by Tan Hui Yee, Danielle Ang, Lynn Lee, Susan Long, Sandra Davie, Radha Basu, Wong Kim Hoh, Chua Hiah Hou

14. Swop online

SIGN up with local barter website Youswop. It gives you Youswop dollars (YS$) for every item you put up for sale, 'money'' that you can use to buy other listed items. Recent sightings: A brand-new Bosch fruit juicer for YS$25 and a used Seagate 20GB hard-disk drive for YS$20.

Though the site was set up only last August, at least 40 swops are made daily among its 9,360 members - 80 per cent of whom are locals.

Have a pile of clothes you'll never wear? Head to Livejournal (livejournal.com) to convert them into cash. Post your items on platforms such as Singapore Flea (http://livejournal.com/~sgflea). Remember to include attractive pictures, payment details and descriptions.

With your earnings, you can indulge in the blinding plethora of bargains on sale. For example, a new pair of Forever 21 capri pants goes for $35, while a pre-loved Zara tee is $12.

If you're looking to spruce up your home, head to www.freecycle.org to pass on unwanted furniture or electrical appliances, or get what you need. The site, which started in 2003 in Arizona in the United States, aims to 'promote waste reduction and keep unnecessary waste out of landfills'. It has six million members, 5,604 of whom are Singaporeans.

Book lovers running out of shelf space can sign up for free with Bookmooch (http://bookmooch.com) to swop books internationally. It has 70,000 members worldwide, of whom 268 are Singaporeans, and an inventory of 480,000 books.

15. Surf and save

YOU'VE heard about online shopping sprees - where people team up to place orders on a website, and save on shipping costs. But now you can go solo and save when you shop online too.

The first stop: Strawberrynet.com for cosmetics and salon-size toiletries from over 200 brands, ranging from Stila to Aveda.

The Hong Kong-based company ships to Singapore for free. Not everything it sells is cheaper than in stores. But there are good deals to be snared, especially when it comes to salon-size items and makeup and fragrance sets.

For instance, Dermalogica Ultracalming cleanser (500ml) is priced at $71.50, around 40 per cent lower than the $113 you would pay at a beauty salon.

Fans of lingerie and clothing house Victoria's Secret will appreciate this secret: Slickdeals.net

The forum section of this website lists coupon codes expiring on different dates. Entering these codes enables you to save US$15 (S$20.50) on a $100 order, for instance.

For frequent travellers to the United States, it pays to check out websites that aggregate air- fare, car-rental and hotel deals.

A common complaint though is that such websites accept only US credit cards. But not if you go to Kayak.com, which searches hundreds of websites to suss out deals.

16. Try Freeware

TRY the loads of free software available on the Internet.

A Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 can set you back US$150 (S$204). In contrast, it costs nothing to download and use the OpenOffice software at www.openoffice.org for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and graphics.

Take a leaf from the Ministry of Defence, which installed OpenOffice in 5,000 new computers in 2004, saving $15 million it would have otherwise paid Microsoft to upgrade its Office 97 program.

Another alternative is Web-based Google Docs (http://docs.google.com), which allows you to share your work online.

For sound recording and editing, try out Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/. To edit pictures, go to Picasa at http://free.grisoft.com/. Go to ZoneAlarm http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp to get its firewall as protection against hackers.

17. Silver dollars

IF YOU'RE above age 65, drop in for a free scoop of ice cream at Island Creamery at Serene Centre off Farrer Road. The only condition: You have to be accompanied by a family member making a purchase.

Every Tuesday, NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, too, give out a 2 per cent discount to those above 60 on their total purchases. Just flash your identity card.

Mondays are good days to visit museums. The National Heritage Board offers free admission to those above 60 at six venues, including the Asian Civilisations Museum, the National Museum and the Singapore Art Museum.

Those above 55 can catch movies at Golden Village, Cathay and Shaw cinemas at a senior citizens' rate of $4 before 5pm on weekdays.

The Singapore Action Group of Elders also provides an array of programmes, including computer lessons for beginners above 50 - $10 gets you a full-day crash course on how to use a computer, plus a simple lunch.

18. Heartland stalls

EVERY morning and evening, the foot of several Housing Board blocks behind Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic morphs into a wonderland for mums, where stalls sell clothes, shoes and toys for children at rock-bottom prices.

Jostling with stroller-wielding mothers and bawling toddlers is required, but the cramped aisles yield amazing finds.

Among them - three sets of soft cotton pyjamas for under $10, frilly little dresses for $5.90, party shoes for $9.90 and sneakers for $12.90.

Pacifiers start from $3.90 - a steal, since a branded one can set you back $12. Kiddy wallets go for under $3 and colourful cartoon-print bath towels for $6.

Such heartland stalls are scattered all over Singapore, from Tampines and Pasir Ris to Clementi and Boon Lay. Many of these also sell clothes for teenagers, including $15 jeans.

19. Plastic power

SURE, all credit cards offer you savings on shopping and dining. But only a handful offer sweeteners you can enjoy daily.

Citibank-SMRT card: An ez-link and credit card rolled into one. It tops up automatically each time your balance hits zero.

You get rebates each time it gets topped up, and for charging groceries and coffee on it. For instance, $150 on your ez-link card and $180 on groceries will earn you a $10 rebate. Use it for travel on buses, MRT and taxis.

DBS Capita Card: Earn cash rebates at selected stores in the 12 malls owned or managed by retail giant CapitaLand.

But the icing on the cake is up to three hours of free parking daily at 11 malls, if you charge at least $500 a month to the card for three months. To extend that privilege, continue charging that amount monthly.

Any OCBC credit or debit card: Watch movies at Golden Village cinema for $7 on weekdays and $8 on weekends. The caveat is that you have to buy tickets at the box office.

POSB Everyday Card: A credit card that gives cash rebates of between 1 and 5 per cent when you pay your utility, grocery, petrol and cable television bills.

This article was first published on July 5, 2008.