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This year’s Chinese New Year will be a little different from previous years’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Safe distancing measures and restrictions are still in force, so celebrations will have to be muted, and people will have to be more mindful when shopping for goodies.
However, that should not detract from the spirit of Chinese New Year or prevent people from reconnecting with loved ones over the festive season. The rules have been designed to minimise chances of transmission while still allowing people to celebrate with loved ones.
Also read: Feng Shui at Home: How to Invite Positive Energy into Your House
The following rules must be observed before, after and during the Chinese New Year period:
You can have a maximum of eight people visit your home per day, regardless of whether they are on the property at the same time. This means you should plan in advance which guests to receive on each day of the Chinese New Year, and also check with friends and relatives before showing up at their homes.
In order to limit contact, each person should not visit more than two households per day over the Chinese New Year period. On the bright side, not having to rush from home to home means you’ll get to spend more quality time with the people you do visit.
Some families prefer to head to a restaurant for their reunion dinner gatherings. If that’s what you plan to do, don’t forget to wear your mask whenever you are not eating or drinking. In addition, everyone at the table must be wearing a mask during the tossing of yusheng, which must be done without the utterance of auspicious phrases.
When making a reservation at a restaurant, you may not book multiple tables unless all diners are from the same household. No inter-mingling across tables is allowed even if diners are from the same household.
In addition to adhering to the safe distancing measures, here are some tips for keeping you and your visitors safe when hosting this Chinese New Year.
After greeting your guests at the door, politely direct them to the bathroom where they can wash their hands with soap and water.
To encourage visitors to sanitise their hands from time to time, display bottles of hand sanitiser prominently in areas frequented by your guests, such as the dining room or living room.
The virus spreads more easily in poorly-ventilated spaces, so it is a good idea to keep your windows open and turn on the fan. You might want to avoid using air-conditioning as it can impede ventilation. If you live on the ground floor or in landed property, you can consider hosting your guests in the garden or on the terrace.
Give your guests more breathing room by spacing out seating arrangements. If your living room or dining room lacks space, you can rethink the layout or temporarily shift some furniture into your bedrooms in order to give your guests more space. Also make sure there is enough seating so your guests do not resort to squeezing on the sofa. Foldable chairs and plastic stools can be a good form of makeshift seating.
In order to minimise cross-contamination, avoid displaying large servings of snacks and drinks or having your guests serve themselves, opting instead for individual portions that you prepare personally for your guests. At mealtime, instead of having everyone dip into communal dishes with their cutlery, include serving spoons with each dish.
Steamboat is a popular and fun way to feed your guests at reunion dinner, but this year you might want to skip it as there is too much risk of cross-contamination. If you really want to do steamboat, one alternative is to include serving spoons and communal chopsticks and instruct everyone not to dip their personal chopsticks into the pot.
If you are receiving guests from multiple households, space out their visits so they do not all arrive at the same time. This will enable you to ensure that everyone has adequate space, and make it easier for you to clean and disinfect the space after each group’s departure.
After the departure of your guests, vacuum the floors, disinfect the furniture and air out the space by opening your windows. You should also take care to wash your hands thoroughly after clearing and doing the dishes.
Talking loudly can transmit the virus, so remind your guests keep their voices down this Chinese New Year. Playing soothing music at a low volume in the background can generate a more tranquil mood and encourage people to speak more softly.
Your server is no longer allowed to recite the litany of auspicious phrases when dishing out yusheng. Whether you’re tossing yusheng at home or at a restaurant, use DJ Beng’s Lohei app to hear a recording of the auspicious exclamations.
You might not be able to see certain friends and family members due to the caps on the number of visitors. In addition, friends and family living overseas might not make it home this year due to the curbs on international travel. But thanks to technology such as video chat apps, you can stay in touch with those loved ones who cannot be with you physically.
PropertyGuru warmly wishes you health and wealth in the coming Year of the Ox! We are leaving behind a trying year, but are thankful that we can still celebrate with loved ones. Remember to stay safe and healthy!
For more property news, resources and useful content like this article, check out PropertyGuru’s guides section.
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When it comes to saving money, many people believe that you need to be extremely frugal and be constantly looking for bargains. While that could indeed help to grow your savings, surviving on cup noodles and shopping exclusively at the Valu$ store is a questionable way to live.
Instead of going to those extremes, why not make some simple lifestyle tweaks to save on your everyday expenses? Although the immediate savings may seem less impressive, they will add up in the long run, especially if you manage to reduce recurring costs like your household utility bills, etc.
So if you’re looking for ways to trim your budget and expenses, here are 9 ways you can #Switch2Save money:
The average cost of a cup of coffee at a cafe is about $6. In comparison, a cup of kopi from a hawker centre or local kopitiam averages around $1.50. If you’re a caffeine addict or a coffee person, switching to a local cup of coffee will save you loads.
Assuming that you drink a $6 cup of coffee once a day, five cups a week, and 20 cups a month, that’s 240 cups a year. The average cost you spend on coffee in a year is $1,440.
In contrast, you’ll only spend $360 per year if you drank a cup of kopi each day – that’s four times less!
Yes, public transport is mostly packed and yes, it suffers from occasional breakdowns.
But people often forget how good and efficient Singapore’s public transport is. Not only that, but it’s also clean and super affordable.
What’s more, public transport helps to save the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the burning of fossil fuel.
So, while taxis and Grab rides are more comfortable and faster, remember that they are also much more expensive.
For example, the flag-down fare for standard taxis is from $3.20 to $3.90. Additionally, you need to pay 22 to 25 cents for every 400m for every 1km travelled, and between 22 and 25 cents for every 350m if the distance is 10km or more.
That’s not all. If you travel during peak hours (between 6 to 9 am on weekdays), there would be an additional 25% charge on the metered fare. Lastly, you’ll also be charged 22 to 25 cents for every 45 seconds.
All in all, the taxi fare would easily be above $10 for a single ride, whereas you would probably be spending less than $2.50 per trip via public transport.
Want to further save on your transport fare? Depending on where you live and how often you commute to the office, you may even want to consider walking or cycling. Not only does it trim down your expenses, but it’s also healthier for you.
Convinced and committed to walking and taking public transport to get around? You can now search for eco-friendly properties located near key transport nodes. Find out more about the PropertyGuru Green Score.
Amongst all the financial commitments, your monthly home loan repayments is probably the biggest.
So, with interest rates at a historic low, why not refinance your home loan and make the #Switch2Save? Refinancing will help to lower your monthly repayments, reduce the amount of interest you need to pay, and help pay off your loan faster.
For example, you may refinance your current HDB loan (e.g. 2.6%) to a bank loan with a lower interest rate (e.g. 1.5%). Though the 1.1% difference may not seem significant, it makes a world of difference when you work out how much you can save in actual dollars and cents. On average, most homeowners who refinance save up to $250 to $350 per month!
But, refinancing isn’t as simple as picking the bank loan that offers the lowest interest rate; there are different things to consider, such as your financial situation and the cost involved when you make the switch.
If you need help with the process, you can speak to our Home Loan Advisors for free:
Most homes come with fluorescent or incandescent lights installed. A normal incandescent light consumes about 60 watts and has a lifespan of about 1,200 hours. Meanwhile, a normal fluorescent light fairs a bit better, consuming about 15 watts and lasts about 8,000 hours.
Though LED lights are a bit more expensive, they are the most energy-efficient; consuming only 12 watts and they last over 25,000 hours, which is three times longer than the average fluorescent light.
Not only is this a good move for the environment, swapping your old fluorescent/incandescent lights to energy-efficient LED ones will also trim your energy consumption (and thus, bills) by half (or more), and you also save cost from buying new light bulbs as you don’t have to replace the lights as often.
One of the easiest ways to cut costs is to support the circular economy and buy pre-loved or secondhand goods.
Not only would you save money, but just like buying a resale property, you may be getting something at a steal if the item is in tip-top condition.
Whether it’s books, video games, furniture, cars or tools, someone else’s trash could be your treasure and there are plenty of good bargains if you know where to look.
Why pay $15 for a meal at a restaurant when you can spend less than half of that at a hawker centre?
A haven for food lovers, hawker centres not only have a wide variety of food options, but they’re also affordable. Furthermore, hawker centres are also great outing venues for meeting your friends and family.
If you want to further trim on your food expenses, you can opt to cook your own meals instead of eating out. Though you need to prep your meals and clean up afterwards, but it’s still cheaper than eating at a hawker centre.
For comparison sake, say that a meal at a hawker centre is around $5 and you eat three meals a day. You would spend $15 per day and $105 per week.
$105 is probably enough to spend on your monthly groceries. What’s even better, is that there are even more ways to save and get the most out of your money when you shop for your own ingredients, such as coupons, buying in bulk or during promotions.
Apart from that, since you get to decide the ingredients and the amount of oil and seasoning to use, it’s also healthier and more hygienic. Plus, you could also invite your friends and family over for some bonding time.
When pairing a drink with your meal, swap out the sugary drinks for good ol’ water.
Remember that excessive consumption of sugary beverages like soft drinks may lead to health problems such as diabetes, which is one of the most common chronic diseases in Singapore. But on top of that, not only is plain water the healthiest drink for keeping you well hydrated, it is also the cheapest!
If you’re dining at a restaurant, there’s usually free refillable water, so take advantage of that. Even if water is chargeable, it will be cheaper than other drinks.
Instead of going to the mall and spending your weekends jostling between crowds or shopping, why not visit a public park?
While Singapore may not have dove-white mountains or mesmerising lavender fields, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any beautiful natural landscapes and public parks.
From nature reserves and reservoir parks, to coastal islands and man-made attractions, there are many beautiful parks located throughout Singapore that are great venues to exercise and spend quality time with your family, friends and loved ones. Best yet, they cost little to nothing!
When it comes to skipping that cup of Starbucks and buying kopi instead, you’ll have to rely on self-discipline and maybe helpful reminders from your friends and family. But as mentioned, your mortgage is one of the biggest — if not the biggest — financial commitments that you’ll make, and that’s where PropertyGuru Finance can help!
If you’re ready to make the #Switch2Save and refinance your home loan, our Home Finance advisors’ doors are ready to offer free consultation and advice. We can help you compare mortgage rates, provide personalised recommendations and address any questions or concerns you may have. We’ll even handle the paperwork so you won’t have to lift a finger!
Disclaimer: Information provided on this website is general in nature and does not constitute financial advice.
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