TIME-SAVING TECH

These five apps simplify your life and settle the mundane stuff – so you don’t have to.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

These five apps simplify your life and settle the mundane stuff – so you don’t have to.

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LABORME

Think of this as… A TENDER SYSTEM FOR YOUR ERRANDS.

No time to buy groceries or walk the dog? Post your errands on Laborme and sit back as nearby “Taskers” bid for the job. You can read their reviews before “awarding” your chosen Tasker – just pay the agreed-upon bid price. There’s nothing you can't request – get someone to assemble furniture, tar pau lunch, or deliver durians to your doorstep!

Psst… This is our alternative food delivery app when Deliveroo’s proximity-based options don’t include our fave Korean fried chicken.

FASTFAST

Think of this as… A COURIER SERVICE THAT OPERATES LIKE UBER.

Connect with a pool of on-demand riders and drivers to deliver documents, packages, or even that phone charger which you left at home (hey, it saves you a two-way cab ride). Great for when you need something delivered outside traditional courier hours. Prices depend on distance and parcel weight.

Psst… This is great for “personal deliveries”, when you don’t want the hassle of engaging a courier. App co-founder Elim Chew (of 77th Street fame) tells us that a customer used Fastfast to deliver her husband a surprise coffee at work!

VANIDAY

Think of this as… A CHOPE APP FOR BEAUTY APPOINTMENTS.

You’re so slammed during office hours that you have no time to call the nail salon. When the craziness dies down (at, oh, about 10pm), you’ll like the convenience of booking your beauty appointments through Vaniday, which has a directory of more than 850 beauty parlours and salons. It saves your particulars so you don’t have to recite them repeatedly over the phone, and you can choose your preferred therapist.

Psst… On days when we’re really pressed for time, we filter our searches based on location so we can arrange back-to-back appointments in the same area.

SENDHELPER

Think of this as… THE ULTIMATE HOME-PARTY AIDE.

Searching Pinterest for dinnerparty decor ideas? Fun! Doing the cleaning-up and cooking? Um… Sendhelper links you up with parttimers who can clean and cook for you. The catch: You’ll need to provide all the ingredients and equipment. Cleaning and cooking services each cost $20 an hour.

Psst… Package prices are available for weekly cleaning and/or cooking services – an option if you need regular help but don’t want a live-in domestic helper.

AIRFROV

Think of this as… YOUR PERSONAL SOURCING SERVICE FOR OVERSEAS ITEMS.

Want to get your hands on cult American beauty brand Sunday Riley? If you want items only available abroad, Airfrov connects you with travellers to these countries who can pick them up for you. This may be cheaper than paying shipping charges. State your price and Airfrov will hold your payment until after your request has been taken up. Self-collect at the Airfrov Collection Centre at Purvis Street, or have it sent to your house.

Psst… Want an item that another user has requested? Copy the user’s request instead of making a new one – this will give the traveller added incentive to bring back multiple units of the item.

STYLEBOOK

Think of this as… A VIRTUAL WARDROBE CURATOR.

This lets you create a photo gallery of all your clothes. Now you can navigate your closet virtually, create new outfit combos at a swipe and even plan an entire week’s outfits in advance.

Psst… Use the Outfit Shuffle function if you need style inspo – select a few categories (like “shirts” or “jeans”) and the app will generate 10 random outfit ideas. Save the outfits you like.

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