A clean slate is hard to come by—only once a year, to be precise. So make the most out of it with these tips on straightening out your life for a brand new year.
Out with the old, in with the new. Of course, in this age of social and eco-consciousness, not everything should go straight into the bin. For the most fuss-free way, send your pre-loved belongings to Cash Converter (+65 6744 8682) and get instant cash back, provided that the items are in working condition and have a resale value. They also make free house calls, in case you’re wondering how to shift that grandfather clock—again, it must be in proper shape or you might risk being charged with a S$50 bill for the house call.
If you’re from the generation of cassette tapes and VHS and you wish to get with the program of clutter-free digital formats, hook up with www.avshowroom.com (Blk. 807, Woodlands St. 81, +65 9007 7960) to convert your precious recordings onto CDs—an hour-long audio CD complete with tracking will set you back only S$15, and S$25 for an hour-long VHS.
For those who want to ensure that their old books find a good home (the hallmark of a genuine book lover!), sign up as a seller on www.secondhandbooks.com.sg—the name says it all. Sell, buy or swap your books with its community of about 5,000 members. Sure, there’s eBay but this one caters specifically to Singapore so a lot of “noise” does get cut out. “When used books are sold and re-circulated we reduce wastage and its impact on the environment,” says site owner Aida Russell. We can’t agree more. Alternatively, drop them off at your nearest public library.
And then there’re the flea markets: the fun way to hawk your secondhand wares and meet new friends. Set up shop here:
Where: Flea and Easy Market at Zouk Club (17 Jiak Kim Street).
What: Anything except for food unless otherwise stated; mostly fashionable, fun and quirky stuff.
When: Once every three months on Sunday.
How: Log on to www.zoukclub.com for announcements of the next flea market date. Application through a ballot system. S$50 per lot.
Where: China Square Central (18 Cross Street).
What: Anything except for food items, animals and pirated materials.
When: Every Sunday.
How: Walk in to #02-09 at China Square Central (noon to 2 p.m. on weekdays, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends) to book a lot. S$45 per day (one month minimum commitment).
Contact: +65 9856 8683
Where: 2nd Hand Fashion Bazaar at Tanglin Mall (163 Tanglin Road).
What: Clothes and accessories
When: Twice a month on alternate weekends.
How: Through a ballot system. S$85 per day.
Contact: +65 6736 4922
It’s no revelation that the typical Singaporean’s life is lived on the fast forward mode, so when you’ve got one too many ball to juggle, don’t sweat the small stuff—outsourcing’s the word. Hire an extra pair of hands at Buy My Time (www.buymytimesg.com) to run your errands, feed your pet bunnies, get rid of dust bunnies … you get the idea. Rates range around S$30 to S$40 per hour, subject to additional surcharge for late night errands i.e 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., among others.
For working mums who do not have the luxury of domestic helpers, online grocery shopping and delivery does the trick. Fairprice (www.fairprice.com.sg) offers some of the lowest priced groceries with delivery charges of S$8 for order value of S$100 and below (S$5 above S$100), while Cold Storage (www.coldstorage.com.sg) offers a wide range of organic produce alongside its more affordable First Choice house brand (S$12 delivery charge for order value below S$60 and S$7 above S$60.) The great thing about online grocery shopping is that you tend to buy exactly what you need and not overload the cart. For budding entrepreneurs, don’t let the paperwork get to you. CoSeClinic Services (www.coseclinic.com) and Sandhurst Consultancy (www.e-sandhurst.com) will take care of your accounting, tax and other secretarial matters.
You might also have heard of the phrase “prioritize your time, not budget it”—get the things that matter most out of the way before tending to those that can wait.
It’s all in the mind
The biggest hurdle to living an organized life is procrastination, but remember that the biggest perk of being organized is that you’ll be able to make room for the things that really matter in your life. Three little words makes all the difference: focus, plan and discipline. As the late African-American civil rights activist Florynce Kennedy said, “Don’t agonize, organize.”