This S’porean spent only S$38 to prepare her home for CNY. Here’s what she bought.

Chinese New Year is around the corner.

I have a big family and hence, a very busy festive period.

As celebrations roll in, I have a ton of work to do — cleaning and decorating the house, getting snacks, preparing some drinks — just in case any last-minute guests come to “bai nian”.

This year, to stop myself from getting too crazy with the shopping, I decided to stick to a budget of S$38.

The shopping list

Giant Hypermarket @ Tampines was the perfect place for shopping on a budget.

The first thing I spotted, right by the entrance, was an entire row of Chinese New Year snacks.

I scanned the array of snacks and checked out the prices.

All of them were fairly affordable, so I grabbed the pineapple tarts (S$6.95) and peanut cakes (S$6.35) - which are my favourites - for a total of S$13.30.

I continued down my list and found Magic Clean Wiper Dry Sheets (S$9.60), which are perfect for spring cleaning and wiping off dust and hair from the floor.

With my expenditure currently at S$13.30 + S$9.60 = S$22.90, I was off to get some drinks.

After much deliberation, I chose to get just one packet.

Lest you think I’m stingy, this choice was made with health-consciousness in mind.

Drinking plain water instead of sugary drinks can help to offset excess calories that are likely to be consumed during the festive season.

A six-pack of Pokka Jasmine Tea set me back S$3.35, with a total spend of S$26.25.

Chinese New Year decorations were the last things on my list.

2024 is the year of the dragon, so of course I needed something that screamed “long nian” (dragon year in Chinese).

I got a hanging decoration of a dragon with red tinsels (S$8.95) and a “fu” sticker (S$2.50) for my front door.

This brought my expenses to a total of S$37.70 (just 30 cents below my budget).

More savings when you spend

It was really easy to get what I needed with a tight budget of S$38.

With every dollar I spent, I was able to earn one yuu point (thank goodness Giant is a yuu partner).

Every 200 yuu points accumulated would offset S$1 on my bill.

Besides cash rebates, there are also a bunch of festive offers and exclusive rewards on the yuu App.

DBS yuu Card or PAssion POSB Debit Card

Save more with the DBS yuu Card or PAssion POSB Debit Card while shopping for your festive needs:

• Pay with your DBS yuu Card to unlock up to 18 per cent cash rebates (equivalent to up to 36x yuu Points)

  Pay with your PAssion POSB Debit Card to unlock up to nine per cent cash rebates (equivalent to up to 18x yuu Points) + S$8 Angbao Voucher Pack for foodpanda and Gojek)

What’s more, with the DBS yuu Card, you can enjoy S$5 off Yu Sheng (priced at S$15.80 at Giant Hypermarket @ Tampines).

Booths and free goodies

Visit the yuu booth at Plaza Singapura, L1 Atrium, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8 to win festive hampers worth S$188, snacks, and more.

Flash your yuu ID, like and follow yuu Singapore on Instagram to get two free drinks at the booth.

Don’t have the DBS yuu Card?

You can sign up now at selected Giant outlets or at the Cold Storage event at Plaza Singapura, L1 Atrium to get a free can of abalone, while stocks last.

Or you could sign up online here.

Also, join in the festive fun and shout HUAT AH to win 8,888 yuu Points and a S$50 Giant Cash Voucher at various Giant pop-ups on weekends from now till Feb. 4, from 12pm to 5pm:

• Jan. 13, 20 and 27 - Giant Hypermarket @ Tampines
• Jan. 14 - IMM
• Jan. 21 - Woodlands Mart
• Jan. 28 - Sunshine Place
• Feb. 3 - Tampines Mart
• Feb. 4 - Sembawang Shopping Centre

This sponsored article made the writer realise that it’s not that hard to budget for festivities.

Top images via Alfie Kwa.