7 Ways to Cut Your Wedding Venue Costs in Singapore

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Finding a wedding venue sucks. With few exceptions, they are all insanely expensive. Their prices have numbers you’d expect to see somewhere else entirely, like on a population census of mainland China. Although a wedding is basically a dinner function with more froo-froo, it justifies selling dishes of peanuts or whatever at $3.50 a pop. And also, the hotel will be charging your children’s inheritance, just so your guests can sit around and chat.

It's Ok. Your future children don't need higher education.

Because MoneySmart loves you in a platonic and not-inappropriate manner, we investigated the alternatives. We climbed mountains, crossed oceans, and had fierce arguments. After that, we did some actual work. So here’s a list of seven less painful wedding venues:

Credit Cards VS Debit Cards in Singapore

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Credit cards give you access to money that isn’t yours. It’s the same as borrowing money, except without the crying and impassioned pleading (that part comes later). Debit cards just save you from standing in long ATM queues; it’s access to your own money, with the occasional perk. But which of the two should you be packing? 

The Convenience of Plastic

Living without a debit or credit card is like cycling to work: you get to outwardly boast how healthy you are, and inwardly curse at the inconvenience.

So say you’re tired of not being able to shop online. Of having to borrow a card just to download apps, even the free ones. Of making more trips to the ATM than an incontinent cat to a litter box. Between debit and credit cards, which form of plastic should you be considering?

Read Before You Elope: 7 Tips For An Affordable Wedding

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Ah, Weddings! Bridal showers, big cakes, and guzzling half a beer factory at someone else's expense. Which you’d better, considering your dinner will cost them a mid-range car. You know when the hosts looked at the bill, they were just pretending those were tears of joy right? So do the right thing. Guide them to our 7 Tips for Affordable Weddings.

The Social Network(er): The Story of Project Crew’s Alaric Tan

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Alaric Tan is the driving force behind The Project Crew, a new force in Singapore’s event management industry. And if you’ve been in that industry, you’ll know there are easier jobs out there. Like being a Commando. To find out how Alaric thrives and succeeds in his pressure-cooker world, we do some catching up.

Reizo: Undressing the Story Behind a Fashion Entrepreneur

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REIZO is a custom tailoring business, recently opened at Wilkie Edge. In a world where tailored suits cost more than blood transfusions, Reizo manages to deliver quality at cut rate prices. That isn’t the only unusual thing about them; this fresh start-up had some unlikely roots. MoneySmart did some probing, and we nabbed while we were at it.

Cash VS Credit Cards: Is Cash Really King?

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Which is better: pay by cash, or pay by credit card? I mean, everyone knows the answer to this. If they made Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for the thinking impaired, this wouldn’t even qualify as the first question. So how come in 2009, credit cards accounted for half the bankruptcy cases in Singapore?

Call of Bankruptcy IV: Wallets at War

Telling a shopaholic “here’s a card, don’t overspend” is like hosting an AA meeting in a brewery. Once the credit card is in your pocket, everything changes. So let’s take a look at cash vs. credit again; but this time, we’ll include the psychological dimensions, and what you can do about them.

Types of Car Insurance in Singapore

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Car insurance: it’s mandatory. I don’t know why they print brochures with people holding up car keys, spouting phrases like “love your ride” or “smooth drive”. As if they need to convince me or something. That brochure could feature a grinning banker lighting his cigar with a $50 bill and it would make zerodifference. I’d still have to buy it. So let’s explore the available options: what’s the difference between these insurance plans?

9 Tips to Get the Best Home Loan in Singapore

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For most of us, a home loan is the biggest loan we will ever take. The moment we sign, we incur a debt that sticks around for the next 15 to 30 years. And it’ll remain a major concern, right up till we’re thrilled with comfortable dentures and starting sentences with “In my time”. On top of that, convincing the bank to buy you a house isn’t all that easy either. To wit, MoneySmart presents 9 Tips on Getting the Best Home Loan:

Progressive Payment Scheme for Singapore Property

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It’s been four years since the progressive payment scheme became the norm. By now, property buyers have been frowning so long their faces could fit in a raisin commercial. But what’s the deal with progressive payment? Why does even saying it make buyers and sellers wince? We examine the subject below:

Singapore Home Loan Terms & Jargon: A Glossary

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Home loan terms are precise. So precise that, in the event of a dispute, your chances of wriggling free are about the same as a sick snail in a Greek wrestler’s armpit. It pays to understand the exact definition of these terms, because in a court of law, ignorance is not an excuse. Signing is binding, so check these terms first!

Fixed VS Floating Rate Home Loan: Which is Better?

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Because home loans aren’t confusing enough, banks offer two different kinds of interest rates. We’re talking about fixed and floating home loans, and how to pick the one that best suits you. So if you’re looking to buy a house in Singapore or intend to anytime in the future, then have a read of this handy MoneySmart guide.

Get Paid More: How to Negotiate a Higher Salary

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When I was getting my very first job, the thought of negotiating a salary filled me with absolute terror. What sort of price tag was I going to attach to myself? How was I going to justify asking for more? And why was my prospective employer slapping her knee and baying like a hyena, calling everyone over to have a look at my CV?

As you might gather, that first interview wasn’t exactly comfortable. When it got to the part where I mumbled my expected salary, she laughed so hard she blew coffee out her left nostril. But she was kind enough to explain that $50,000 a month was not the expected amount for mid-level management.

Are Foreigners Stealing Jobs from Singaporeans?

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The sudden rage generated by that headline was so intense, my keyboard just exploded. Cool it. Let’s try to take a somewhat objective view of this. And along the way, let’s look at some solutions…

To start, 30 percent of Singapore's working population is foreign. Or if you want to be historical and all, it’s probably 99.99 percent, being that our ancestors were all migrants. But that aside, it does mean that close to a third of our job market is taken up by expats. With the current economic climate, that’s a major cause for worry. Or is it?

Buying VS Renting a Singapore Property?

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So you don’t recall what happened after last night’s pub crawl, but the old bachelor pad is a smoking wreck. Or your buddy won’t let you crash for the fourth year running, and your girlfriend’s now your fiance. Whatever the case, you’re facing the big question: rent or buy?

Right now property prices are so high you’ll need a ladder to check them. Before making a decision, you’d better have a look at Moneysmart’s list of pros and cons. Your house is probably going to be the biggest purchase you ever make, so think it over.

7 Cheap Weekend Getaways (near Singapore)

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So I’ve made millions on the stock market, and I’ve a weekend to celebrate. Okay, I exaggerate. I almost made a thousand bucks. Nonetheless, it’s reason enough to celebrate! Here’s how to have a good time on a budget. Here’s my list of 7 Weekend Getaways, which shouldn’t be as cheap as they are.

How Credit Card Companies Make Money From You (and What You Can Do About It)

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In order to secure a purchase, a buyer needs to (1) be enticed to purchase, and (2) actually have the money to buy it. Having worked in marketing, I know that (1) is easy. Tiger Breweries could replace their mascot with a dead chihuahua and I’d still get smashed on weekends. Condition (2) is a bit tricky. Businesses need you to buy things…often things you can’t afford.

Bank of Singapore Interview (Cover Story)

December 2010

Merger to create an Asian behemoth

December 2010