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.

Don’t Leave the House Without These 4 Things That Can Save You Money
Budgeting
Don’t Leave the House Without These 4 Things That Can Save You Money
The good old days when a night out on the town could cost less than $20 have gone the way of the dodo. Popping out to buy a small item...
21 October 2015
3 Important Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money That Will Benefit Them in the Future
Family
3 Important Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money That Will Benefit Them in the Future
There’s a saying that wealth in the family never lasts more than three generations. While the first generation slaves away to earn money, the second generation works hard to spend...
20 October 2015
3 Things Singaporeans Buy That End Up Becoming Useless Clutter
Shopping
3 Things Singaporeans Buy That End Up Becoming Useless Clutter
If you’ve ever gone crazy shopping at Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok or even at the Great Singapore Sale, you know what happened to all that stuff you bought. No,...
20 October 2015
Even if Your Pay Sucks, Here are 4 Reasons to be Grateful For Your Job
Career
Even if Your Pay Sucks, Here are 4 Reasons to be Grateful For Your Job
Let’s be honest, you probably don’t rise and shine in the morning feeling grateful for your job. You’re more likely to be cursing under your breath and praying the office...
20 October 2015
Be Careful Before You Sign Up For Bridal Packages and These 3 Other Types of Prepaid Deals
Budgeting
Be Careful Before You Sign Up For Bridal Packages and These 3 Other Types of Prepaid Deals
It hasn’t been a good start to a lifetime together for the couples who paid for bridal packages at Sophia Wedding Collection, only to have the bridal shop close down...
19 October 2015
4 Easy Ways to Save on Household Costs in Singapore
Budgeting
4 Easy Ways to Save on Household Costs in Singapore
Sorry to break it to you, but draining your CPF funds and cash savings and signing up for a 30 year mortgage are just the beginning of your responsibilities as...
19 October 2015
3 Ways Parents Who Work Long Hours Can Spend More Time With Their Kids
Family
3 Ways Parents Who Work Long Hours Can Spend More Time With Their Kids
Work-life balance is so scarce in Singapore that many young parents have given up on it altogether. Instead, they just concentrate on trying to get enough sleep and make it...
16 October 2015
money regrets singaporeans have
Entertainment
3 Reasons Enjoying Yourself in Singapore is So Expensive These Days
It’s a little ironic that Singapore markets itself as a shopping and lifestyle destination when many of its inhabitants can’t even afford to partake in the bulk of the increasingly...
15 October 2015
5 Creative Ways To Have a Fun and Almost-Free Date Night in Singapore
Entertainment
5 Creative Ways To Have a Fun and Almost-Free Date Night in Singapore
The government might think they were on to something when they deduced that couples needed more money to start producing more kids. But giving married couples monetary incentives to have...
14 October 2015
3 Assumptions About Retirement Singaporeans Will Regret Making
Budgeting
3 Assumptions About Retirement Singaporeans Will Regret Making
If you’re planning to retire in Singapore, unless you’re the sort of person who finds Kevin Kwan’s novel Crazy Rich Asians totally relatable, forget about sipping piña coladas by the...
13 October 2015
3 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Your Kids’ After School Activities
Family
3 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Your Kids’ After School Activities
When Singaporean parents lament that it’s crazy expensive to bring up kids here these days, most of the time they’re not talking about mundane things like keeping the bubs fed...
13 October 2015
Moving in With Your Significant Other? Don’t Make These 3 Critical Money Mistakes
Budgeting
Moving in With Your Significant Other? Don’t Make These 3 Critical Money Mistakes
One thing that drives me crazy about life in Singapore is the fact that young, unmarried Singaporeans often can’t afford to move out of the parental home. The rule that...
12 October 2015
Learn Manga Drawing and More With These 6 Free Courses at Singapore’s Public Libraries
Entertainment
Learn Manga Drawing and More With These 6 Free Courses at Singapore’s Public Libraries
I have some friends who are unabashed about the fact that they hate reading. At school, they loaded up on math and science subjects while religiously avoiding the humanities. If...
10 October 2015
3 Ways to Learn a New Language For Free in Singapore
Education
3 Ways to Learn a New Language For Free in Singapore
Everyone has one of those friends who never wants to try or learn anything new because he doesn’t want to spend money. What is fundamentally wrong with these people is...
9 October 2015
3 Good Habits to Cultivate at Work No Matter What Your Company Culture is Like
Career
3 Good Habits to Cultivate at Work No Matter What Your Company Culture is Like
I once worked in a company where incompetent employees who came to work on time were preferred to those who were better at their work but came in 5 minutes...
9 October 2015
6 Ways to Make Extra Cash by Participating in the Sharing Economy
Budgeting
6 Ways to Make Extra Cash by Participating in the Sharing Economy
As a child, being asked to share with other kids could sound like a death knell. No way were you letting them get their grubby hands on YOUR Captain Planet...
8 October 2015
3 Things That Are Completely Unacceptable at the Office No Matter What the Company You Work For
Career
3 Things That Are Completely Unacceptable at the Office No Matter What the Company You Work For
Nobody shows up at work dressed like the characters on Mad Men anymore. While some companies maintain a strict dress code of boring and uncomfortable G2000-style officewear, others encourage their...
8 October 2015
What is Causing Parents To Spend So Much More on Their Kids Than They Used To?
Family
What is Causing Parents To Spend So Much More on Their Kids Than They Used To?
Having kids in Singapore can feel like playing the Sims. You have to invest in them by making sure the house is nice and offers enough light (and bathrooms) at...
7 October 2015
Here’s What The Typical Money Regret of a Singaporean Looks Like
Budgeting
Here’s What The Typical Money Regret of a Singaporean Looks Like
Of all the regrets you’ve accumulated in your life, we’re willing to bet buying that many of them involve money. Whether it was betting all your money on Black at the...
6 October 2015
3 Ways Singaporeans Tend to Overspend Out of Carelessness
Budgeting
3 Ways Singaporeans Tend to Overspend Out of Carelessness
When you stick your ATM card into the machine at the end of the month, only to be greeted with an onscreen message disdainfully informing you that you do not...
6 October 2015
3 Paper Qualifications That Mean Nothing If You Don’t Have the Skills to Back Them Up
Career
3 Paper Qualifications That Mean Nothing If You Don’t Have the Skills to Back Them Up
In many fields, having a nice, prestigious paper qualification is enough to help you get your foot in the door. Sure, you’ll have to prove your worth on the job,...
5 October 2015
3 Ways Volunteering Can Also Be Beneficial To Your Career
Career
3 Ways Volunteering Can Also Be Beneficial To Your Career
Singaporeans love free stuff, but they don’t always like giving away things for free. Resources are scarce, we’re often told, so hang on to that MRT seat for dear life...
4 October 2015
4 Things Singaporean Parents Can Do to Help Their Kids Succeed
Family
4 Things Singaporean Parents Can Do to Help Their Kids Succeed
While it’s only natural that parents want the best for their kids, one look at exhausted Singaporean kids wearing bottle-thick glasses, trudging home from late night tuition sessions, their smartphones...
1 October 2015
3 Reasons the High Motorcycle COEs in Singapore are Unreasonable
Opinion
3 Reasons the High Motorcycle COEs in Singapore are Unreasonable
Car COE prices have been creeping downwards, and wannabe car owners all over Singapore are waiting with bated breath for them to fall even lower. Every so often, the newspapers...
30 September 2015
How to Know If You’re Dating Someone Who’ll Make You Poorer
Opinion
How to Know If You’re Dating Someone Who’ll Make You Poorer
Some guys firmly believe that the way into a woman’s heart is through their big wallets, and spare no expense in trying to impress the ladies with flashy cars and...
29 September 2015