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S'poreans share their 'I'm broke meal' when money is very low

S'poreans share their 'I'm broke meal' when money is very low

SINGAPORE: In this day and age of high food prices and inflation, it does not hurt to have a money-saving hack or three to help us get by.
On Reddit, after some Singaporeans shared their 'best money choices' earlier this week , another local user asked others about their 'I'm broke meal' in Singapore.
'If you've ever been broke. I mean like broke broke – $2 in your bank account kinda vibes for the entire week, what is your go-to meal?' wrote u/kittyprincessxX in a post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (June 26).
The post author then went on to share their own favourite 'I'm broke' meal — Indomee, a cucumber portioned across three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), bread, and Milo.
The most upvoted comment simply read, 'Early bedtime', which is likely to mean skipping at least one meal each day. It also implies, of course, a person who does not go out at night to socialise and, therefore, spends nothing. See also Woman calls $4.80 chicken rice portion 'pathetic'
'Rice, egg, soy sauce' was another top comment, though someone else added that eating luncheon meat or chilli garlic oil with this meal would be most welcome.
'Queue up at a Sikh temple for free meal. They have it 3x a day btw,' another suggested, though others did not take too kindly to it, as these meals are earmarked for the needy in Singapore.
A commenter wrote that they cooked a protein with rice and a vegetable — and one week's worth of these meals cost less than S$10.
'How do I know? This is what I did in poly and NS, for years, this was all I could afford for weeks. I couldn't even eat cup noodles because that was too expensive and I would literally die of health problems eating instant noodles for weeks on end. Chicken, rice and lettuce are what I built my body off growing up. I've tried so many variations and to this day I still eat it when I have no idea what else to eat and I have very standardised recipes that I cook.' See also 7 Unique Dining Experiences in Singapore You Need To Try in 2022
'I used to buy those red bean bun packets that had like 6 inside and tried to make it last for 2 days. I remember it was like S$1.80 back then. Now I don't know if S$2 can cover,' another noted.
When one suggested cup noodles, another wrote that packets are cheaper.
'The extra saved can get cheap add-ons like eggs, imitation crab sticks and some fresh veggies,' they added.
'For breakfast it would just be some bread and water. A lot of cabbage potato veggie soup and rice to stretch it out for the week. If I'm lucky I can add egg and milk to these meals. The only seasoning would be salt and pepper. I'd rotate this with indomee if I have it on hand. I avoid cup noodles like the plague,' one commeted. /TISG
Read also: S'poreans share the 'best money choices' they've made to help them save towards retirement
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She lost her husband to cancer at 45 and now leads a widow support group for grieving women and their children
She lost her husband to cancer at 45 and now leads a widow support group for grieving women and their children

CNA

timean hour ago

  • CNA

She lost her husband to cancer at 45 and now leads a widow support group for grieving women and their children

They fell in love when they were barely 16. The year was 1988 – a time when phones had cords, not cameras. 'In my time, during your O-Level year, you'd write autographs for your friends and attach photographs taken with traditional film cameras,' 53-year-old Cynthia Tay recalled. 'We didn't have Wefies then. So my friends and I were looking for someone to take group photographs for us. Three guys we met at Raffles City Shopping Centre volunteered, and took photographs with our camera and their camera,' she reminisced. The teenagers exchanged addresses so that they could mail the photos to one another. Then, Tay and one of the boys Jesse Peh began exchanging letters, since there was no WhatsApp or email then. After writing to each other for a year, they met up, and a romance quickly blossomed. Tay came from a divorced family with an absent father. Peh came from a family with two loving parents – something that attracted her. 'I grew up with many insecurities. Finding love and security had always been my mission,' she told CNA Women. In 1997, after eight years of dating, the couple got married at the age of 25. Together, they built the family Tay never had. They had three children, and Tay quit her job after their second child was born to be a homemaker. Peh, who was a Republic of Singapore Air Force pilot, supported the family. 'My husband had always been a good father. Growing up, I didn't have a father, so I wanted my husband to be very present,' said Tay. This dream shattered when Peh died of stomach cancer in 2017 at the age of 45. For Tay, it felt like 'the whole world collapsed'. Faced with the kind of grief that was hard to articulate, the young widow found solace in other bereaved widows. In 2017, she joined Wicare Support Group, a charity for widows and their children,and began volunteering as a befriender and board member shortly after. In May this year, she was appointed the chairperson of the support group. GRIEF BEGINS BEFORE DEATH 'Grief does not start after a person passes on. It starts when he is not able to hold a conversation with you, hold your hands, sleep in the same bed,' Tay reflected. Peh was first diagnosed with early-stage stomach cancer in 2010 at the age of 38, but recovered after surgery and chemotherapy. For four years, he was cancer-free. But in the fifth year, just before a long-anticipated family trip to Italy, the cancer returned. This time it was terminal. In 2015, Peh was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer. The doctor said the father-of-three had up to a year to live. 'We cancelled our trip. All our plans were shattered,' Tay said. For a while, Peh swung into depression. 'He knew my dream was to be with the kids and give them a really good childhood. He also knew I'd always wanted a complete family. Knowing he could not provide for us or be there for us anymore was really tough for him,' she added. But Peh picked himself up and decided to spend his remaining time well. He even proposed to Tay again, and the couple held an intimate renewal of vows ceremony in 2015 on Christmas Day. 'I was very, very happy,' reminisced Tay. Peh outlasted his doctor's forecast and survived for two years and three months. Over this period, he underwent radiotherapy, and several operations where he removed parts of his stomach, intestine and pancreas. However, during the last nine months of his life, his digestive system shut down and he had to be fed intravenously. This did not satiate his hunger, and he was always hungry. 'My children and I dared not eat in front of him, and hid ourselves to eat. We made sure to rinse our mouth before going near him,' Tay said. Her husband was hospitalised during this period and she stayed in the hospital with him the entire time; her children visited daily. But towards the last two weeks of his life, Peh could not even be fed intravenously – his failing organs could no longer process the nutrients. By that time, Tay had already watched her husband wither from a robust 70-plus kg to 30-plus kg. Helpless, the family brought him home where he died eight days later, on Mar 31, 2017. Their children were eight, 16 and 18. A FAMILY SHATTERED 'Sometimes, people compare the experience of widowhood to people who are not married, or those who get divorced and become a single parent. 'But there is a bit of difference. Widowhood is a loving relationship that is forced to stop. Nobody wanted it, no one is at fault, but you just have no choice but to accept it,' said Tay. 'The longing for that person lingers,' she added. 'Now, every morning when I wake up, he's not there. Sometimes, I battle with acceptance. Is it really true that he's gone?' Because Peh had been the sole breadwinner, Tay sold the family condominium and moved into a Housing Development Board flat to shore up the family finances. With the proceeds and Peh's savings, the family had enough to survive. But a heavy silence fell over their home. 'As a caregiver, you're so busy day in, day out. But after he passed on, time stood still,' she said. Sometimes, Tay would cry herself to sleep. In fact, on Tay's first birthday after her husband's death, she deliberately told her kids to return home late and give her alone time. 'I was so ready to cry big-time. But I couldn't squeeze a tear out of my eyes that day. Instead, I spent the time reflecting on our journey and good memories. And that's when I felt like, maybe this should be the way I start my life again,' she said. Nine months after Peh's death, two friends of Tay's from church invited her for a Wicare workshop. During the session, she heard other widows echo her greatest fear – dying and leaving her children orphaned. She also learnt to her surprise that the fatherless children in the group had different fears – they resented how people looked at them differently and wanted to be seen as normal. Moved by the open sharing, Tay began to attend Wicare's counselling and group therapy programmes more frequently. 'This is a place where you can talk about death openly. It's not easy to talk about (such things elsewhere) because people don't know how to talk to you, which lines they cannot cross,' she said. LEADING OTHERS THROUGH GRIEF A few months after attending Wicare sessions, Tay volunteered as a befriender, offering a listening ear to newly bereaved widow. She has since befriendered several widows, walking the journey with them. 'When you put a widow beside another widow, even though you don't say anything, tears can just flow. You know you have gone through a similar journey,' she said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wicare (@ A year later, in 2019, Tay was invited to join the Wicare board. She and a few other board members set up a befriending framework and recruited befrienders. She also enhanced its Children Grief Support Programme, which equips children whose fathers have died to process their grief through counselling, group therapy, and psychosocial therapies like ceramic and puppetry workshops. This is an initiative under WiShine, a programme that supports widows and their children during their healing journey, and is funded by the Community Chest and SGSHARE, Community Chest's donation platform. Tay brought the spirit of volunteerism into her family as well. Since 2020, she has involved her children, who are now 17, 25 and 26, in Wicare activities and events where they care for and interact with younger children through games, arts and craft, and conversation. Because of her active volunteerism, Tay was appointed chairperson of Wicare in May. 'I used to be a very simple person. All I needed to do was to be a good mum to my kids. But after the loss, I see the world in a very different perspective. I now see that there are so many people who are going through losses. I also draw courage from every story I hear. 'Along the way, I am really glad to have come to this space where I can rediscover myself and do things that I would previously never do,' she said. But no matter how many years have passed and how much she has changed, Tay still misses her husband dearly and tears when she thinks of their happy times. What hurts, she said, is knowing that as her children grow up, she will walk the rest of the road without the man who had shared his life and built their family with her. In those moments, she is struck by a deep sense of loneliness, she said.

More Singaporeans see religion influencing their views in other areas of life: IPS study
More Singaporeans see religion influencing their views in other areas of life: IPS study

CNA

time16 hours ago

  • CNA

More Singaporeans see religion influencing their views in other areas of life: IPS study

SINGAPORE: A growing share of Singaporeans see religion as a key element in their lives, with a majority saying their faith influences their views in other areas, according to a new study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). Over three-quarters of 4,000 people polled in 2024 indicated that their ideas about religion or spirituality are one of the most important parts of their philosophy in life. And these ideas have a considerable impact on how they conduct themselves at work or in their business strategies. These proportions have increased compared to a prior study in 2018. Done by researchers Mathew Mathews, Teo Kay Key, Izzul Haziq Murad and Melvin Tay, the findings were released on Wednesday (Aug 20) in a working paper titled Religious Identity and Practice Among Singaporeans. "In terms of the importance of religion, 56.6 per cent of the total sample considered it important or very important in 2024. But when only respondents with declared religious affiliation were included, the proportion rose to 73.7 per cent," they wrote. The study found that 73.9 per cent of respondents agreed their spiritual beliefs give meaning to their lives' joys and sorrows, while 68.3 per cent said they try to find out what their God or religion thinks is the best course of action when faced with life choices. Over six in 10 agreed that daily life would be meaningless without a sense of spirituality; that they accept what their religious teachers tell them about how they should live their lives; and that having a religion is necessary to be fulfilled in life. "The general rate of agreement regarding the influence of religion on respondents' lives increased in 2024 compared to 2018 for all the statements presented to respondents," wrote the researchers. NATIONALITY AS TOP IDENTIFIER The surveys, which lasted about 45 minutes and comprised around 350 questions, were conducted from April to August last year. The questions covered topics such as identity markers, daily experiences in a multiracial society and various policy issues. "Across all waves of the survey, nationality was consistently rated as the topmost important part of their identity. Singapore was rated consistently as the most important identity component across waves and most demographic characteristics," wrote the researchers. Respondents were asked to rank the most important parts of their identity based on nine factors – race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, country of origin, age, gender, profession and educational background. Nationality was the most popular option at 35.9 per cent, followed by race at 20.6 per cent and religion at 16.1 per cent. On the other hand, the country where respondents' families originally came from was consistently ranked lowest. The study also found that Muslims were more likely to find religion very important to their overall identity compared to those from other religions. Older, lower-educated and less affluent respondents were also more likely to view religion as important to their overall sense of identity. When it came to religious traditions, one in three respondents felt that religion should be kept as pure or traditional as possible, a slight increase compared to 2018. "Christians and Muslims were more likely to prefer religion in its pure or traditional form, while there was a significant decline in the proportion of Catholics who felt this way when comparing 2024 to 2018," wrote the researchers. They also found that praying outside religious settings - like churches and mosques - was the most frequent practice, with 15.7 per cent of respondents in 2024 saying they do it on most days. This was down from 20.4 per cent in 2013 and 16.3 per cent in 2018. IPS said Christian respondents reported lower frequencies of attending religious services and praying, but increasing frequencies of consuming religious media. For Muslim respondents, the frequency of all religious practices increased over the years. IMPLICATIONS FOR SINGAPORE SOCIETY The survey results show a growth in religious identity and orientation among religiously affiliated Singaporeans, said researchers. With the greater salience of religious identity here, there is a possibility of religious groups pushing more for their beliefs to be considered in policymaking, they added. "Religious individuals may also feel that their traditions should be given greater public attention and space. Currently, Singapore has managed to strike a balance between allowing for religious practices in the public space in relation to secularism," they wrote. They cited the example of Muslim female nurses being allowed to wear their tudung while at work. "While this stronger sense of identity and community amongst religious affiliates can help provide comfort and support, especially through difficult times, there may be implications to religious harmony, if these growing ties also lead to more jostling for space and influence between the various religious groups," said the researchers. Any potential rise in inter-group friction could be mitigated with Singapore's framework to maintain religious harmony, they said, but refinements will always be needed to manage the delicate balance. The researchers noted the importance of engaging religious stakeholders on matters of social cohesion, and also as channels for the dissemination and support of national priorities, such as vaping, online harms or other public health and societal concerns. The survey results also show that a substantial number of people look to religion for guidance on a range of issues, said the researchers.

Commuter says uncle ‘challenged him to a fight' after he asked to move plastic bag from MRT seat
Commuter says uncle ‘challenged him to a fight' after he asked to move plastic bag from MRT seat

Independent Singapore

time16 hours ago

  • Independent Singapore

Commuter says uncle ‘challenged him to a fight' after he asked to move plastic bag from MRT seat

SINGAPORE: People often encourage us to be brave and to speak up whenever a stranger or fellow commuter inconveniences us. And while this advice does occasionally work wonders, it sometimes backfires in ways no one quite expects. Recently, one man shared online that his attempt at 'speaking up' ended with the other party challenging him to an actual fight. Recounting his experience on the r/singaporehappenings subreddit, the man shared that he had simply asked the uncle if 'he could move his plastic bag so he could sit.' 'The train was full, and this uncle was sitting with his plastic bag taking up the seat next to him. I asked him nicely if he could put it on the floor so I could sit. Instead, he shouted at me and started arguing. He started shouting across the train and even challenged me to fight. I was just stunned lol,' he wrote. 'The bag wasn't even that big, just a small/medium plastic with food inside, but he claimed it was 'too heavy' to put on the ground.' See also Aliff Aziz gets into another fight The man added that this was not the first questionable behaviour he had observed from the same individual. Earlier at Bishan MRT station, he claimed the uncle had blatantly cut the queue, stepping directly in front of the train doors while passengers were still alighting. Reflecting on the bizarre exchange, the commuter turned to fellow Redditors for their views. 'Am I in the wrong for asking an uncle to move his plastic bag so I could sit? Lately, I've been seeing a lot of entitled behaviour from some elderly — cutting queues, being super loud, etc. Anyone else kena similar nonsense before?' 'Why ask people to put their food on the floor?' In the comments, one user shared that this had happened to him 'a lot of times' already and even encouraged the man not to be intimidated next time. 'Just fight, lor,' they said. 'Usually, most uncles talk only.' Another assured him that he was not 'in the wrong' in this case, writing, 'No, it's just that they [old people] always think they can get away with it. Now they are even smarter, wear sunglasses and masks, so they can do whatever with no repercussions. So I am now doing the same.' See also Is Singlish declining? Singaporeans express concerns A third user added, 'Should have asked him to take it outside at the next stop and try to time it such that he steps out and you can get back on before the door closes lol.' Not everyone was against the uncle, though. Some came to his defence, arguing that his reaction wasn't entirely unreasonable. One said, 'LOL… hrmm… why ask people to put their food on the floor? Especially if it's cooked food. Just ask him to hold lar.' Another shared, 'Pretty sure there was a video uploaded not too long ago about an auntie putting food containers/tins/plastic bags on MRT seats. She challenged that the food was too hot to put on her lap and too unhygienic to be placed on the floor.' In other news, a 20-year-old seamstress took to social media to share her experience of working at a 'slightly well-known' vintage boutique, where she says she was grossly underpaid, overworked, and constantly belittled by the 'toxic and narcissistic' store owner. See also Year Ender 2020: The Top 5 Kardashians stories In her post on the r/SingaporeRaw forum, the woman explained that she had first joined the boutique as an intern for four months before leaving to continue her studies. After graduating, she returned to the same workplace, but resigned just two months later, citing mental health struggles and unrealistic expectations from her boss, who was paying her only S$16 an hour. Read more: 20 y/o seamstress speaks out after being overworked, underpaid, and insulted by 'toxic' boutique owner

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