Students are an interesting lot. We’re either broke, sleep-deprived, or perpetually hungry. Or all three.

(Although, to be honest, that sounds a lot like most working folks too.)

We tackle the first in this article, providing you with a few affordable entertainment options that you can explore when studying becomes a little too much. Some of these could possibly double up as date ideas or group bonding activities, too.

Without further ado:

1. Coin Noraebang (Coin Karaoke)

Have an earworm that crept in at an extremely inconvenient time (like an exam), which just wouldn’t go away? Or searching for a way to practice your singing without hogging the bathroom and earning your family’s wrath?

Sing away at Voicebooth KTV, managed by a Korean dude who brought Korea’s ubiquitous coin karaoke concept over to our little island, at $1 per song. Unlike other karaoke places, there is no lock-in period – you can head here to banish that pesky earworm or kill some time, if you’re in town waiting for a friend and have nothing to do. Alternatively, you can book a room (fitting 1-2 pax) at $10-15 per hour.

Feeding the machine coin after coin can get pretty addictive –so arm yourself with tons of self-discipline before going over or it’ll be cheap no more. We’d recommend Teo Heng, with its Happy Hour packages, otherwise.

2. Do-it-yourself projects

Sometimes, you just want a very chillax kind of activity and we totally understand that. Why not consider D.I.Y projects? Not only do you come away with a finished product/item, but also improved skills and a feeling of accomplishment in the process! There are many interesting D.I.Y projects out there, depending on what you’re interested in. What’s more, you’ll spend little to no money, unless you choose a material-heavy project!

One particular channel I really appreciate, for its interesting handicraft project ideas, is C Channel’s Art & Study– sometimes I end up watching their videos simply to admire all the sparkling prettiness within.Hey, a girl can ogle.

If that’s not your thing, however, you could consider going one step further by making your own claw machine. As the comments and the video itself show, however, this is pretty challenging, so you might be tempted to give up halfway. Start with a DIY infinity fidget cube and work your way up the difficulty ladder, maybe?

3. Workshops

This is for those want to try new activities out but know they won’t get to it on their own, or those that want to try activities that require guidance (silver smithing, for example).

You can find reasonably priced offerings, sometimes heavily discounted, if you scour sites such as Lessonsgowhere and Fave regularly! A leather tassel keychain making workshop, for example, is currently being offered at $12 (originally $25) on Fave and materials are included. If that’s not affordable I don’t know what is.

What’s more, workshops usually don’t go past half a day, so you can go off and revise or do whatever you need after.

4. Time cafés

If you like chilling in cafes with a drink or two, try a time café on for size! Currently, Singapore has one café running based on this concept, where you pay per hour for time spent but get unlimited access to drinks, snacks, and the games and space available.

Called Coffeemin (an amalgamation of Coffee+Minute), the café charges $6 per hour on weekdays (8 on weekends), and is designed to feel like a homey, cozy space. The space also sees use as a co-working and events space. This is a good place to do team bonding in, or play a game of FIFA or two.

Coffeemin currently has two outlets, one in Clarke Quay (The Central) and the other in Jurong East (JCube), it’s a good place to rest your weary feet and brain after an exhausting day of classes! If you like it enough to make it a regular haunt, Coffeemin has one and three-month memberships you can sign up for, so you can get more bang for your buck.

5. Explore SG

Have you ever been lost for words when an international friend asks you for recommendations on where to visit during a trip to Singapore? Because I have. It’s tempting to say that Singapore has nothing but that’s far from true – we just need some help to look at our sunny island in a whole new lens!

Take guided walking tours, averaging 2-3 hours long, around Singapore with the help of apps such as LocoMole (iOS and Android)! Choose what floats your boat from categories such as nature and heritage trails and let the app guide you to the various points, with the help of Augmented Reality. Just like your normal trails, there are “quests” or challenges to complete – whether it be taking pictures with statues or answering quizzes.

If you have an afternoon to yourself which you haven’t made plans for, pick a trail and get moving! Or take advantage of the free admission we have to museums if you’re not one for the sun: the philatelic museum, with exhibitions revolving around themes such as anime and Harry Potter, is one to watch.

6. Tip

There are many free and affordable things to do out there if you only know where to look! One way to discover things to do is to regularly check out sites such as Eventbrite, where many free recitals/talks/workshops are listed. It’s a good way to get to explore new things and experiences.

We hope you’ve found something that tickles your fancy on our list! If you have any other recommendations for good and affordable entertainment options that you’d love to share, please leave us a comment below so others can enjoy too. Share the love!