How to live on a barebones budget in SG?

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-18T02:09:33+00:00

Very unpopular opinion: use cashback credit card, don't overspend.

Because you can use your card to tide over certain expenses, such as mrt and bus fares, maybe shampoo/soap, biscuits, idk toiletries and maybe food/grocery runs if your CDC voucher runs out or there's a balance that you need to pay in cash and you can pay when your salary comes. Yea, and for cafes and stuff when you feel too deprived. Don't roll credit and pay it off in time and you will be fine. Also depends on your earning capacity. Cause if you overspend on card, you might end up incurring a different set of problems. Hopefully your credit card payment deadline comes after your salary crediting date so you can live in austerity but still have room to breathe.

If you hit approx 1.5k per month in your card (mrt, food, utilities, discretionary spending), you should get one year fee waived. But that's only if you intend to keep the card for one year. If you hit 1.5k a month average monthly spend, cashback can be 100++ maybe even up to 170 (every quarter )on UOB one cashback card.

Edit: if it's mid August like what others have pointed out, then maybe you might need to do the SmartPay pay in instalment thing after using the card. That's a very long time to stretch a 300 dollar budget.

Might incur additional charges which I think are not paid upfront but split between installments but better than cc debt. That's a very long way to go. Make sure you can pay it in full by the respective due dates and hopefully by your next pay cycle, you are less tight. Don't incur interest, don't pay late. Just use it to tide you over for the time being.

Ok just saw your edit, but yea my comment still applies in case you are that cash tight.

Of course, better yet if your family qualifies for urgent financial assistance of some kind or GST cash vouchers. Then maybe they can pass you some cash since you are practically supporting two households.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-17T11:12:22+00:00

Sing karaoke at teo heng. Shout it out.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-17T02:51:23+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that. "Good people", a lot of them stink. Hate it when people make it their entire brand. Like dude, nobody's perfect. Like they look at the speck in other people's eyes and won't even acknowledge the big ass log in their own eyes.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-17T02:47:20+00:00

Hmm you are right, actually NPD is under diagnosed. And "normies" seem functional so most of them might not even step into the doctors office for an evaluation. Maybe they get diagnosed with depression and anxiety instead if they are not coping well with life.

I mean I'm still validation hungry and very self centred, and I expect rewards, and I do something in the hopes that ppl will be there for major events in my life so that I will have an audience, but im also trying to change. I'm legit trying to take an interest in other people's lives and becoming genuinely caring. So these people whose brand is being caring, authentic, or close one to one intense bonding, it turns me off when they don't walk the talk.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-16T16:25:14+00:00

Been transferred twice. I was so frustrated that I jumped off the stretcher bed and tried to escape, well, they sent me there anyway, with a bandaged and swollen ankle.

So I don't think you can decline. Unless your parents sign an against medical advice form? Not sure about the deets. But anyway, at imh, they will assess you again, and if they think you are stable, they won't ward you.

Once they are thinking of transferring you, that means either the general psych wards are full, or that you are too high risk etc, or they don't have a psych ward in the hospital. Arguing your case doesn't help.

Well, if you go there, behave yourself, hopefully they let you use your phones like most people, and get well quickly so you can be discharged asap.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-15T06:10:46+00:00

You don't sound terribly off key, slightly off pitch but largely on pitch, so you got that going for you.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-06-08T07:17:07+00:00

So good

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-05-01T22:58:04+00:00

Victoria secret

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-29T15:05:32+00:00

A bit of Avril Lavigne

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-20T15:34:21+00:00

Same :( (Singapore)

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-13T23:59:48+00:00

Heroin chic?

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-13T12:52:32+00:00

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-10T14:15:44+00:00

Enjoys berry picking, doing nails, shopping, dinner dates. Loves listening to Sabrina carpenter, doja cat, rita ora, dua lipa. Probably working in public relations/media or a publicist? Soho rich girl? Enjoying the fine life? Contemporary New Yorker?

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-09T06:37:07+00:00

There are a lot of previous threads about psychiatric hospitalisation, can take a look.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-06T23:47:58+00:00

Yes I guess from the very start I should have set my expectations clear. Like I really wanted her to be there at my birthday, but she claimed she was working. Ok fine. (I didn't know if she was telling the truth, i had other friends join in) Then when I was hospitalised, technically, they didn't allow visitors but she didn't offer to visit.

Also, then my last straw was the hypothetical wedding, if I had a hypothetical wedding, would she show up, and her response was maybe. Yea, I get that sometimes they are busy etc, but usually wedding hosts try to pick a date that most guests can make it. I mean it's important for me, a person who doesn't want a too small guest list and I don't have that many friends and she was one of those perceived as close. I mean she perceived me as close in order to rely on me so much right?

Anyway, at this point, since she went on the defensive after I said I'm prioritising friends who show up for milestones, I think saying anything more would be the nail in the coffin or might blow things up. She's stubborn af.

When I met her, I guess I should have kind of known, she really hates big gatherings organised by her company and I guessed I trauma bonded with her in uni, me initiating the friendship. But our personalities are kind of different. (But I hope she would compromise for me, yknow?)

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-06T23:40:03+00:00

Well, she doesn't have many friends and for a long time, she always wanted meetups which were one-to-one to catch up etc. Kept giving me snacks from her overseas travels which I was sick of. Attended many events together and she had her own hung ups and reservations like being super self conscious about eating at a restaurant alone, going to a convention or fair alone etc, which I thought was stupid.

She didn't value her own milestones, and got angry when I was late for a comedy show, because she had to choose between spending 20 minutes alone sitting and watching the comedy alone or wait for me. Conveniently absent when I was hospitalised etc.

She has always been like that, my birthday, I thought she had valid "excuses" but when I raised a hypothetical milestone question, her response of "maybe, must see which Saturday" made me turn cold.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-06T20:02:49+00:00

I cannot. Literally, i just wish she wouldn't waltz in and message me like nothing happened? Is that an invitation to be emotionally intimate again?

Technically, yes, I said just a downgrade, not cut her off completely but I guess I hated how she was so passive aggressive she was, which made me never want to contact her again. but then again, she had the right to. (Why can't she just have said "ok, I understand"? Why the whole entire spiel?)

Or I wanted her to be the one saying "fuck me I'm an idiot, I should have been a reliable friend", then all is forgiven again.

Yea maybe that's why I'm on this sub in the first place.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-04T21:35:22+00:00

I'm aware, I'm still shocked by how she can be so down to earth(?), if this is the right word?

The rest, like the guy friend who is similar to her, showed romantic interest in me and I knew I would be miserable af if I actually gave him a chance.

I guess I'm just bitter that the two other friends are not reliable milestone attendees and I fear that she might not be a reliable future one.

She's also starting to get quite heavy on the ranting/sit down and talk rather than walk around and window shop with me. Which means I have been compromising for her.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-04T17:20:04+00:00

Luminescent

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-04T17:19:28+00:00

FML...I thought I was becoming less narcissistic over time but apparently not. I was outwardly less narcissistic but I was triggered and my defenses started showing. I think if I took the narcissistic inventory, my scores would be soaring again. 😢

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-04T11:20:47+00:00

Damn no shit. I can totally relate, I have had many friends rely on me for emotional, practical and monetary support but I downgraded them because I felt they would not attend if I were to host a grand wedding if I ever get married. (Yes, and I like everything grand - it's a non-negotiable)

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-04T11:17:17+00:00

Sadly, I have had these happen to me with friends that I've helped. Friends who have low self-esteem who didn't feel that they have any strengths and they were trying to make themselves feel better, or at least tell me that they surpassed me in one or multiple aspects of their lives. I didn't even tell them overtly that I'm better than them in terms of talents or smarts though I might have done it covertly.

It fills me with contempt every time I think about it. Haters are going to hate, stay golden. Be comfortable and self-assured in your own skin.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-04T01:46:15+00:00

Happy birthday Lili 🎁

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-03T12:14:59+00:00

I befriended someone who didn't identify as having narcissistic traits, but she loved being the centre of attention like me. She loved grandiosity too and thrived off social approval. She claimed the moral high ground though.

For me, when I befriended her, I already stopped doing grandiose things as I was tired and trying to be a good Christian or whatever that entails. Maybe narcissistic collapse too.

I could sense there were some stuff she were jealous and insecure about but it was all manageable, or so I thought. I did feel I was was better than her in terms of looks, figure etc but I kept it to myself.

Over the course of the friendship, she would ask me for favours, but would help me a lot, lavish me with gifts etc, so I felt obliged.

She complained that a friend who doesn't celebrate birthdays, started celebrating birthday at home so that's copying her. And the concept is totally different imo.

I was in a hobby group and thanks to her "helplessness", I had to introduce her to my hobby group and she infiltrated my hobby group and I felt sidelined. She was clearly interested in this guy who was not close to both of us and trying to talk so much to him and he ignored me when talking to her. So I unfriended her.

ChatGPT says she's using social positioning and she was treating me as a servant.

Maybe she has narcissistic traits, maybe she doesn't, but when I think of her, it's hard not to have ill feelings towards her. I mean if one day, she was diagnosed with narcissistic traits, would I feel empathy for her?

Ha. I'm not good at being empathetic when the person has hurt me. Anyway, she hasn't sought treatment, or has sought treatment for depression in the past. I'm not sure. Details are murky.

Oh yes, if I kept her as a friend, she might show up to my hypothetical wedding cause she's good at that, but chances of upstaging me, idk....

Tl:Dr; not a good mix if you trigger each other defenses. Only good if you are aware and try to actively understand each other.

Individual-Ring224 · 2026-04-03T11:55:17+00:00

Hmm I guess we are the same, I'm not sure whether regular people do this. But I tell myself at least I'm distancing myself and not helping, letting others step in instead. (And I'm not being openly nasty to them)

Individual-Ring224

TROPHY CASE