So I did something at the start of this year that I never thought I’d do — I completely cut Grab out of my life. No more Grab rides, no more GrabFood, nothing. And honestly? Best decision I’ve made in ages.
Let me break it down for you. I used to take Grab to work almost every day. My office is in the CBD, I live in Tampines. MRT is about 45 mins door to door, Grab was 20-25 mins. Convenience tax, right? I told myself it was worth it because I was “saving time.” But then I actually sat down and looked at my Grab history from last year and almost vomited blood.
180-220 a week. Just on rides to and from work. That’s not even counting the random late-night trips after drinks, the “aiya raining lah” moments, or the weekend jaunts when I was too lazy to take the bus. Add GrabFood into the mix because “delivery fee only 3.50 what” and I was easily bleeding400-$500 a month into this app.
January 1st this year, I said enough. Deleted the app off my phone (okay fine, I just moved it to a folder but the intent was there). Started taking the MRT to work. Bought an umbrella that actually works. Started walking to the MRT station instead of taking the bus to the bus stop. Bought meal prep containers and started cooking on Sundays.
You know what happened? I got used to it. The MRT is crowded, yes. Sometimes the person next to me smells like they bathed in garlic. But I use the time to read, scroll Reddit, or just zone out. And the walking? Lost 4kg without even trying. My fitness app says I average 8,500 steps a day now, up from like 2,000 before.
Fast forward to now, mid-July. I tallied up my transport and food expenses versus last year. I’ve saved $1,947. Almost two grand. In six and a half months. That’s a whole-ass Japan trip. That’s a new laptop. That’s my CPF top-up for the year with change to spare.
And here’s the thing — I don’t even miss it. The few times I’ve genuinely needed a ride (like bringing my mum to the clinic), I used Gojek or TADA and paid way less. For food, I either cook, dabao from the hawker centre downstairs, or if I really want restaurant food, I call the restaurant direct. Most places do their own delivery now for cheaper than Grab’s platform fees.
Grab’s pricing has gone absolutely bonkers. Surge pricing at 8am on a Tuesday? $28 from Tampines to Raffles Place? For a 20-minute ride? Get out of here with that. And don’t even get me started on the “platform fee” and “small order fee” and whatever other fees they’ve invented. It’s death by a thousand cuts.
I’m not saying everyone can do this. If you have mobility issues, live in some ulu corner with no bus service, or have kids to ferry around, I get it. But for the average office worker like me who was just being lazy and paying for convenience? We need to wake up. These apps are bleeding us dry and we’re just letting it happen because “everyone else does it.”
Anyway, just wanted to share. If you’re on the fence about cutting back, do the math. Look at your Grab history. I guarantee you’ll be horrified. That $2K could be doing literally anything else for you.
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