A true blue Singaporean knows the best deals and the different ways to save money and effort. Haggling with the vendor on the streets of Bangkok for that nice looking dress? No problem. Not going to Soup Restaurant yet because you know there will be the $15 voucher for $30 worth from Groupon soon? Of course! Who wouldn’t do that?
In 2016, how would Singaporeans do things differently to save money and effort? Here are some start-ups that might just make your 2016 more exciting, productive and cost effective. One of those that caught our eyes is definitely Picodi, which offers great savings to online shoppers. Here are the others:
1. Choosing from a Wider Range of Transport Options
If you are looking for services so that you are not too dependent on public transport or expensive taxis, there are companies that can give you new transport options. Thanks to services from RYDE and Beeline, not only can you travel cheaper, you can also do something good for the environment via car pooling.
RYDE’s carpooling app lets you hitch a ride at a fraction of the cost to take a taxi. And you never know, you may just find a friend in the midst of it.
With MRTs breaking down and buses not exactly meeting our expectations, a friendly app called Beeline has stepped up to provide direct bus rides to and fro your workplace and home. And want to know the current promotional price? $2 per ride. That’s like a typical MRT ride’s price.
2. Obtaining Local Services in a Jiffy
Know the feeling of irritation to call up and bargain with at least a few air-con repair men just to get the best quotation? Several local services apps solve this problem.
ServisHero provides local services from a wide range of services. Tuition, gym trainer, plumber? They’ve got them. Just submit your request and receive multiple quotations. No fuss, no time wasted.
Have a car that needs to be fixed? Fixir is the one for you. Simply submit a photo or describe your problem and quotations will be provided by car workshops that Fixir has vetted with their strict criteria. No more drama from overpriced car maintenance or repair quotations because your car is too expensive (Thanks COE) to be messed around with.
3. Say Goodbye to Heavy Groceries
A watermelon, one huge packet of toilet rolls, a 10kg packet of fragrant rice, or the diapers for your kid? Sounds bulky and heavy. No worries, you can get someone to deliver it to you and all you need to do is to select what you want.
Know Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder? Well, he invested in RedMart that brings groceries right to your doorstep. First time customer? Free delivery if you order stuff totalling above $30. Sometimes, they sell stuff even cheaper than Fairprice.
A new player in town called honestbee wants to provide you that convenience too. Trained shoppers from Honestbee potentially can help you get the freshest fish, vegetables and fruits. Now for the good part: First time customers get $15 free groceries and free delivery, for a minimum order of $30.
4. Buying and Selling, Your New Favourite Hobbies
Buying things online should be classified as an official Singaporean hobby. From blogshops in the past to Qoo10, we’ve seen and used it all. Now, mobile apps want to make the selling process as simple as the buying process.
Popular mobile shopping app Carousell is one such app. Spending time scrolling through the items on Carousell is such an addictive activity. And if you’re running out of cash, just snap something worth selling and wait for some buyer to chat you up. No fees taken, all profit yours.
Shopee’s kind of the same thing, but who’s complaining when you have more places to sell and buy interesting products? Maybe one key difference is payment security. Payment is released once safe delivery is confirmed. No need to meet at some MRT control station to exchange product and money anymore.
5. Learning New Skills for Free
Do you know how much are University Fees now? If you’re admitted into NUS for computing or business, you are immediately set back by $7,600 per year. What if you can get a Harvard or Stanford Education for less?
Top schools now offer their courses online for free on platforms like Coursera and EdX. Even our universities are offering such courses to level themselves up. Ultimately, the degree’s still a highly coveted piece of paper young people pursue. So maybe complement your studies with these free courses to really enrich your learning.
Want something less academic like video making, stock investing or practical coding? Udemy may be the place for you. They have all sorts of courses available and sometimes the creators provide free courses for a limited time. You know when there’s something free in Singapore, you’ll see that long queue. In this case, it’s free and instant.
6. Losing Weight – The New Year Resolution That’s Not Going to Change
So the real question now is, how easily do you get bored? If your answer is “super easy”, then maybe KFit suits you. Offering a wide range of activities from pilates to Wing Chun (Yes, you read that right, Wing Chun from Ip Man), it’s difficult to run out of things to do. The price? $99 per month.
There are also three undisputed advantages of online shopping – you can save money, time and energy, after all, there’s no need to cross the fitting room or wait in long lines to a cash desk.
It’s even more convenient with the help of coupon websites such as Picodi.sg, where you can find the extensive listing of money off voucher codes to your favourite Singapore’s online stores. Various price comparison websites do not include the information about coupon codes, so every time you have eyes on something specific, visit Picodi for available discounts. The website is free and updated regularly – hands down, one of the best discount shopping companion.