LIVING LARGE ON A SMALL BUDGET

Here are some ways big families can get big savings

- Venessa Lee Senior Correspondent

Ms Selena Hey and the other adults in her household have been whittling down a stockpile of more than 40 big tubes of toothpaste, which she estimates will last about three years.

Her four children use a different, fruit-flavoured children's toothpaste, which she bought in packs of six.

Bulk-buying and stocking up on household items such as toothpaste, diapers, milk powder and detergent during sales to last for up to three years is par for the course when it comes to cutting costs for her large family.

Ms Hey, a 41-year-old teacher, and her husband Jonathan Poh, 42, owner of Nature Therapy Studio, which designs aquariums and terrariums, have four daughters aged nine, seven, four and one.

Their eight-member household includes her mother and domestic helper, and they live in a five-room Housing Board flat in Sengkang.

From Sept 10, families with three or more Singaporean children started to receive $1,000 in credits for each third and subsequent child, aged one to six, under a scheme to defray expenses.

This was the first disbursement under the Large Families Scheme, introduced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025. These Large Family LifeSG credits, valid for 12 months, are credited to the government mobile app LifeSG (www.life.gov.sg/app).

Parents can also tap the Large Families Deals initiative curated by the Families for Life movement.

More than 50 organisations such as FairPrice and Tada are now offering deals on diapers and other household staples, as well as savings on bookings of large-capacity rides with ride-hailing apps.

But even before these, comparing prices across supermarkets, choosing cheaper house brands, using hand-me-downs and signing up for membership cards have been common practices, say large families interviewed by The Sunday Times.

"We try to cut costs in all areas," says Ms Hey.