Simple Budget, Simple Life

I've finally set up my SRS account. In the past, I didn't feel the need to do so and these were my thoughts: no need for additional tax savings since I'm doing annual CPF top-up no clue what to invest using SRS funds  don't want my $ to be stuck in an account till age 62. That's another 30 years (and I've only just passed thirty years on earth!) However, circumstances have changed. As my income grew, I needed more avenues to reduce my tax. Not that I'm earning a lot, but the intent was the same as me doing my annual CPF top-up i.e I'd rather save the tax monies and channel to my mum and I, than doing nothing to my tax relief and paying 100% to the govt - likewise, topping up to my SRS would work the same way. The chart from DBS web below would serve as a good example of the potential tax savings we could save.  More importantly, the call to lock-in my retirement age at 62 has pushed me to take action because 2021 is the last year/chance before the statut

In Mandarin, there's a phrase called 手机不离身. To translate, this means our mobile phones being an integral part of our life/body - we need to constantly hold and have it near us. I got reminded of this phrase as I was about to jot my thoughts. That came from my mum.....who nags that we are constantly on our phones haha I used to have a habit of turning off my phone at night to: - save battery -remove radiation - prevent calls/msgs from disturbing me But I no longer do so. In fact, my phone is on 24/7, and I even put it beside my bed while I sleep. The phone is smart enough to set "Do Not Disturb" mode come bedtime as well.  Anyway, this post serves to share the apps I used the moment I wake up and throughout the day. Perhaps years down the road, new apps would overtake the old ones?  And yup, first thing I wake up is to grab my phone! Tiger Brokers App Daily routine to collect tiger coins. I currently have 7000 coins, still far from the 18k coins to claim a $88 stock vouche

Oopsie. I was supposed to reveal my NFT but work caught up and I've forgotten about it. Until, I was reminded by a cryto.com notification that there's a special referral promotion running now. 2 things: 1. NFT reveal Earlier, I shared about the enticing promotion by crypto.com  here . By signing up as a new user, you'd get $100 CRO coin plus a NFT! Unfortunately, this promotion has ended. It was a great promotion for me though - especially after crypto transactions via Binance would be greatly limited. Anyway, for those who are curious how the NFT look like, it was pretty underwhelming. At first, when I saw it animate, I thought it would "crack open" and reveal a unique character or something.  You can search for mooncake in their NFT platform or visit here  to see how it looks like. That's not mine btw. I don't intend to sell mine, neither do I think anyone will buy it😬...unless they come up with a use case (hopefully?) 2. USD$50 referral bonus If you m

I've always been appreciative of WFH. Even before the pandemic, I enjoyed telecommuting because it gets me away from office politics and tensions with people. I really hate (fake) social interactions. So after close to 2 years (time flies), I'm documenting my quick thoughts about my mundane rhythm so that I can look back fondly if we were to ever be forced to return to office😠. For context, I love staying home. I'm glad to be able to move into my house and settled the renovations before the mass disruption. Having 3 bedrooms meant my husband and I have our own room for work. We started off working in the same room, but given the number of calls and meetings we need to attend, it was difficult to be together. Nope, we didn't quarrel. Now that I reflect upon it, it seems like my husband is the BEST co-worker I've ever worked with! We are comfortable with each other, and shoot what we think, yet are respectful of each other space. He doesn't judge me regardless o

I was anticipating my upcoming staycation when I received a rude shock from Klook...without any explanations. Pissed with such an email, I msged Klook's helpdesk, only to be given template answers. After probing and waiting, I was told that JW Marriott's SHN is extended to 2022, hence the cancellation.  I was extremely pissed with Klook. No explanations were given on this sudden refund and cancellation. I had to ask and their customer service were not understanding of my situation🤮 While I empathise with the current situation, I'm peeved with Klook's (lacking) service. I am ok to postpone my hotel stay after 2022, but the Klook helpdesk told me the JW would not entertain postponement. Their iterations seem to put the blame that JW was the one who asked them to cancel bookings. Realising I can't put any sense to their helpdesk, I just quit the chat. Grrrrr! Time to think where to spend my $100 SRV again. I guess I will have to stay away from staycations....

Quick update. Just early this month, I shared the crypto.com promotion here  which ended on 22 Sep 2021. I've also blogged a part 2 about why I signed up . Interestingly, with the latest news on Binance , crypto.com serves as an alternative for buying and earning coins. Anyway, for those who took action after my post, check out your email from CRO! Here's the snapshot informing me about the incoming rewards! SGD100 CRO coins and my very first NFT ! Whee~~~ I'll update next on how the NFT looks like once I get hold of it. Can't wait! Referral reward Unfortunately, the SGD$100 promotion has ended. However, if you are looking at crypto.com as an alternative to Binance, do use my  referral link  or code below! You will get US$25 referral reward with S$500 CRO purchase (you dont have to buy it in one shot).  ybm9v5zhv7 The  registration guide can be found in my previous post here .

I've had the POSB Everyday card since ages ago. This may probably be my first ever credit card! While I was looking through my banking apps as a monthly routine, I saw the following charges on my POSB Everyday: Each time I was charged annual fee, I could waive it off successfully. As usual, I used their chat function to request the fee waiver. Not this time.  I've no idea what's their criteria backend, but I've used the card recently; though I can't say I'm a frequent user.  Oh well, I've raised the request to cancel my card.  Goodbye POSB Everyday card. 

If you're on Netflix and don't know what to watch, I recommend "The Squid Game". This is a Korean suspense drama of only 9 episodes which I binge watched over the weekend. I'll leave the link to the trailer here. In gist, it is a survival game where 456 players (all cash-strapped and in heavy debts) accept an invitation to compete in 6 rounds of games. The reward is 45.6 billion won (equiv to S$52 million) for the final winner. PS: if you're on tiktok, there are way too many spoilers. Lucky I watched it when it was released. Pretty mind blowing seeing the hints that were already laid out throughout the show. After the intense 9 episodes, I had several thoughts. Note that the reflections may contain spoilers to the show. 1. Do not subject yourself to financial difficulties. It leads to desperation 2. Human are greedy 3. In this world, it's every man for himself. 4. The world is a rich man's play, while the poor are treated as pawns. 5. The rich gets aw

Previously, I blogged about my S$100 experiment with CakeDefi . After 3 weeks, here's the progress: Unfortunately, DFI coin has dropped value (I got it at S$3.90) so the status check today isn't rosy. But hey, coins value move up and down. I'll just carry on! Me thinks that the free US$30 reward is a decent bonus so I am fine to leave my SGD$100 there to do its magic.  Snapshot of daily interest  Plus, the platform is clean and easy to use. Interests per 12hours are recorded, so you can check it out everyday. I don't bother checking it much; will just leave it to roll. As of today, staking DFI will give you 73.6% APY (note that the rate changes every 12 hours): Referral for CakeDefi If you're keen to sign-up Cakedefi (of coz DYODD), pls use my referral link here  where you'd get a  total of US$30 worth of DFI (US$20 worth of DFI when you sign up and make a deposit of US$50 or more + US$10 referral reward). You can refer to my blog here for the registration guid

One week left till the Crypto.com sign-up bonus of SGD$100! If you're clueless what I'm talking about, you can read more  in my earlier post  about the exciting promotion along with the registration guide. Why Crypto.com? In a bid to make things clearer, I've created a graphic map of WHY a crypto.com account is useful and attractive for me with the boxes ticked as being most relevant for me 1. Sign-up promo (SGD100 + NFT) + Referral promo Without a doubt, the main impetus to sign up an account was the SGD100 promotion.  By being the first 100,000 new users to purchase SGD $100 CRO, I would get an equivalent SGD $100 CRO reward.  Plus, I'd get my very first NFT “Lion Mooncake”. Curious to know how it looks like! To maximise the rewards, I decided to stake SGD $500 CRO so that I can unlock the referral bonus of US$25 as well. Total reward pending: S$100 CRO from Mid-Autumn promo + $33 (equiv to US$25) CRO from referral code   = $133 Lion Mooncake NFT to be unveiled. Pls

Exclusive for SG users from 6 Sep till 22 Sep 2021, crypto.com is giving the first 100,000 new users promo bonus of SG100 . You can read more here: https://blog.crypto.com/mid-autumn-festival-new-user-promo/ Given their current attractive offer, I decided to sign up for an account using a referral link to maximise the rewards received (both referral reward of US$25 and SGD$100 Mid-Autumn promo), since sign-up bonus can only be taken once.  PS: as with all crypto-related investments, risks applies. Pls DYODD! If you're all ready to sign up, here's a quick guide. Registration guide 1. Click on my referral link  and you'd be brought to a page for sign-up. Enter the referral code below during sign-up. They will bring you to a page to download the app.  ybm9v5zhv7 Note: by using my referral link, you will receive US$25 CRO coin. I will receive US$25 in CRO once you reserved a metal crypto.com visa card. Read more in S/N 2. 2. Upon logging in the app, if the referral code is not

As a budget lady, I love getting my goods on sales. The competition between the online platforms are great for consumers given the discounts dangled. Did you purchase anything for 9.9? Amongst the various platforms, which one did you use?  Honestly, it's a headache to squeeze the best deal. You have to think which items are cheaper here, or there; which cc has additional promotions with the platforms plus gives you extra cashback; and when is the best timing to buy (most dangle special perks at strike of midnight). Here's a brief sharing of my game plan leading up to 9.9. You gotta start early . 1. Make a list of the items you want to purchase and cart them 2. Collect all the vouchers you can get leading up to the event 3. Play their games for extra perks - for eg. I played a game called Lazzie Star on Lazada app and got a 19% discount voucher 4. Check out your carted items to see the special price on the event day (note - there are some fakes where the prices are MORE EXP on 9

This week shall be proclaimed as the week of baptism into crypto lol.  Within a short span, I created accounts with 3 different crypto platforms - Hodlnaut , Celsius and now.....Cakedefi. Lured by the dangling carrots of 80 to >100% APY by staking on Cakedefi, I decided to check it out. The crypto space is really intriguing. I am just a beginner trying to dip my toes into the various ponds in hopes to gain more understanding of what others are trading/doing. I've been reading crypto articles on and off for the past year, but it's never the same as taking actions and trying things out in reality. #nevertryneverknow I thought it wouldn't hurt for me to test out all these crypto platforms with a bit of money. I ain't no baller, but I have mentally prepared myself to see deep losses. As such, I decided to put in SGD$100 into Cakedefi as an experiment to see what rewards I'll get in the next 180 days. If you are keen to join Cakedefi, here's my sharing on how to k