"I am a budget queen who lives a tai-tai life"

“I think it’s silly to pay full price for anything these days – even if you can afford to. I go to websites like Groupon or deal.com.sg, as well as aggregators like ilovedeals.sg, which lumps deals from various sites.

A good way to buy and try

My partner calls me Groupon Groupie – that's how much exercise classes, beauty treatments, and good meals I've bought through such websites. He’s secretly proud of me for paying so little, too – the discounts range from 50 to over 90 per cent (almost free!).

These sites are great for people like me who enjoy trying new places and experiences. I first started visiting coupon sites regularly when I left my previous job three months ago. I had a lot of time on my hands to search for deals and to enjoy them. I’ve since attended all sorts of exercise classes – from yoga to Tahitian dance to pole dancing – several times a week. One of my favourite buys was a tree-top adventure; the experience was even sweeter as I’d paid half-price.

It’s also a great way to try out new or expensive restaurants (I can still taste the Wagyu beef meal I had for $60 instead of $150). And it beats paying expensive subscription fees to certain credit cards just to get 50 per cent off meals at top restaurants.

Deal sites have totally changed the way I shop. I don’t think I’ll ever call up an exercise studio directly to enquire about prices. I doubt they’ll be able to offer as good a price as the deal sites, and in any case, it’s too much legwork when you can cull all this information off one deal site.

My best deals were Groupon vouchers for yoga classes at a new studio in Orchard Road. I got lots of personal attention from the very knowledgeable instructor. It helped that the class size was small – a maximum of eight students. The studio was also nice and new. Unlike other vouchers, this had no limit on the number of vouchers I could buy – I bought six vouchers for a total of 30 lessons. In total, I saved $660 on this deal. I regret not buying more.

The catch

But the thing about such sites is that you only get the deal if enough people buy it before the specified time is up. While deals are on a first-come-first-served basis, I haven’t seen the need to be kiasu and rush for them. When a particular deal is over, I just look for another.

My no big deals

Facials and massages are the only deals I haven’t been impressed with – their prices (around $20 instead of $200) are similar to those offered through credit card promotions. Go for them only if you don’t mind trying your luck with a new place and an unknown therapist each time.

How I save time

Trawling through individual coupon sites – and there are so many, I can’t remember their names (I just google ‘coupon sites Singapore’) – is like walking from store to store along Orchard Road. It can eat into your time if you have no fixed idea of what you’re looking for.

I prefer to use aggregator websites, which compile deals from various coupon sites (the exception is Groupon which I have to visit separately). It’s like having a personal shopper who knows where to get the things you want. I also use the search function to look for specific items, although Groupon doesn’t have one.

Shop smart

Do your research. So far I’ve been lucky with my buys, without having to do prior research. New establishments tend to have nice, new premises. But I also visit online forums to see what people are saying about a particular company, especially for things like aesthetic treatments. I wouldn’t risk getting a dodgy eyeliner tattoo, so I recently paid full price for this at a reputable establishment. I’d checked first to see if they had an online deal, but they didn’t.

Read the fine print to see what’s included and what’s not before committing yourself, so you won’t get fleeced on travel packages offered by deal sites.

And don’t let your coupons expire! Sometimes, people snap up coupons because they are so cheap – then they forget about them and let them go to waste. I only buy what I intend to use, and I print out the vouchers immediately and keep them in one place. I also use the reminder function on websites that have them. I learnt this the hard way when I forgot about two vouchers for cakes I’d bought – the shops won’t let you use them even one day past the expiry date. This lesson cost me $20.”

This story was first published in Simply Her.