Dress your apartment up in colours of red for the Lunar New Year and prepare for a year of wealth and good luck without forking out a fortune on decorations.
After all, they'll only be up for about a month for the house visits and reunion dinners. There's no point blowing your budget on big ticket purchases unless they're going to be permanent fixtures in your apartment.
We've done the legwork for you and dug up the best boutiques for traditional, contemporary and quirky Chinese New Year accessories, the majority of which hover around the $5 range.
Here is the essential guide to shopping for affordable CNY ornaments, figurines, couplets and wall hangings in Singapore for 2020.
WHERE TO GET CHEAP CNY DECORATIONS IN SINGAPORE
Shopping Destination | Address | Prices |
Chinatown Chinese New Year Bazaar | Open space between OG and People’s Park Complex | From $0.70 (for small decorations) |
Masons Home Decor | 39A Jalan Pemimpin, #03-01C, Singapore 577183 | From $1.80 (for small decorations) |
Shevron | www.shevron.com.sg | From $10.90 (for small hanging decorations) |
Naiise | Multiple outlets | From $4.25 (for small decorations), and $26.90 (for large decorations) |
EAMART | www.eamart.com | From $1 (for small decorations) |
FairPrice | Islandwide | From $3.90 (for small decorations) |
Lazada | www.lazada.sg | From $2 (for small decorations) |
1. CHINATOWN CHINESE NEW YEAR BAZAAR
At this year's Chinatown CNY outdoor fair, snag a smorgasbord of crimson festive ornaments starting from $0.70 for a small decorative tassel.
Lanterns, wall decals, New Year couplets, and Year of the Rat figurines aside, there's also affordable clothing (priced between $5 and $10), home furnishings, claw machines packed with plush toys, and other knick knacks.
Address: Open space between OG and People's Park Complex
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm (daily)
Date: Dec 26 - Jan 24, 2020
Prices: From $0.70 (for small decorations)
2. MASONS HOME DECOR
A home accessories boutique where most items come with a 10 per cent to 30 per cent discount, Masons Home Decor features a catalogue of Chinese New Year decorations alongside its regular offerings of furniture, lights, and objets d'art.
Its festive curios include traditional scarlet knots priced at $1.80 each and gold ingots for you to store your assortment of CNY candies.
Address: 39A Jalan Pemimpin, #03-01C, Singapore 577183
Opening hours: 12pm to 8pm (daily)
Contact: +65 9618 3746
Price: From $1.80 (for small decorations)
3. SHEVRON
This online retailer sits on the pricier side of this list. Specialising in bespoke embroidery and corporate gifts, the one-time recipient of the Spirit of Enterprise award also stocks a variety of CNY-themed hanging decorations depicting zodiac animals, firecrackers and fortune gods (starting at $10.90 each), wall decals with auspicious Chinese characters (starting from $20 each), and CNY couplets (priced from $21.90).
Contact: +65 6483 1726
Price: From $10.90 (for small hanging decorations)
4. NAIISE
Embellish your abode with contemporary renditions of the usual CNY decals from Naiise.
Going at $4.25 each are Lettereka's calligraphy characters, printed onto pieces of red paper that's been hand-marbled for a personal, one-of-a-kind touch.
Soft bolsters in the shape of giant love letter snacks ($26.90 each) also serve as quirky, whimsical, yet unexpected additions to an ordinary living room.
Address: Multiple outlets
Contact: +65 6266 8418
5. EAMART
EAMART is an e-commerce platform where you can get all sorts of tidbits - from pet supplies to groceries and automotive items. Not to mention, it offers free delivery without a minimum purchase.
Grab CNY couplets for as low as $1 per pair, and a pack of 20 lanterns for $12.80. Another popular purchase is the Lion Dance Tissue Box Cover from Partyforte Chinese New Year, which goes for $23.80.
Contact: +65 6257 9800
Price: From $1 (for small decorations)
6. FAIRPRICE
Besides all your essential CNY snacks, Fairprice also stocks decorative items such as mini fortune cat and fortune god figurines at $3.90 each.
Gather a bunch to form an inviting centrepiece at the table or use them individually to embellish the small barren corners of your home.
In addition, Fairprice is holding a Super Shopper Challenge from now till Feb 21, 2020, with $200,000 worth of shopping vouchers to be won. Every $30 spent entitles you to one chance to join the challenge.
Address: Islandwide
Contact: +65 3138 9191
Price: From $3.90 (for small decorations)
7. LAZADA
Not only is Lazada home to some of the best deals on the Internet, you can be sure the goods available are all up to standard too.
The cheapest find on the site is a pair of zodiac wall stickers at $2, followed by paper cut-outs in both contemporary and traditional styles.
You'll also find a diversity of stylish ang pow designs and, as always, items from every other shopping category imaginable.
Contact: +65 3157 1774
Price: From $2 (for small decorations)
This article was first published in SingSaver.com.sg.