Free Moolah from DBS!

Save! Earn! - $5

The long and the short of it:

Download DBS PayLah! at midnight, register and get $5

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Looks like Maybank isn't the only one giving out free money. (Really free money from Maybank and Earn even more money from Maybank.)

DBS is getting into the game as well! Unlike the efforts by the DBS Salary Credit scheme (article here), this new initiative gives you the $ effortlessly.

Presenting the DBS PayLah! App!
Links here for:
iTunes
Android Google Play

Competition = Free $$$

This is just simple. Wait till it's midnight then download the app and register! You'll soon be pocketing $5 from thin air.
Then remember to transfer the money out to your savings account. You do have one right? Heh.

Free train rides + Breakfast!

Save! - $300-$390 a year on transport fees and a free breakfast!

The long and the short of it:

If you work in the city or near one of the 18 eligible MRT stations, wake your ass up early and take the MRT to your destination before 7.45am.

Additional or local tips!

Missed the timing just by a few minutes? Nebermind.
You still get $0.50 discount so still not bad. As the Hokkien saying goes: "No fish prawn also good."

Also!

Get a free Ya Kun Breakfast voucher (while stocks last) on 23rd May 2014, Friday, when you tap out before 7.45am at Raffles Place, Somerset or Lavender MRT.
I would say go for the free breakfast voucher thingy only if it's on your way. 
While stocks last means there's a high chance the vouchers will run out. Retirees sure to leap on this and organize breakfast keng kai sessions based on these voucher giveaways one. I know cos I will definitely do this sort of thing when I turn old!!!

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Who doesn't love a good cup of Ya Kun in the morning?

Basically, LTA will subsidize free MRT rides for morning trips that end at 18 designated stations in the city area.

This scheme has been around for awhile now, having started in April 2013 to encourage people to ride to work at earlier hours to spread the human traffic flowing into the city.
It must have worked out well for both the LTA, SMRT and commuters since they are extending this to June 2015 (woohoo!)

You can read more about its history and the scheme itself here.

What's more they are giving away Ya Kun breakfast vouchers on 3 separate days!
Friday 16 May 2014 at Tanjong Pagar, Orchard and Bugis (oops! Blogged about it too late.)

Friday 23 May 2014 at Raffles Place, Somerset and Lavender
Friday 30 May 2014 at City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut and Chinatown

The Most Important Details in Brief!

• You need to tap out of one of the designated stations by 7.45am to get the free ride. If you tap out later by a few minutes, you still get $0.50 off.
• Your ride cannot originate from one of the 18 stations.
• The 18 stations are:

Bayfront
Bras Basah
Bugis
Chinatown
City Hall
Clarke Quay
Dhoby Ghaut
Downtown
Esplanade
Lavender
Marina Bay
Orchard
Outram Park
Promenade
Raffles Place
Somerset
Tanjong Pagar
Telok Ayer

• Free breakfast on 23 May (Raffles Place, Somerset and Lavender) and 30 May (City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut and Chinatown)

1-for-1 Cathay movie tickets

Save! Potentially $10.50 per movie ticket. 

The long and the short of it

Download the Nets Savers App and use the Cathay movie deal

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Another movie offer for film fanatics!

Go download this neowh!!! NETS Savers App (iPhone or Android)

(The app will prompt you to sign up. The dumb software then proceeds to crash when I tried to sign up numerous times. Don't say I never tried hor. But hell the offers do not require a sign in! So... Huat ah!)

How to use:

• Navigate to this image 

Should be easy to find right... should be idiot proof

• Flash to the cashier (the image... not your privates... hur hur hur) and pay using your Nets @ Flashpay card
• Make sure your Nets @ Flashpay card has enough value. If not, top it up at the atm or translink counter or whatever can be used to top up ezlink cards. 
• Promo till 30 June 2014 or while stocks last (what does this even mean???)
  
• Valid at all Cathay cinemas and all days Mon-Sun and holidays!(Hosay ah!)
• Valid for blockbusters, sneak previews and opening day of new movies! (Hosay ah! x 2)
• Must buy over the counter
• Not valid for 3D or special movies like movie marathons ah, film festivals ah... 
• 1 redemption per customer (Easy lar... split the purchase. Everyone has smart phone nowadays what)
• Cannot combine with other promos (Like seriously do you need another promo?)

Nets @ FlashPay really winning me over now. Many sweet deals!
Their sweet Taxi deal

Movie prices that are so 1990s

Save! Potentially $5 per movie ticket. That's a savings of $60 a year assuming 1 movie a month for an average moviegoer. But... if you're a movie nut like me, this works out to massive savings.

The long and the short of it

Sign up for the GV Mr Popcorn card and watch movies on Tuesdays!

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If you've lived in Singapore since the 1990s, you'll be like me and lament that movie ticket prices are going through the roof. I still remember the good old days when you could get a movie at $4 (this was at the then new Yishun GV cineplex). Those days are now long gone (as with $1 chicken rice).

However, GV has an offer out there that only a few people know of, that is the $6.50 Movie Tuesday offer for GV Movie Club members. 

Here's the most important part of the T&C for the GV membership:

13. How do I enjoy my members' price of $6.50 movie tickets every Tuesday?
Simply log in to purchase your tickets online or at any GV Box Office. Members' priced tickets cannot be issued from telephone bookings and AXS Stations as those channels are not able to identify you as a member beforehand.
Member's price applies to all regular films and is not valid on "eve of" and "day" of Public Holiday. Please note that members' price cannot be enjoyed in conjunction with any other promotions or discounts.

You just need to sign up, which is, of course FREE! (Otherwise why would I recommend it right...) 

Sign up here. Get the card and start watching movies on Tuesdays!

$6.50 for a movie ticket! *Giggles like a kid high on smack*

Now... to scheme on how to smuggle in home made popcorn...

BYO Mug Kopitiam version

Save! About $1 per meal which works out to an average of $288 a year assuming 6 meals a week that you eat out at a coffeeshop or hawker.

The long and the short of it

BYO drinks or make your  own kopi / teh in the office or at home!

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Another simple no brainer though I suspect many will find this hard to do.
BYO drinks to your meals. It's simple and so obvious.

Every coffeeshop owner will run the drinks stall. You know why? Because that stall's profit margins are the highest! Ever thought about the cost price of that coca-cola can drink? I betcha it's probably $0.20 or less! The mark-ups are mad.

So save your wallet from being gutted. BYO drink or even better, drink plain tap water (bottled water does not count and is equally wasteful!)

If you need to have your caffeine fix, BYO to the office and have your beverage back at your desk. It's still way cheaper. The cost savings really builds up.
An example is fellow money saver AK from ASSI who's saved an amazing $9,216 over 16yrs! (His How I earned $9,216 with a mug? article) He's one committed fella!

Now why did I say many will find this hard to do? Because of peer pressure. When everyone buys a drink with their meal you will feel pressured. Resist! Persevere!

inSing app Voucher mania

Save! Probably about $10 or more depending on how long before the vouchers run out.

*Ok they have thrown in the towel. I think they bled too much from giving out too many vouchers liao. Announcement here

The long and the short of it

Download the app and accumulate points on it by reading their "articles" and liking stuff on FB through their app to redeem vouchers!

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Here's another free money giving app - inSing Po!nts app.
(Yes the name is horrigible but what the heck, they are giving away stuff. Is it beneath me to support bad design? Nope! Gimme gimme gimme!)

Basically, you sign up for an account and accumulate points via a few way and then use those points to redeem for vouchers. Free vouchers = savings so yeah!

Ways to accumulate points include:

• Reading inSing "articles" (basically rehashed news / content since originality is dead nowadays. Sigh.)
• Liking FB posts through on their app (it's a bit weird and inception-y cos you're using a social platform to enter another social platform to be social. Gah! I won't ever understand this...)
• Liking their redemption items
• Posting lame comments on their redemption items page. (choice comments include... "Coffee", "Last day", "Zzz", They are getting smarter", "more coffee"... and the list goes on.)

So far I've managed to redeem about $9.8 worth of Ya Kun vouchers (yeah free kopi!) and $5 city cab / Comfort Cab vouchers. 

Get the iPhone app here - inSing Po!nts
Get the Google play version here - inSing Po!nts

Money from your shopping mall - CapitaStar points

 Save! - About $50/yr if you spend about $200/week at malls 

Update! You can now scan using your phone! So easy and hassle free so you have absolutely no excuse not to do this.

The long and the short of it

Sign up for CapitaStar and use it to accumulate points. 

Local tips!

Sign up for the CapitaStar programme, always spend above $20 (Get extra toilet paper or chocolate if you need to top-up or plan your mall runs) and scan your receipts, scan your receipts, scan your receipts.

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CapitaMalls really wants your money and is working hard to increasing the footfall in their malls. Their CapitaStar program essentially throws money (Loose change is also money ok) at you for buying stuff in their malls.

You can scan at their booths to earn points for every $20 spent in each receipt and you can redeem $5 Capitaland voucher for every 5,000 points earned. Each $1 nets you 5 points so that's basically an extra savings of 0.5% on top of whatever discounts and offers you get.

Yes yes. 0.5% isn't much to crow about but hey this 0.5% is FREEEEEEE. You can be buying important daily essentials like toilet paper may even be on discount! Think of all the discounts you can stack!

For gamers out there, it's like having a +2 enchanted sword that stacks with a +5% attack speed buff.

If you're still not convinced, here's an example of how much you can save.

If you spend $50 a week, you will save $12 annually.

If you spend $100 a week, you will save $24 annually.

If you spend $200 a week, you will save $48 annually.

It's not hard to hit $200 in groceries a week for a family of 4. Even more so if you eat out once a week. Every cent counts!

Yes, you will spend some time queuing for the machines to scan your receipt but hey, freeeeee money! Is my 5min worth the few cents savings? Yes it is. Unless you're earning boatloads of cash per month and have no time for meals. And since I'm not loaded. Yet. I shall slowly working my way up by saving and so should you. And I don't know you, but I would go as far as to pick up someone else's discarded receipt from the trash to scan. You don't have to do that by-the-way.

P.S. There's even some lame mini-games during promotional periods which means you get a chance to save even more if you're lucky enough to win anything. I've personally won $10 from these games. It's lame but hey, I won't argue with free money!

Oils oils oils ooohlala

Save! - About $5 per meal so if you do the maths, let's say we have this once every 2 weeks, that's about $130 per year... though I think it's a bit hard to eat too much tuna and sun-dried tomatoes

The long and the short of it

Eat the tuna, save that oil for a pasta or omelette later. Works the same way for anchovies or sun-dried tomatoes.

Local tips!

Ayam brand tuna FTW cos all the other brands suck bricks and are pretty much inedible, keep the oil for some pasta or omelette (Basically white people food).

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Packing oils used in common pantry items is one of the most overlooked areas in frugal cooking. Think of that can of tuna with its luscious tuna infused oil, or that jar of sun-dried tomatoes sitting in that yellow sunny liquor of flavor. How many times have you scooped out the ingredients and tossed out the flavor bank that are the oils, steeped in and concentrated with all the flavors of the ingredients?

So reconsider saving these oils and reusing them in pastas and omelettes for a quick meal or snack. Below are some suggestions that would make some decent dishes.

Tuna pasta

Cook your pasta in some nicely salted water before tossing the cooked pasta in some flavorful tuna oil to get some nice and nutritious tuna pasta together with whatever goodness that has come from the fish. Good enough to stand on its own or as a side dish to an accompanying seafood dish.

I personally can just eat this all on its own.

Sun-dried tomato pasta

Same as above, just use sun-dried tomato oil and this pasta will shine all on its own or as carbo for any mains. I usually mix it with some diced sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or artichoke hearts, depending on what I have in the pantry. If I have any canned artichokes, I will toss in some of that oil too.

3 minute sun-dried tomato omelette

Beat two eggs and throw in a teaspoon of sun-dried tomato oil. Microwave it on high for about 2-3min or until its set. Yes microwave it. It works. For that extra bit of luxury, add in a drop of truffle oil or toss in some bacon bits.

Oh and some final words.

Sure, fats and oils have amassed a sort of bad reputation over the years due to negative marketing but are they really that harmful? There's been a counter movement and research to suggest that fats aren't as bad to our health as they had seemed. And why do I say marketing? Because a lot of health foods and what I would like to call health fads are backed primarily by marketing. Fruit juices are healthy? Haha what a joke. Are fats and oils unhealthy? Sure they are, if you drink a bucketful of it every day.

The key to good health is always to do things in moderation. If you're eating a spoonful of it every other day, you'll live.