We live in a fast-paced digital world, where saving minutes off a task is supposedly the best part of your day. It isn’t and people should genuinely stop saying stuff like that.
However, you can’t deny that there are benefits to using digital services for your regular activities.
Here are some simple, but effective tools to use.
Travelling around Singapore
We live in a small city-state, where we’re expected to be anywhere on the island within 30 minutes. If you’re in a rush like I usually am, I always use one of the many transport apps.
It’s safe to say that these 3 services from Comfort, Grab & Uber cover pretty much all the car-related transport options in Singapore. Besides being quite affordable, they also have a lot of different types of options from family-friendly cars, cars you’d actually want to be seen in, and all the taxis in Singapore.
Pro-tip(s)
- Use the TaxiBot (TaxiBotsg) chatbot on facebook for all the latest promos, which has helped me save hundreds of dollars so far
- For those who don’t use taxis that often, buses can be our best friend. Use Bus Uncle (sgbusuncle), I didn’t name it, for all your bus timings.
Everything else…
So, I am obviously not that organized, but here goes…
Banking
I use DBS Paylah, which I am honestly phasing out, as well as Digibank by DBS. With the newly launched PayNow service, it is replacing the need for Paylah.
Confession time. I used to be an absolute technophobe when it came to payments and internet banking. Probably because my parents raised me to be Asian… I am joking of course, they raised me to be really careful with money.
Nowadays, I do pretty much all my banking online and mostly through my mobile phone. Transferring money, paying rent and checking my dwindling bank account has never been easier.
Shopping
I shop a lot online and as you can see, I use multiple services such as Shopee, Prime Now by Amazon and Carousell. I wrote a while back how I use each service, so to find out more detail I suggest you follow the link below.
Also see: https://lifestylecollective.org/2017/07/27/5-mobile-shopping-services-every-singaporean-needs/
However, it is safe to say you can cover most of your regular shopping needs with these services. Some like Carousell and Shopee even help you become a seller and earn some change.
Health
I am relatively healthy, but often need a pick-me-up or something to fight off those coughs that plague any office worker in Singapore. I use MyDoc find out what I should be doing to be healthier and prevent a nasty cough & cold. Don’t take my word for it, but read through a real user experience here through our lifestyle partner: https://lifestylecollective.org/2017/08/01/mydoc-the-mobile-medical-app/
Travelling out of Singapore
My job takes me around the region and even though I am pretty good at understanding different currencies and the rates, I find that even small changes can make a big dent in your wallet over time.
I use XE currency converter to get real-time currency rates before every single trip. I’ve saved thousands of dollars over the years but making sure I get the best rates both in Singapore and abroad.
Pro-tip
- If you want to buy something abroad, and need to haggle use Google Translate to make sure you’re understood and you can understand them.
This is an admittedly incomplete list, but these are very simple services you can use whenever and wherever you need. It is a great start for the slow adopters of technology and maybe something new to consider for those who are pretty plugged in.
As I slowly mature, I’ll probably be adopting more technology services and becoming better at managing my life.
To find more great articles like this, visit our Tried and Tested section.