As updated in my previous post, I have finally bought my own place solo. For the past few months I have been busy coordinating with various contractors and vendors for my house renovation. As I am still on flexi work schedule, I decided to be my own ID. With only a simple renovation in mind, I set my reno budget as 20k (aircon & fixtures inclusive).
It's no brainer that Maybank F&F won hands down for the monthly cash rebate (of 8% & $25 per cat cap). I can definitely hit the minimum spending of $800 if I include dining, transportation and groceries. There was also a $200 sign up cash reward (alternatively, one can opt for a Samsonite luggage). I spread my online shopping over a period of 2-3 months, with reno essentials first followed by furniture and other accessories. Should I max out the cashback of any category, I can just switch to my plain old vanilla Amex (UOB Absolute cashback) which gives a 1.7% rebate.
The renovation process and acting as my own ID were not as easy as I thought. It took me about a month to gather and compare quotations from different contractors and another few weeks to finalize all the things that I need my chosen contractor to do. I eventually settled for a main contractor who specializes in carpentry work but also provides painting, tiling and electrical services. I have grossly underestimated the amount of defects that need fixing for this resale flat. Fortunately, the floor tiles and some of the existing built-ins are still in good condition so I kept them, otherwise I would have burst my budget.
The first issue with being own ID was that all the fixtures I have got to source and purchase them by myself. Thanks to the wonder of online shopping, I got almost everything online (from sanitary wares to racks & accessories) based on reviews. Unlike my parents' time when they had to compare and shop store-to-store. The only item that I purchased physically was an Ikea bathroom mirror which I urgently needed and couldn't wait for delivery. The second issue with being own ID was the designing of carpentry built-ins. I have to painstakingly use Paint to draw illustrations of what I wanted and send them to the carpenter. It was frustrating that even with all the details marked out, he still could get my design wrongly when he showed me his draft. There's just so much details to handle - from laminate colours to things like where to drill the holes, the exact height and width of the drawers and how the table edge should be like. Thankfully everything turned out to be almost how I imagined. The only regret I have had with the built-ins was the useless fluted panels, which are not so aesthetically pleasing and worthy of the money paid.
Before I started my reno, I sought a new credit card sign up as my existing credit cards did not give much perk for online shopping (and I knew I would be spending a bomb there). I then did a quick comparison between the different credit cards that I owned to see which are the ones I could use to maximize reward for my new house spending. See my comparison table as follow (correct as of last month):
I just realized that I have missed out on the UOB One Credit card because I didn't apply for it. If one is able to hit the minimum spending of $500 every month for a quarterly period, then it is worthwhile too for Shopee purchases (up to 8.33% cashback). If I can hit another $500 of monthly spending + Shopee purchases, the next best card to use would be my UOB One Debit card which gives a 3% rebate cap at $20 per month, without the requirement to hit 3 consecutive months of minimum spending.
An update on Trust Cashback credit card. It's "Shopping" category is highly misleading as it actually does not count the spendings at many popular mall retailers such as Apple Store, Courts, Ikea, Sunglass Hut, Giant etc. They would get classified under Electronics, Eyewear, Groceries and Others in the app, which illogically do not qualify for the seemingly broad category of Shopping. I have learnt this after misplacing my trust in the Trust card for a 3-month cash rebate. 😤
Last updated on 30/08/2025
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A thousand mile journey starts from a single step. It's a relief that I have achieved my property and moving milestone!
Thanks for reading!
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