singaporeans not saving money
Opinion
Why Are Gen Y Singaporeans Saving So Little Despite Not Having to Pay Rent?
Sure, a house costs a ton of money in Singapore—but so does a Ferrari. Neither affects you at this point if you’re still living with mum and dad. And that’s...
10 November 2014
tuition teacher singapore 2018
Career
How to Be a Full Time Tuition Teacher in Singapore
Forget about investment banking or going to law school. Of all my secondary school classmates, the first one to be able to afford her own car was a full time...
5 November 2014
high paying jobs singapore
Career
3 Well-paid Jobs You Can Get Even With a Useless Degree
Just do what you love, they said. That’s why you went and got a degree in Tahitian Studies or Ancient History of Agriculture. And now employers are staring at your...
5 November 2014
retirement jobs that will help you retire comfortably
Career
4 Retirement Jobs That Can Help You Retire Much More Comfortably Than Just Relying on CPF
When most people think of retirement, they imagine old folks wearing Hawaiian shirts and slippers with socks sipping cocktails on some island in the tropics. Unfortunately, if that tropical island is...
4 November 2014
travel to italy for under $1,600
Travel
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Rome, Italy for Less Than $1,600
So the university holidays have started, or perhaps you’re thinking of finally taking that block leave before you lose it. But you’re sick and tired of “affordable” destinations like Malaysia...
3 November 2014
best halloween costume singapore
Shopping
5 Affordable Places to Rent a Halloween Costume in Singapore
You might be the sort who can’t even be bothered to change out of your pyjamas on Chinese New Year. But Halloween is serious business. Get a lousy costume and...
30 October 2014
stupid money saving habits
Opinion
Singaporeans Need to Stop Making These 5 Stupid Mistakes in the Name of Saving Money
No Singaporean can be accused of not thinking about money—or at least fantasising about what money can buy. Even something as simple as a walk in the park (petrol and...
28 October 2014