I Ate Meals Under $2.50 For a Week to Save Money | TBH
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Food prices in Singapore are rising, even among some of our nation’s most affordable meal options: hawker centers and coffee shops.
In this episode, our host Matilda finds out if a daily budget of $2.50 per meal is actually possible to survive on in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
══ Content ══
0:00 What happens when food prices rise in Singapore?
0:54 Living on a “cheapskate” budget
3:50 What’s causing food prices to rise?
5:20 Cheap food in the CBD!
11:29 How to find cheap but nutritious food
14:44 What young hawkers think about food prices today
18:40 Living on a meal budget long-term? With @LisaAdultingInSingapore
21:08 Last meal and reflections
This is TBH, a series where we investigate, experiment and find the answers to some of Singapore’s biggest millennial problems.
Host: Matilda (@matildawaltzed)
Director & Producer: Matilda (@matildawaltzed)
Crew:
Annabella (@asyx_)
Benjamin (@benjamin_neo)
Claire (@clairectn)
Yu En (@heyyuen)
Stephanie (@stepienie)
Editor: Ray (@gyaraydos)
Stalls Featured:
Economic Bee Hoon - 7 Eunos Cres, Singapore 400007
Ming Hui Nasi Lemak - 208B New Upper Changi Rd, #01-34, Singapore 462208
Frendzlink Cafeteria - 62 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058692
Jia Ji Mei Shi - 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex #02-166, Singapore 050335
Havelock Hainanese Curry Rice - 49 Sims Pl, Singapore 380049
The $2.50 Shop - 1 Jln Kukoh, Singapore 161001
Mama's Corner - 47 Sims Pl, #01-169, Singapore 380047
Super Shiok Nasi Lemak - 335 Smith St, #02-132 Singapore 050335
Li Ji Cooked Food - 335 Smith St, #02-139, Singapore 050335
Sheng Wang Rice House - Blk 45 Sims Dr, #01-173, Singapore 380045
JOFA GRILL - 165 Bukit Merah Central, Man Lin F&B Coffeeshop, Singapore 150165
Fatty Bom Bom - 40 Margaret Dr, #01-05, Singapore 140040
Nenek Place - 81 Lor 25 Geylang, #01-05/06 Aljunied MRT Station, Singapore 388310
Wen Jia Bao - Park Rd, People's Park Complex, Singapore 059108
Zhu Jiao Shu Shi - 665 Buffalo Rd, Singapore 210665
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Thanks for watching! To support the stalls featured in this video, click into the description box where we have included their stall names and addresses! 😉
I saw this guy from Brunei donating $500 to Hani while I was in the queue for the $2.50 muslim stall, telling her to use the money to help the needy. He must have heard about her stall from social media or sorts and came forward to contribute, very nice gesture
Oh, just a malay thing.
It's better to leave off the drink and have more money for food. Water is healthier too!
Drinks are getting expensive as well. Is close to impossible to find any meal below $4.50 in the orchard area.
@@arsenal_84cuppage plaza have $3+ economic rice
That was always my practice since I started work. Go back office to drink. But a decade ago someone got me hooked on coffee. So now I may drink coffee during meals
Once I saw a Clementi Kopitiam Auntie got pissed off by nobody ordering any drinks. 🤣😂
@@arsenal_84I live in orchard and it is impossible
My hats off to Hani and her family for being able to offer everything in her stall for SGD2.50. She is a blessing to society as a whole. Hard to see any hawkers like her nowadays. Also the coffee shop that has all stalls that offers a 2.50 meal is fantastic. I wish every coffee shop is like this. I wish Hani and all hawkers all the blessings of good fortune and wealth in the future.
About 6-7 years ago, I stopped ordering drinks at coffee shop/food courts, and that has helped to saved quite a lot, while still getting a nutritious meal under $4. I came to realize drinks are way too overpriced, especially hot drinks, where I could make it easily at home/school/office at low cost. Also, this have helped me to lead a healthier lifestyle, reducing my own sugar intake I consumed unknowingly.
I always choose water so i can drink beer later 😂
Always no drinks
God bless the Malay hawker boss. Maybe she should just sell the two fifty meals to the elderlies and not to just anyone in the community as the latter may be able to pay more than two fifty. This way she doesnt have to scrimp so much while running her business.
drop the address!!! i want to support the stall! heart of gold!
@@slaverian87blk 1 Jalan Kukoh Kukoh 21 Food Centre
Jalan Kukoh Food Centre@@slaverian87
Why you racist
Just a suggestion to the Kind Hani, Perhaps could have a "Pay-It-Forward" kind of program, where other kind people could pay for meals, and any needy person could redeem these free meals. That way others could help while not putting extra strain on the survival of the food stall.
Most of these $2.50 meals are extremely unhealthy (e.g. deep fried, oily processed luncheon meat), you save in the short-run but end up with expensive health problems in the long run. It doesn't help the poor at all. And I still don't think these videos fully portray the struggles as most young people nowadays have to provide some allowance for family members too. Few people live in silos. But still good effort in raising awareness (queue times, etc)!
The Malay lady boss, Hani has a heart of gold. She understands her customers background. Long may she survive in the food business. It's good to see that Singapore still has people like this with heart for the social issues rather than all money faced entrepreneurs.
I have low income but even I don't budget $2.50 for meals. That's so unrealistic. I just skip buying drinks. I also don't eat breakfast. Dinner is cooked at home (simple meal of soba noodles/rice and rotation of eggs, tofu, fish, meat, veggies as side dishes plus a herbal soup). But to be honest, when I was younger, I was like you, prioritising low price over nutrition. Now I'm much older and much more wary about good health. I would say Lisa's way of budgeting is much more realistic. You can spend little without feeling miserable.
Breakfast bun for $2 daily is ex if on tight budget. Ntuc house brand wholemeal bread is only $2.20 for jumbo size loaf. It has 18 slices so over 7 days you have 2.5 slices per day.
If you have coffee every morning, save more $ by dipping your bread in a cup of house brand 2 in 1 coffee to save more.
If one is genuinely in need, several temples offer free meals. Just leave a donation, whatever you can afford.
And $100 for entertainment is actually quite substantial. Really want to tighten your belt, reduce your entertaining.
BTW 2:47 Why say kopi O + milk? Isn’t that kopi? 😂
This is interesting. But honestly if you're really in the same similar tight budget situation, you can skip on buying drinks all the time and just bring a water bottle with you to save on drinks costs. Then you can treat yourself more on food
I bring water bottle to cut down on buying drinks. In shopping mall there will be nursing room and can refill water there too
i agree that we can save on drinks, but i think most will still face a similar situation when we have to provide allowance for family members, etc.
I think $3 for a meal is already hard to find.. most Kopitiam meals start at $4 and food court start at $4.50..
For Cai Fan, i used to order the "standard" 2 veg and 1 meat combo, but now i changed to just 1 Meat and 1 Veg and even that can be $3.50 for 2 items already.
Stories like the 2.50 Muslim food stall are so heartbreaking because why should the hawker be the one to scrimp and save on her margins when she's putting in the blood and sweat?
Solution is dead easy - rent control the hawker centres because they were built by taxpayers. It's a public property, so why shouldn't it be a level playing field? Then a condition of the cheap rent is one cheap dish.
Why should the landlords be double rewarded for near zero effort then watch the asset appreciate? This is why few wanna be entrepreneur, and F&B turnover so high.
Not all hawker or coffee shop is owned by the government . Even if it is gov owned , gov should still follow the market as it will affect the private owned Hawker centre and coffeeshops. People might not want to invest in Hawker or coffee shop real-estate anymore if the restriction is too tight . Economy comes before people . Unless it is really really really going out of control.
@@linzixuan29 We have crossed the line of "very very very out of control" for sometime now. Look around, batshit crazy rental prices for hawker centers.
@@headcharge871 I think not yet . For food rental at the least . Yes I do understand some landlord is increasing rent by 50 or even more percent but it think it is still not that crazy hey
Yet ***
$10 a day for meals is $70 total a week; u can meal prep wholesome lunch + dinner if u put in effort.
The problem the less privilege group faces is $1750 income is for the whole family expenses.
ya literally less than $10 can get u enough protein for 4 meals
for a family, it will be $1750 times 2, also those low income will only be paying only a few hundred for mortgage for a 3 or 4 room BTO
i never knew that meals under $2.50 still exist in Singapore! Matilda is so cool~
At the end of the day, the true cost for this experiment isn't 2.50/meal, multiple public transports away from original location - that cost should be added as well for a more realistic depiction. Because people with this budget in real life would likely walk the 2.5km for cheap food, since MRT there and back costs more than their budget allows.
I think when she put $130/month (2sf) for public transport that is already the cap, ie unlimited trips
(at least i think that is what she assuming)
Hani and her family are incredible and amazing human beings! Kudos to you and may your family be surrounded with health & wealth & joy!
Ehh....wait, what happened to your employee's CPF contribution? $1750 salary means your monthly disposable income is actually only $1400, assuming 20% contribution.
Aside from that, you can skip the $1.50 drink and just drink water from the tap if your office don't have any drinking water dispenser. Also, for breakfast, instead of a $2 bun, you can buy a loaf of wholemeal bread from NTUC for $2.20 and add some bread spread like butter, peanut butter, kaya etc. If you eat 3 slices of bread per day, this loaf will last you 5 days, assuming you don't eat the 2 ends. The cost of the bread spread can be amortised over the period that it lasts, and I'm pretty sure each day's breakfast will still be less than that $2 bun. Yet, you get 3 slices of wholemeal bread, definitely healthier than the typical bun.
I have to keep my budget really really tight and keep to it strictly too because my anxiety disorder has gotten worse after Covid, and it makes it very difficult for me to now hold onto my previous good-paying jobs that my qualifications and experience gets me. So now I work part-time, in a low-paying manual labour job. Hence, making every cent count is the order of the day for me.
Way to go! You are smart and have enough common sense to adjust your lifestyle according to your needs. I hope your condition will improve and allow you to live comfortably again.
Single can add the ang pow money from CNY
Hang in there and keep doing what you can. I pray that your health will get better!
Kudos to Hani! Deserve support from those who are around the stall
Kudos to all heart-of-gold hawkers. A big thank for your kindness.
Well covered with all the different hawker perspectives + Lisa!!
If it takes someone 3 hours one-way for travel between Singapore and JB. That’s 6 hours of travelling alone. So get a part time job of 4 hours a day and put that money to your rent in Singapore. The best thing to do is think of something that people need and make that your business then long term that will benefit you. Live simple at young age and manage your cost of living.
Take train go buy nasi lemak…need to add the mrt cost also…
Thanks OGS team for the awesome video as always! Really appreciate all the wonderful hawkers who try to keep prices low! And great to finally "see" inspiring Lisa in person!
How bout the 2 way transport for the food? Add the cost in, not budget anymore.
The budgetgowhere website is really lame, the nearest from my house in cck is 959m away... as though im gonna walk 1km just for food?
Casual Jujutsu in the background!!! On a side note, this was a great episode attempting to cover the financial, nutritional and time considerations. Looking forward to more similarly thought out content.
when you see a 2.5$ meal...U R MY SPECIAL
Agreed. Drinking water and spending $4 is a better choice
Bring a water bottle to work. Shift the $1.50 to food. Eat better
Hani has a heart of gold
another great episode... superlike!!! 🥰😍🤩
mrt ride for one station is already almost $1 LOL 40% of $2.50 budget hahaha
As u said it has never been a question of 2.50, rather how much time spend queueing and travelling which totals to more than 2.50
The $2.50 shop is really hard to find.. i hope the landlord can be kind to her and lower her rent also.. she is really helping a lot of ppl..
hanni need help . heart of gold
Jurong West Hawker Centre cai fan is very cheap, can try :) 3 vegetables and rice with additional rice cost $2.90.
I’ve been to jalan kukoh hawker centre and try the $2.50 stall before. Brought nasi lemak. The owner hani is very friendly. Before leaving i thanked her for giving back towards the community.
Caifan Omakase doesn't work. I tried that at a stall, and the Stall Owner told me "If you don't have money, go somewhere else to die. Don't dirty my stall." :)
Bless the kind auntie and uncle who offered you the lunch for free, Hani and her kind suppliers, also everyone sharing their opinions in your little interviews. Thanks to this channel as well, for the eye opening content 🙏🏼
the older hawkers they do it to survive not to profit that is why they TRY to keep the price as low as possible. Have a Good Heart in a unforgiving cruel world.
This is so cool wth 🤯🤯
rent la
thats why all the old malls/markets with ppl paying old rental contracts or freehold shops can sell cheaper
The omakase cai fan is a cool idea! Gonna try that next time
I would have just bought a whole pack of coffee sachets and made my own to save money and S$2 for a breakfast bun aint that smart either ... like what a commentator said, cheaper to buy a loaf of bread. Nasi lemak and economy bee hoon can be eaten once in a while but aren't the most nutritious. $100 for subscriptions etc? That's a luxury. Taking a train to buy S$2.50 bee hoon neglects the cost of time. And you can never 'earn' time back ... unless money.
Hani is god send although unrealistic to expect of society. However it is so heart warming to see people who can give beyond their means and deliberate effort to encourage reduction of price for smaller portion catering to different strata of our society. So much love.
Wow Matilda, great work! This is an insightful video covering the perspective of not only the Singaporeans with a heart of gold but also the smarter way hawkers are moving towards reducing the cost by sensitively observing the needs of their patrons; like the elderly’s smaller appetite!👏🏼👏🏼
Great video.
Can u make a video or website to show which temples provide free food?
I try to ensure that I either add ingredients or just leave the change to ensure that the hawkers take home a bit more cash. We need to think of our hawkers too!
Good to showcase the 2.50 stalls hope that those overcharged stalls will understand that 2.50 stalls can earn profit without overcharging too.
If u are on a budget, making ur own kopi with 3-in-1 satchels is a better and can aim for $3 per meal.
This is a very raw perspective on those who are on minimal wage - they have to go far to get not-nutritious food. Quite the vicious cycle. Sigh...
seasons of your life was the best take away
Awesome I’m going to Singapore 14th January thanks for the tips
Hahaha in the beginning i thought the computation was so weird, but when the 2.50 shop was featured it all made sense, the price was centered on that. Also, rising rent for hawkers is just 🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂
I limited myself to spend only $8/ day and eat at least 4 lunch meals at home per week. So some days I don't spend at all. Advantage of wfh.
That’s Lisa ❤
Go in polytechnics & schools to eat better. Singapore Polytechnic has western stall selling pasta for $1 only.
Only students have to show pass same goes for public schools...
add up the transport cost (to and fro) and time spent u are better off buying food thats from within walking distance
Correct..crazy!!
3:40 I feel like this guy would have been the right one to make a video about the subject...
the old skool curry puff that pack more air then ingredient is now 1.50 lol
11:32 the man of culture
The high rental increase is the culprit which resulted the food price to increase so much.
its only for folks living/working near there, who would travel out of their way just to eat that.. transport in sg is not foc.
The Superwhites claimed Singapore is progressing ahead and yet here we are with citizens struggling to afford simple hawker meals.
I suspect the trend would be for coffee shops to start charging a corkage fee once it becomes popular for people to bring their own water bottles. Some offices which I’m familiar with have already started reducing number of water dispensers or petty cash for pantry items eg 3-in-1 coffee mix.
My rhetoric is sometime it might not be sustainable to be overly thrifty on food. Deprivation either nutritional or pleasure affects mental health which translates to poor work performance that ultimately hurts career prospect/wages and exacerbate poverty cycle. So pace yourself and eat good meals once in a while.
Increasing the stimulation ( more frequently eating out , adding more artificial coluors to food , more salt sugar ) is also problematic . And worse if some are using it as reprise to problems faced at work / office .
@@GooLid-eh4og Yes, sometimes people resort to eating as a coping measure. I have my bad experiences too. Lose weight after I quit my job 3 years ago because I became more positive after leaving my job.
What I mean is sometime people overdo on being thrifty or lack of financial means. The lower mental/physical health/rest translates to work performance too.
Not sure if corkage fee effective to implement though cos most ppl would then just drink their water immediately before/after the meal outside the venue
(unless they also make the food super salty or spicy)
Err take MRT to buy 2.5 lunch !!
Still expensive if u take train or bus the best is cycling save more money if u say 2.50 add your MRT to and fro is 2,60 so is 6dollar for 1 meal
if we have more people like Hani, the world will be a better place.
Omg i love LisaAdultinginSingapore she is so inspirational
I like her spreadsheets
@@embershen364 same!
God bless Hani... 10:17 , we shud build a society tat those who can afford beyond $2.50, to pay it forward to ppl like tat uncle mentioned...
thank you for the informative video to show that this world is not getting better but worse. Humans just have to adapt and survive.
Good job host for bringing her own dabao-gong! Cuts down waste & can save 20-30 cents too!
Didn’t know $2.50 meals in hawker stalls were still possible 😮
i went to tapao a lot from HANI !!!!!!!! SUPPORT HERRRRRRRR
Where to find $700 rental? Before COVID maybe. Nowadays the market rate for a simple room is already $1k and up..
@5:14 I think you missed reading the last point out
Absolutely insane how much hawkers are keeping costs down, you wont see this anywhere in the world, considering singapore exports everything this is actually CRAZY
We pay way more than that in America, some times we "queue" for just as long, and the food is arguably even less healthy. You guys have it good. lol
if you are hungry can a portion of food for 2.50 be enough ????????????????
That girl at around 13:30 mins with big gold chain doesnt need cheap cake at all
Try doing $3 Malay food in Woodlands area for 1 week.
Honestly, should’ve forsaken the drink price and increased the budget per meal. It will be less restrictive but more realistic because no one will travel so much for $2.50, the transport fee (to and fro) may already match the $2.50 budget
So just skip the drink... it's healthier that way too
yes of course you can. My monthly food budget is $300, LOL
There is a Buddhist monastery in Singapore where one can eat for free. The meals are very nutritious. Budget:0$.
work is already so stress, if eating is like this than the world day for the whole work week people will be extremely stressed out
does singapore have some kinda humane resources program? like in america we have ebt cards where u can buy food n what not... usually per person its 200 per month... for example if ur a single mother with 3 kids u would get 800 a month with it... tho its limited somewhat on what u can buy... no toiletries/ciggs/alcohol/fast food places unless they accept it
sometimes people sell those cards cuz they need money for drugs... give them 100 bucks for a 200 ebt card...
Singapore is the third richest country on the planet. There isn't exactly much call for such social assistance programs. And the Government is extremely against the poor, except for the deserving poor as defined according to a conservative prespective
There are various government grants, such as workfares, Utilities saving CDC vouchers, cash for low income groups. And also many additional hidden assistance if a desperate household approach their Members of Parliament. But, the social safety net somehow didn't manage to cushion that well esp. in current Inflationary pressure cooker.
@@clementihammock7572 interesting! in america we have programs from the government that helps ppl... but people abuses it!! u see ppl getting assistance but yet they are "poor" but yet they buy 200 dollar shoes... they have cars that has car rims like 4000 dollars n n has car audio in the thousands but yet they get allowed by these government programs... its a very flawed system that peoples tax dollars pay for... much like our tax dollars pays for amos yee well being while in prison (dunno where he is now) but b4 he was prolly 3 hours drive from where i live..
just sad overall u would think someone that cant afford things be into these assistant programs... but in reality theres ppl spending money on nice things that others cant afford and they get the same benefits! and alot of people hates it cuz thats where their tax dollars goes too aswell...
imagine ur hard earned money n the taxes u pay for ur country ends up being used to give someone a "free ride" so to speak? thats what alot of tax payers complain about... but taxes covers a plethora of things! idk if its similar or not in singapore tho
Kopi-o jia niu nai? lol
I rather bring my own lunch. A boiled egg, frozen corn edaname fishball, tofu and rice. Some frozen fruits, use a USB portable blender. Reach home then boil vegs.
It takes a while and some wisdom with age before people notice that the hawker food actually prices in with cost of rent , hired labourers, washing , some amount of profits , and a $2.50 meal could be prepared at home for less than 1/5 the cost . Hawker food are always being advertised as being the cheaper option when compared to food court , restaurants etc , so most people have an ingrained mentality that hawker food prices are the lowest denominator , when it will be home cooked food that is cheaper and healtier :)
Is $1750 minimum salary before CPF deduction?
OMAD(one meal a day) not only save money on food and also healthier. If you’re open minded, google a few source and find out how to do it. I just started doing this and notice my health improving. A lot of what we were told are just claims not the truth. Just to name a few are breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we need carbs, fiber is good for you…..rule of thumb is to eat lesser processed food(lesser the ingredients the better).
It's kind of ridiculous a standard drink costs upwards of $1.50 now
I learned so much things in this video !
Still got travel cost which you haven't add
Look at how much oil salt sauce go into the beehoon. Waste time queuing. Rain how? Clothes will smell and layer of oil on face after hawker centres. How?
Nak pergi kedai akak Hani lah nanti
Charlotte say all budgets can eat well. What a load of bull. This girl needs to get her facts checked.
$4 is not enough after a few hours hungry again. so have to buy 7 or 8 dollars. $4 the portion is small.
Charlotte. ❤
I think Singapore is the only first world high income country that still has meals this cheap.