Ultimate Budget-Smart Student Guide

"Eh Wei Yi, how do you know so much about personal finance?" one of my bunkmates asked me a long time ago

"Seedly lah!"

"I thought Seth Lui post food one, not personal finance"

cues crow flying "ah, ah, ah"

The reason I'm writing this today is to share some tips on how to be money smart even as you struggle with school work (or maybe you are not)sobs

TL;DR

How to have more money (+tips)

1. Join paid-studies from school

2. Complete online surveys

3. Take a Loan

4. Get a mid-term scholarship

5. Join school Activities

6. Netflix

7. Cashback Apps

8. Go to great Attractions

9. Bulk Buy meals

10. Eat your 3 meals!!!

How to have money without feeling like you are working

Yes, maybe someone has told you before that working during your school days is possible and managable but you just don't like the feeling of working. Here are some ideas for you.

Paid-studies organised by school

Certain institutions in Singapore do send out requests for volunteers to take part in their study. Most of the time you don't have to do much and before you know it, you've got moolahs in your pocket.

Tips: Read your school emails! NTU (https://t.me/ntupaidstudies) , NUS (https://t.me/nuspaidsurvey). You can also try to join even if you are not from the 2 schools

Complete easy online surveys

This is one of the slowest ways to earn cash but what's good about this is that you can do it anywhere, on the bus, heck, even the toilet.

Tips: Milleu App (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.milieu&hl=en_SG), YouGov (https://sg.yougov.com/en-sg/), Shuga (https://www.shuga.io/). Download them all! Thank me later.

Take a bank loan

This is purely for students who are dependent on themselves to get through university. If you need much more money to study, do not compromise on your study time to take up more part-time work. IMO, you can repay the loan slowly when you graduate and get a job knowing that you have done your best in school to get as high of a staring salary as you can.

Tips: (https://blog.seedly.sg/tuition-fee-loan-local-universities) can help you summarise you game plan.

Apply for mid-term sponsorships/scholarships

Lastly, if you have decided on a career path already and interested in, why not give mid-term sponsorships/scholarships a try, not only do they pay for your expenses, for scholarships with bond, you are literally assured of a job position at the company after graduation, which means as your friends are going for job interviews, you are already working for your first paycheck!

Tips: Check out Brightsparks (https://brightsparks.com.sg/) because they are so easy to apply. You only have to fill up your profile once and you can click 'Apply' to as many organisations as you want.

How to be entertained like a pro

I get it, all work and no play makes Jack (or Jill) a dull boy (girl). #GenderEquality

Of course we need to get off schoolwork from time to time. Not only is it good to rest, you might also meet new people who could be the future president of Singapore. ANYONE can be a president don't believe me? Just ask Donald Trump...

Join School activites

Given the amount of funding school CCAs get, it is safe to assume that your average dance session in school is almost free as compared to the ZUMBA sessions in your go to gym. Besides that, your hardworking BizMag team are always getting sponsorships so that you can have you can of red bull after runs. Where else to get such good deals other than in school? You will make more friends and you will be happier!

Tips: There is usually a wide plethora of CCAs or hall activities to choose from especially at the tertiary level, don't be afraid to ask and you are on your way.

Netflix and Chill

At only $10.98 a month, you can watch as many movies as you want for the price of one movie ticket. Just make sure to remember to do your assignments.

Cashback/Discount Apps

This is one of my favourite tip because you get to enjoy good food at student prices. Remember Ananas, the $2 chicken rice at almost every MRT station? You can even get cashback for those if you use Fave. Shopback also has $0.99 deals for food like Mr Bean pancakes from time to time.

Source: Fave

Tips: 2 of my favourite apps are Shopback and Fave, although I recently found out that Shopee has also started selling digital vouchers for redemption too.

Edit: ______Burpple (https://www.burpple.com/sg) /Entertainer (https://www.theentertainerme.com/en-sg/singapore) /Eatigo (https://eatigo.com/) can help to share cost for meals too (Tips from Yang Teng)

Visit great attractions

Did you know that there are 9 museums to visit in Singapore and they are all free? I didn't believe it either. Besides the good air-con system which is what I usually go there for, you also get to look at artefacts that can teach you something. Walking around Botanic Gardens can sometimes make you fell like royalty especially when no one is around and you can only hear the birds chirp.

Tips: Visit the NHB website for the list of museums (https://www.nhb.gov.sg/what-we-do/our-work/preserve-our-stories-treasures-and-places/museums-and-institutions) and Seedly (https://blog.seedly.sg/free-things-to-do-singapore/) remember to check if they are still operating during this period.

Eat like a king

I'm a very skinny person, but unbeknownst to most people, I am actually a big eater. Bring me to a buffet restaurant and I can out eat all of you. This also means that I have to be smart when it comes to food as it can easily go through the roof if I eat everything that I see.

Bulk buy meals

No, I am not talking about the meal prep thing body builders do. What I like to do is to buy both lunch and dinner at the same time if I can because it can save you money. For example, Whenever I am getting pizza, I usually get one regular size instead of a personal pan and split the pizza into half for lunch and dinner. As Li Ka Shing said "When you are young, the body will not have too many problems for a few years with this way of living." No Problem one!!

Eat your 3 meals!

The last tip goes to all who skipped breakfast. Please don't do that. Not only does it hurt your tummy but your wallet too. Because, when lunchtime comes, your flawed judgement of your appetite will cause you to order more than enough food since you are hungry when your stomach can only store a limited amount of food.

But if you eat your breakfast, which is usually bread (because it's called bread-first). You save more money as a result.

Hope that these tips will help you save more money.

That's all I have for now, next week I will be talking about what is the "Li Ka Shing" Secret to success and is it possible for students to follow it.

Bye Bye,

Wei Yi