MoneyDigest - Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Money Saving Tips

Be Healthy And Save More Money With These Awesome Veggies And Fruits Hacks

Aside from growing your greens at the community garden, use these hacks to get more nutrition and more value for your dollar…

1. COOK OR EAT BROCCOLI FIRST

Since broccoli is one of the most perishable veggies, you can save more money by eating it first. In fact, by the time you reach home, it has lost 80% of its nutritional value. This is why you must buy broccoli by heads, keep it in the perforated plastic bag (i.e., available in the grocery), and put it in the refrigerator. You must eat this within two days upon purchase.

2. OPT FOR “BIG” CARROTS

Instead of buying “baby” carrots save more money by cutting your own “big” carrots in small sticks. Also, carrots can be internally hard to break down that is why it is best to cook the carrots to get most of the beta-carotene.

Image Credits: Kona Gallagher via Flickr with Creative Commons License (ShareAlike)

3. OPT FOR SMALLER AND DARKER TOMATOES

Unlike carrots, bigger tomatoes does not it is mean better. Tomatoes on the vine are more expensive too, but they do not give a huge advantage nutritionally. You can get more nutrition and save more money by choosing the smaller and darker (red) tomatoes. Cooking tomatoes minimally is healthier as it changes the Lycopene into a more Bioavailable form.

4. COOK THE KALE

Save money on medical expenses by cooking kale. Raw kale has high oxalic acid levels, which may lead to kidney stones, gout, muscle weakness, and thyroid problems. Steaming kale destroys the oxalic acid. Then, you may happily add it on your salads or smoothies.

5. PROLONG THE AVOCADO’S FRESHNESS

Did you know that avocado contains as much fiber as two bowls of oatmeal? Well, if you are left with half of this fibrous avocado, apply lemon juice or put a slice of raw onion on top to keep it from turning brown. With this hack, you can say farewell to brown and slushy leftover avocados.

Image Credits: threelayercake via Flickr with Creative Commons License (ND)

Sources: 1 & 2

In The Near Future, MasterCard Will Authorize Payments Via Selfie

Imagine if you can pay an online shop as quick as a taking a Selfie, how easy would that be?

Most of us are aware of how lengthy it really is to send money or pay your purchases online. Aside from remembering your passwords, you will be tasked to verify it with a code or PIN sent via SMS or via a security token (know more about the security token, here). These steps of authorization are called two-factor authentication as it involves “what you know” (e.g., 6-digit password) and “something you have” (e.g., verification code).

But as our technology progresses, companies have pushed ways to improve our lives by making things quicker and more efficient. This is why MasterCard is testing out a new way of payment authorization that utilizes fingerprint scanning and facial recognition.

Biometrics, measurement and analysis of unique physical characteristics, is the underlying tech that enables this type of authorization to work. I bet our ancestors would not think that this would soon be possible! MasterCard is now closely working with Google, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, and BlackBerry to introduce this project.

As passwords are likely to experience breaching, your fingerprints and facial features are less susceptible. You may be aware that swift touch of a fingerprint scanner is something Samsung and Apple have already implemented. On the other hand, facial recognition is made through taking a Selfie. I for one thought that one can cheat the system by using a photograph, but the system do not work that way. MasterCard holders are required to blink to indicate that they are live human beings.

Fast forward to that day, are you going welcome this new payment method with open arms?

Even an innovative step as astounding as this cannot please everyone, especially the generations prior to the Millennials (Generation Y). One thing is for sure though, if this method is successful, companies may work on other possible authorization methods such as voice recognition or heartbeat pattern checking.

Are you ready for that?

Image Credits: Robert Scoble via Flickr with Creative Commons License

Sources: 1 & 2

Is it worth getting a car in Singapore today?

In most countries, a car is a necessity. This applies especially to large countries where people need to take great pains to traverse from one city to the next that may be hundreds of miles apart. Furthermore, for an enormous country, extensive infrastructural developments for an efficient public transportation system are not only costly but time-consuming. Not to mention the strong political will and tenacity required to win over the support of affected residents for a given construction project. Battling against all these odds is no easy feat and the results are self-evident.

In the United States last year, the number of vehicles on the road reached a record level of almost 253 million for a population size of 319 million, roughly equivalent to 4 automobiles for every 5 people. Contrast this ratio with Singapore’s 1 automobile for nearly every 7 individuals in 2014. Such statistics actually do paint a clearer picture than a thousand words. It highlights the fact that owning a car in Singapore is no longer a prerogative, but a luxury.

If a car is now a want instead of a need, how should we value the purchase so as to ensure that we are not overpaying for the convenience and comfort? Shown below is a basic flowchart that may be useful for the first round of consideration by potential car buyers. The key assumption made here is that the monthly fuel cost can be approximated to your transport fare; therefore the costs under review are incremental costs.

Note that this model has not accounted for miscellaneous expenses related to maintenance, repairs, ERP, road taxes and insurance.

Spend Under S$10 To Bring Back The Sparkle Of Your Jewelry

Letting your treasured necklaces, bracelets, rings, or other heirlooms shine again can cost you about $35-139.90. That is the hefty price you may pay if you want to purchase an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner. So..instead of getting expensive cleaning machines, professional cleaning services, or cleaning solutions, opt for practical Do-It-Yourself ways to clean your favorite bling! Here is how:

1. DIAMOND AND SILVER POTION

This mixture is exclusively for cleaning your precious diamonds and silvers. The ingredients are mostly available in your kitchen thus; you would not have to spend a lot.

Ingredients:

Small bowl

Aluminum foil

Paper towel

Old toothbrush

1-tablespoon salt

1-tablespoon baking soda

1-teaspoon dish detergent

1-cup hot water

Procedure:

Fill the small bowl with a square sheet of aluminum foil then, put the salt, baking soda, and dish detergent. Watch as the liquid buzz while you add the hot water. Afterwards, drop your jewelry there and leave it for 10 minutes. Once the minutes are up, remove the jewelry and use the toothbrush to gently scrub around any prongs, groves, or gemstones. Lastly, rinse and pat dry.

Image Credits: Aleksey Gnilenkov via Flickr with Creative Commons License

*Note: For Pandora’s jewelry, do not use this method as it may be considered too harsh. Instead, check out 3c. below.

2. GOLDEN POTION

One of the biggest reasons why your gold does not shine anymore is because it is filthy! Clean your gold jewelry the right way with this mixture. Much like the diamond and silver potion, ingredients for the gold mixture are available in your home.

Ingredients:

Toothpaste

Old Toothbrush

Soft cloth (dry)

Procedure:

Apply the toothpaste on the toothbrush and scrub the gold jewelry well. If you have a larger piece of gold to shine, repeatedly rinse off the toothbrush and use more toothpaste. Then, rinse it off with water. Lastly, get your soft cloth to dry it. Use circular motions to polish your golden jewelry!

3. OTHERS

a. White Vinegar

If white vinegar had a C.V., its skills would fill 1-2 pages. Yes! That is abundantly skilled this multi-purpose agent is. To clean your bling, mix a cup full of water with a half-cup of white vinegar and stir well. Put your silver pieces onto the mixture and leave it for 2 hours. Once the hours are up, remove the jewelry pieces then, rinse with cold water. Lastly, pat dry with a soft cloth.

Not bad for S$2.60 a pop (i.e., sold at FairPrice)!

b. Beer

A beer that costs you as low as S$3.10-4.50 (i.e., at FairPrice) can not only give you a fun time but also can give you back the shimmer of your jewelry! In a mug of beer, soak your jewelry overnight. On the next day, remove your jewelry and rinse it off in running water. Dry these up and be astonished on how shiny the pieces are!

Image Credits: Aleksey Gnilenkov via Flickr with Creative Commons License

c. Dish Soap

The dish soup sitting on your kitchen sink can also be used to bring back the shine from your jewelry pieces. This is a milder form of cleaning you sterling silver and it works well with your Pandora’s bracelet and charms. Simply add a few drops of the dish soap into a bowl of warm water and let your Pandora sit in it for a few minutes. Clean it with a soft bristle toothbrush if you like and pad them dry individually with a dry cloth. Make sure that if your charms is made of wood, leather or pearl, you should not use this method.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

How much a Master’s Degree is worth in Singapore today?

While there is a general consensus that taking a master’s degree in Singapore today may be beneficial in many respects from brighter employment prospects to enhanced cognitive abilities, the true value may be less evident. .A master’s degree isn’t cheap, but there are many ways to find financial help Some might even resort to getting a loan from a moneylender.

Truth be told, evaluating a financial and temporal investment in a master’s degree should be as rigorous, if not more, than an investment in a financial asset. Just like ploughing through a heap of annual reports to pick the best stocks, specifically the most undervalued stocks, selecting the most ideal master’s degree course should spare no less effort.

Contrary to popular belief that it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify the net monetary gain/loss from pursuing a master’s degree, the diagram below illustrates a rudimentary step-by-step decision-making guide for studious graduates striving to further develop their intellect.

First, explore the roles that are in demand in the job market. Then, answer the next 2 questions. If both answers are “yes”, proceed to conduct extensive research on the possible range of salary increment. At the end of the evaluation process, it is likely that you would obtain a better idea of the “payback period” which you can then deem a master’s degree as a worthy or unworthy investment.

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