SINGAPORE: Can you live on S$20 a day for food and transport in Singapore?
The average household spends a third of its monthly expenditure on these everyday expenses. And at a monthly expenditure of S$1,986 per household member — according to the Department of Statistics’ Household Expenditure Survey 2023 — the average resident spends a little more than S$20 a day across the two categories.
But costs are rising. In this year’s Institute of Policy Studies post-election survey, the cost of living was the issue with the biggest jump — 27 percentage points — in the proportion of Singaporeans rating it as “very important”, compared to 2020.
The challenge for many people is to stretch their budgets and make their money go further.
In aTalking Point uncovers ways to survive on a budget — putting programme host Steven Chia to the test — and tips on earning credit card rewards such as air miles so consumers can strategise their spending.
Here are nine dining, transport and credit card hacks that require just a small amount of extra effort:
The average resident household spends S$456 a month on groceries (food and non-alcoholic beverages). But did you know the same item can cost up to 8 per cent less or more from week to week, even at the same supermarket?
To get the best deal, shoppers can download the Price Kaki app and compare prices across supermarket outlets, plus hawker centres (as well as fuel prices at petrol stations).
WATCH PART 1: Steven’s budget challenge of S$20/day, while Munah tries miles hacking (22:29)
Bargain hunter Foong Mei Ching, 39, also shared the best timings to get supermarket goods:
• 8am: Items such as seafood and chilled meats can be discounted as much as 30 per cent during restocking.
• From 6pm onwards: Sushi is often available at a discount; so too are roasted meats and breads, owing to their short shelf life.
When Talking Point viewer Lin Yukai, 36, was unemployed, he turned to the Eatigo app whenever he craved to go out for a meal.
Users can make a reservation via Eatigo, which offers discounts of up to 50 per cent for dining at participating restaurants at off-peak times.
A 40 per cent discount for dining at 4pm on offer at a participating restaurant via Eatigo.
At normal dinnertime, Lin uses the Grab app and its Dine Out vouchers, which one can buy in advance at discounted prices. It also offers discounts with deals such as Dine Out Tuesdays.
“A 40 to 60 per cent discount is really a lot,” he said. “When you eat out with friends, it all adds up.”
If you want to enjoy a buffet meal without breaking the bank, this is where the Treatsure app comes in.
Users can reserve a time slot at a participating hotel or restaurant, whose surplus buffet food is usually available 30 to 60 minutes before closing.
They can pack what is left into a takeaway box for between S$10 and S$15, with 50 cents off if they bring the reusable Treatsure box instead.
Buffet in a box.
The catch? Everything must fit into one box. Also, some items such as seafood and cold cuts are off-limits for hygiene reasons.
One takeaway can last two meals for Talking Point viewer Chris Ng, 35. The trick is to be in the area already, he said, to avoid paying for transport to get the food.
As for cheaper bus and MRT rides, a bit of planning can help.
Under Singapore’s distance-based fare system, transfers made within 45 minutes from one bus service to another service number or between a bus and the MRT/LRT are treated as a continuous journey, with up to five transfers allowed within two hours.
So, taking the train, then a bus and a train again could count as one journey if there is no re-entry at the train station one had exited.
“To be fair, public transport hasn’t been very expensive,” Chia said. “But … it does take more time, and I do need to plan my route to know which bus and train to take.”
For short distances, bike-sharing can be a more cost-effective travel option. Riding a shared bike from Labrador Park MRT station to Mediacorp in the one-north precinct cost Chia just S$1, cheaper than his usual train fare.
“Why not try something different?” he said.
WATCH PART 2: Steven continues S$20/day budget challenge, while Munah ups her miles game (22:36)
Change was also what Talking Point co-host Munah Bagharib found was needed after using the same credit card out of habit and ending up with fewer than 50,000 miles in a year.
Finance writer Dawn Cher, 35, also known as SG Budget Babe, showed her why: She was using a general miles card, which typically earns 1.2 miles per dollar, instead of specialised cards that can offer four miles per dollar.
The fix? Use different miles cards to optimise spending in three different categories: Online purchases; petrol; and dining and travel. This approach could rack up as many miles as Munah had in less time — three to four months, Cher estimated.
Three specialised miles cards for three spending categories.
Utilities, insurance premiums, hospital bills and charitable donations, meanwhile, are expenses that normally do not earn credit card rewards. But bill payment services have changed the game for consumers, according to Aaron Wong, the founder of travel website The MileLion.
The service works this way:
• Pay bills through the service with your credit card.
• Your bills are then processed like a bank transfer, for which you pay a “small admin fee”.
• Unlock miles or cashback you normally would not get.
What users should ensure is that the value of the miles is more than the admin fee, advised the 37-year-old. In this way, they can turn obligatory expenses into rewards.
Miles hacking could mean the difference between a free flight to Bali and one to New York City.
Wong also has a hack for maximising rewards from big-ticket purchases. While specialised miles cards have bonus caps set at, say, a monthly spend of S$1,000, larger transactions can be split up using a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service.
For example, you can pay for a S$3,000 laptop in instalments of S$1,000 each and stay within the bonus cap for three months straight. This will earn 12,000 miles at four miles per dollar instead of a lower earning rate.
BNPL should be a tool for structuring payments smartly, stressed Wong, and not “because we want to spend more than we have”.
Then there is “double dipping” — obtaining multiple rewards for the same purchase. For instance, shoppers can earn extra cashback or miles on top of their usual credit card benefits if they use rewards platforms like ShopBack, HeyMax and Kris+.
Talking Point co-host Munah Bagharib buying items on her phone.
After being introduced to this by deals queen Audrey Yap, the founder of Your Lobang Sis, Munah tried out ShopBack and earned more than 100 miles plus 64 cents cashback from a S$32 purchase.
She also bought grocery vouchers from HeyMax using one of her miles cards and earned extra miles.
There were a few more online shopping tricks in Yap’s playbook that she shared:
• Hunt for the best deal by comparing prices. The same item may be priced differently across platforms depending on seller fees.
• Scroll down to see cheaper products, which some platforms offer towards the bottom of their listings for shopper retention.
• It is worth buying during a big sale — and look out for platform vouchers while you’re at it.
“(December) is when there are really big sales, … when people shop the most,” Yap observed. “(Sellers) do jack up the prices sometimes, so you have to observe the retailer and track (its) prices a few weeks before.”
The price of a dish rack, or any item, can fluctuate across listings and platforms over time.
Along with smart spending strategies, there are wise ways to redeem miles when the time comes, as shown by travel and finance content creator Zheng Jiaxing (@jiaxthepiggybanker).
Firstly, aim for redemptions worth more than 2 cents per mile. For example, a one-way business class ticket to Japan could cost S$2,800 or 54,500 miles, which is about 5 cents per mile, he cited.
In contrast, redeeming an economy seat is “very bad value” when air miles offer access to premium products, such as business class or Singapore Airlines (SIA) suites, which one would not pay for with cash “unless you’re super rich”, he noted.
Secondly, consider different airlines for different routes. Flying business class to Europe could cost 108,500 miles on SIA but only 75,000 miles on Qatar Airways, he cited. Some routes involve connecting flights, however, which means slightly higher airport taxes.
Finally, he pointed to SIA’s KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes on its website. These monthly promotions offer as much as 30 per cent off mileage redemptions on underbooked routes.
Watch this Talking Point special here: Part 1 and Part 2. The programme airs on Channel 5 every Thursday at 9.30pm.
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The average household spends a third of its monthly expenditure on these everyday expenses. And at a monthly expenditure of S$1,986 per household member — according to the Department of Statistics’ Household Expenditure Survey 2023 — the average resident spends a little more than S$20 a day across the two categories.
But costs are rising. In this year’s Institute of Policy Studies post-election survey, the cost of living was the issue with the biggest jump — 27 percentage points — in the proportion of Singaporeans rating it as “very important”, compared to 2020.
The challenge for many people is to stretch their budgets and make their money go further.
Related stories:
In aTalking Point uncovers ways to survive on a budget — putting programme host Steven Chia to the test — and tips on earning credit card rewards such as air miles so consumers can strategise their spending.
Here are nine dining, transport and credit card hacks that require just a small amount of extra effort:
1. CUT YOUR GROCERY BILL WITH TECH AND TIMING
The average resident household spends S$456 a month on groceries (food and non-alcoholic beverages). But did you know the same item can cost up to 8 per cent less or more from week to week, even at the same supermarket?
To get the best deal, shoppers can download the Price Kaki app and compare prices across supermarket outlets, plus hawker centres (as well as fuel prices at petrol stations).
WATCH PART 1: Steven’s budget challenge of S$20/day, while Munah tries miles hacking (22:29)
Bargain hunter Foong Mei Ching, 39, also shared the best timings to get supermarket goods:
• 8am: Items such as seafood and chilled meats can be discounted as much as 30 per cent during restocking.
• From 6pm onwards: Sushi is often available at a discount; so too are roasted meats and breads, owing to their short shelf life.
2. DINE OUT USING DISCOUNTS TOO
When Talking Point viewer Lin Yukai, 36, was unemployed, he turned to the Eatigo app whenever he craved to go out for a meal.
Users can make a reservation via Eatigo, which offers discounts of up to 50 per cent for dining at participating restaurants at off-peak times.
A 40 per cent discount for dining at 4pm on offer at a participating restaurant via Eatigo.
At normal dinnertime, Lin uses the Grab app and its Dine Out vouchers, which one can buy in advance at discounted prices. It also offers discounts with deals such as Dine Out Tuesdays.
“A 40 to 60 per cent discount is really a lot,” he said. “When you eat out with friends, it all adds up.”
3. TURN BUFFET FOOD INTO TAKEAWAY BARGAINS
If you want to enjoy a buffet meal without breaking the bank, this is where the Treatsure app comes in.
Users can reserve a time slot at a participating hotel or restaurant, whose surplus buffet food is usually available 30 to 60 minutes before closing.
They can pack what is left into a takeaway box for between S$10 and S$15, with 50 cents off if they bring the reusable Treatsure box instead.
Buffet in a box.
The catch? Everything must fit into one box. Also, some items such as seafood and cold cuts are off-limits for hygiene reasons.
One takeaway can last two meals for Talking Point viewer Chris Ng, 35. The trick is to be in the area already, he said, to avoid paying for transport to get the food.
4. PLAN YOUR TRANSFERS AND MODE OF TRANSPORT
As for cheaper bus and MRT rides, a bit of planning can help.
Under Singapore’s distance-based fare system, transfers made within 45 minutes from one bus service to another service number or between a bus and the MRT/LRT are treated as a continuous journey, with up to five transfers allowed within two hours.
So, taking the train, then a bus and a train again could count as one journey if there is no re-entry at the train station one had exited.
“To be fair, public transport hasn’t been very expensive,” Chia said. “But … it does take more time, and I do need to plan my route to know which bus and train to take.”
For short distances, bike-sharing can be a more cost-effective travel option. Riding a shared bike from Labrador Park MRT station to Mediacorp in the one-north precinct cost Chia just S$1, cheaper than his usual train fare.
“Why not try something different?” he said.
WATCH PART 2: Steven continues S$20/day budget challenge, while Munah ups her miles game (22:36)
5. USE THE RIGHT CARD FOR THE RIGHT PURCHASE
Change was also what Talking Point co-host Munah Bagharib found was needed after using the same credit card out of habit and ending up with fewer than 50,000 miles in a year.
Finance writer Dawn Cher, 35, also known as SG Budget Babe, showed her why: She was using a general miles card, which typically earns 1.2 miles per dollar, instead of specialised cards that can offer four miles per dollar.
The fix? Use different miles cards to optimise spending in three different categories: Online purchases; petrol; and dining and travel. This approach could rack up as many miles as Munah had in less time — three to four months, Cher estimated.
Three specialised miles cards for three spending categories.
6. GET REWARDS FOR COMMONLY EXCLUDED EXPENSES
Utilities, insurance premiums, hospital bills and charitable donations, meanwhile, are expenses that normally do not earn credit card rewards. But bill payment services have changed the game for consumers, according to Aaron Wong, the founder of travel website The MileLion.
The service works this way:
• Pay bills through the service with your credit card.
• Your bills are then processed like a bank transfer, for which you pay a “small admin fee”.
• Unlock miles or cashback you normally would not get.
What users should ensure is that the value of the miles is more than the admin fee, advised the 37-year-old. In this way, they can turn obligatory expenses into rewards.
Miles hacking could mean the difference between a free flight to Bali and one to New York City.
7. BREAK UP BIG BUYS FOR MAXIMUM MILES
Wong also has a hack for maximising rewards from big-ticket purchases. While specialised miles cards have bonus caps set at, say, a monthly spend of S$1,000, larger transactions can be split up using a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service.
For example, you can pay for a S$3,000 laptop in instalments of S$1,000 each and stay within the bonus cap for three months straight. This will earn 12,000 miles at four miles per dollar instead of a lower earning rate.
BNPL should be a tool for structuring payments smartly, stressed Wong, and not “because we want to spend more than we have”.
8. GET MORE OUT OF YOUR DEALS
Then there is “double dipping” — obtaining multiple rewards for the same purchase. For instance, shoppers can earn extra cashback or miles on top of their usual credit card benefits if they use rewards platforms like ShopBack, HeyMax and Kris+.
Talking Point co-host Munah Bagharib buying items on her phone.
After being introduced to this by deals queen Audrey Yap, the founder of Your Lobang Sis, Munah tried out ShopBack and earned more than 100 miles plus 64 cents cashback from a S$32 purchase.
She also bought grocery vouchers from HeyMax using one of her miles cards and earned extra miles.
There were a few more online shopping tricks in Yap’s playbook that she shared:
• Hunt for the best deal by comparing prices. The same item may be priced differently across platforms depending on seller fees.
• Scroll down to see cheaper products, which some platforms offer towards the bottom of their listings for shopper retention.
• It is worth buying during a big sale — and look out for platform vouchers while you’re at it.
“(December) is when there are really big sales, … when people shop the most,” Yap observed. “(Sellers) do jack up the prices sometimes, so you have to observe the retailer and track (its) prices a few weeks before.”
The price of a dish rack, or any item, can fluctuate across listings and platforms over time.
9. REDEEM YOUR AIR MILES STRATEGICALLY
Along with smart spending strategies, there are wise ways to redeem miles when the time comes, as shown by travel and finance content creator Zheng Jiaxing (@jiaxthepiggybanker).
Firstly, aim for redemptions worth more than 2 cents per mile. For example, a one-way business class ticket to Japan could cost S$2,800 or 54,500 miles, which is about 5 cents per mile, he cited.
In contrast, redeeming an economy seat is “very bad value” when air miles offer access to premium products, such as business class or Singapore Airlines (SIA) suites, which one would not pay for with cash “unless you’re super rich”, he noted.
Secondly, consider different airlines for different routes. Flying business class to Europe could cost 108,500 miles on SIA but only 75,000 miles on Qatar Airways, he cited. Some routes involve connecting flights, however, which means slightly higher airport taxes.
Finally, he pointed to SIA’s KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes on its website. These monthly promotions offer as much as 30 per cent off mileage redemptions on underbooked routes.
Watch this Talking Point special here: Part 1 and Part 2. The programme airs on Channel 5 every Thursday at 9.30pm.
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