Your hands are trembling, your heartbeat frantic and muscles lock into tension as you will yourself to ignore the fear. Biting down on a fearful prayer, your eyes shut tight for a moment more before you decide to open them and face the inevitable horror awaiting you in the darkness.

Finally staring at the figures blinking back at you in your bank account, you’re horrified at the desolation which greets you.

When it comes to money not so well-spent, Singlifers* have had their share of nightmarish situations, some which are sure to send shivers down your spine.

This spooky season, turn the lights off, hold onto your wallets and get ready for some True Singaporean Spending Horrors.

Mummy knows best

“It’s okay… everything is okay,” she whispers.

She forced herself to forget what she thought would bring him much comfort. But the image was burned into her memory and she tried to scrub it away as hard as her she did now – willing her tired body to clean as quickly as possible, rubber gloves sticky with heat against her skin as sweat collected in them.

“It’s okay, precious,” she whispers to his stare. “Mummy knows you didn’t mean it. Mummy will take care of it.”

All he does is stare, perched in his seat, head cocked and observing as she picks up sopping pieces of what resembles a pale, mangled carcass with pieces of skin hanging off and saliva collected into torn bits.

As she stuffs the grisly remains into a trash bag, she whispers again, “It’s okay. Mummy know you didn’t mean it.”

To his huff of agreement, she smiles weakly and ties up the bag, dragging it along the messy floor and praying no one will be at the rubbish chute tonight to witness her shame and his crime.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, turning to Fido, whose tail begins to wag, sweeping more desecrated cotton around the floor.

“It’s only a S$499 dog bed.”

Don’t be tricked:
While pet parents know their fur babies are precious and want to give them the best for the unconditional love they provide, it’s best to make purchases based on needs and not wants (specifically, yours as a pet parent). If Fido has five beds at home or is a habitual chewer in this case, perhaps a costly bed isn’t as important as his next bag of treats.

It’s alive!

It was a haunting glow that never seemed to leave her periphery.

She should’ve suspected something – should’ve seen the warning signs. He’d been “accessorising”, he said. “Building his greatest creation yet.”

Muttering to himself, he scurried into the dim-lit room, his hands full with parcels and bits she didn’t understand, avoiding her questions.

She could not believe her eyes, gaping at it sitting by her partner.

As she stared at the proud expression on his face, an eerie glow reflected off his smile – the fluorescent shutter a ghastly mockery to the warning signs she ignored.

“How much?” she asks.

He shrugs, “We’ll sell it when we have our first child!”

Exasperated, she hisses, throwing her hands in the air, “How much?”

“S$4,000,” he finally admits, fidgeting at a keyboard. “Give or take.”

His words send blood rushing to her head, her ears deaf to his pleads for mercy.

Glaring at him and then the decked-out computer set up next to him, she utters her final words.

“You’re sleeping with that computer this week.”

Don’t be tricked:
In the words of our Singlifer, “happy wife equals happy life!” If you make big-ticket purchases and have a significant other to consider in future financial plans, it’s important to at least run the figures by them as a courtesy. In the least, they’ll appreciate a heads up, and it always helps to keep them in the loop when it comes to details such as how it’s being paid for and why it’s definitely not frivolous.

Borrowed time

Legend has it that she couldn’t say no.

If you asked sincerely, fervently, and as long as you could sway her heart in your direction, she would fulfil your wishes and bless you with riches.

Please, it’s for my family. We need help.

She couldn’t say no.

Please, I will return it in a week.

She couldn’t say no.

Two wishes fulfilled.

S$10,000, then S$3,000, emerged from her hands, quickly vanishing into the pocket of a desperate soul who appealed to her benevolence.

There was a price to everything, however.

After being appeased with the return of a fraction of what was borrowed, she watched in horror as social media footage showed her beneficiaries basking in luxury and flaunting their newly gained wealth – a far cry from their displays of desperation just days earlier.

They would never be free, she promised, watching and waiting for the remainder of the kindness she afforded them – all S$10,000 of it, from her own pocket and into their ungrateful hands, as her wrath finally taught her to say no.

What is owed, must be returned.

Don’t be tricked:
We get it – we all want to help a fellow out, but money is always a sensitive topic between friends. If you’re ever caught in a situation where a buddy needs your financial help, always make sure you’re lending it to someone you can trust or are close to before sending your hard-earned cash. Most importantly, don’t lend anyone money that you’re saving for your own future and especially if you’re in a pinch yourself.

Too good to be true

She considered herself a sceptic, but now, she wasn’t so sure. After all, she considered herself a modern woman, someone who knew better and certainly not one to be scared easily.

You can trust us...

She refused to look back. The shadows in every corner seemed to whisper and move as she made her way through yawning lanes emptied of people and life itself.

We’ve been around for 12 years...  

If she listened hard enough, she could hear them laughing in the corners she walked past. She could even hear her husband’s voice assuring her she’d done her research.

We’re helping you save...

The air was an unearthly chill as she checked her phone for the time, nodding to herself as she ignored the unnatural flickers of doubt. Just in time for her appointment, but something didn’t feel right.

We’ll see you at your second appointment...

The air which had been so cold was now still as her breathing. Her footsteps echoed to a stop in front of a looming storefront shuttered close with a sign hastily pasted against yellowing glass.

“Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, this salon is closed.”

The shadows sunk to stillness as shock coloured her mind and every precaution previously assuaged came roaring back to life. In horror, all she could do was stare at the sign, remembering the money that had now turned to dust with their beckoning promises.

Buy our treatment package, it’ll be worth it.

Don’t be tricked:

There are too many terrifying tales of gyms or beauty salons going bust without warning to their customers, so remember that if a membership or package deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t commit too easily to packages or discounts and always read the fine print so you know what to do and who to consult for your money back, in case of the unexpected.

A night to remember

When he awakens, he wishes he hadn’t.

“My head,” he groans, squinting against the morning light – offended by the pain it sent throbbing through his skull, and wondering for a moment if his brain was leaking out of his ears.

An empty bottle greets his first step out of bed, clattering towards his pants strewn on the floor as he tries to steady himself – nausea thick in his throat as his head spins.

Everything in the air smelled like alcohol.

He stops short, his mind zipping awake.

Alcohol.

He can’t remember how he got home last night. Fragments of a party burst to life behind his eyes like sparklers surrounding bottle after bottle of expensive wine, champagne, liquor. He remembers their cheers, arms flailing to the music of their first night out as adults, ignoring the number of times they swiped their cards or opened their wallets.

Wallet.

“Oh no,” he whispers, fumbling to his pants pocket for his wallet.

“No, no, no.”

His wallet was empty. He hisses, nausea sitting heavily on his chest like fear as he yanks his phone off a charger to tap at a smudged screen, waiting for his bank application to load, “hurry up.”

Mathematics was never his strong suit, but even in his current state, he knew the numbers didn’t lie.

Something much worse than nausea and a throbbing headache overwhelms him when he catches echoing steps approaching his door. To the creak of a doorknob twisting to greet him, he whispers, “we spent S$2,500 last night?”

Don’t be tricked:
Having a good time out doesn’t mean blowing your bank account. Try setting a budget or limiting the amount of cards or cash you carry with you to any night out – you never know how generous you can get when you’re tipsy. Plus, it always helps to drink in moderation, for the health of both you and your wallet.

Treat yourself

The bread is stale – made bearable by the melting, cheap butter sticking to the roof of his mouth like an oily film. All of it culminates into an unsatisfied fullness, churning like regret in his stomach as he sits tormented.

His watchers bear witness to his shame. Observing silently like gods as he sits trapped in this eternal chasm between their gleaming exterior and his bland meal.

Unable to do anything except return their stare, he gazes at the rows of shiny outlines perched on his vanity, bottles upon bottles of matching colours forming a uniformed line. His stare is distracted momentarily by the single, crumpled receipt in his bin, evidence of a hefty price he paid in exchange for their promise to immortalise his skin.

A result which never came.

A result whispered to him by a siren on his phone screen – scrolling through social media to see her face known by so many. Lured by her smile and flawless skin so recognised around the world that for a moment, he imagined he could trust her song about ageless complexions and enviable beauty.

“Never again.”

He promises to no one as he vows to tighten his budget and purse strings, staring at the crumbs on his plate – the sorry result of buying into the promises of the gorgeous one with her eternal youth potions. Very carefully, he covers the bin so he can forget about the fortune thrown away, the exact numbers printed garishly on a receipt which will haunt his every purchase henceforth.

Don’t be tricked:
Celebrity endorsements aren’t a guarantee of a product’s efficacy. Everyone is beautifully different in their own way, and what works for one may not work for another – so don’t make impulse purchases only to end up wasting product – and having to live on bread and butter for a whole month (as in this case). Make purchase decisions that works for you, so your skin glows and your bank balance stays healthy.

Halloween is about tricks, treats and spooky tales, but reality can be pretty chilling too – especially if you don’t spend carefully. May these financial horror stories be a light-hearted reminder to budget wisely.

*All stories are anonymous to protect the individual’s identity (and preserve their dignity).