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As you are filling out your New Year’s resolutions for 2021, one of those resolutions might be to get fitter by hitting the gym. If you are looking to get that beach bod, not only do you have to exercise regularly, but you also have to regulate your nutrition and diet as well. This means preparing your own meals as it will give you more control over your calorie count.
Read Also: Here’s Why The UOB One Account Could Be The Perfect Savings Account For Those In The Gig Economy
What if you could prep meals for your whole family while going to the gym with your spouse? That would be killing two birds with one dumbbell, pardon the pun. In this article, we will go through some of the costs involved with prepping your own meals for the gym (and your family) and how you can get bonus cashback with UOB One Credit Card when you shop at selected supermarkets for that protein pump.
UOB One Credit Card: One Head Above The Rest Of Cashback Cards
Source: UOB
If you consistently spend well above $500 every month, one of the best ways to maximise your cashback is with the UOB One Card, which offers from 3.33% to 5% flat rebate, boosted to 10% on selected supermarkets, 7-11, Grab, UOB Travel and 6% on utilities. At this spend level, cardholders can earn up to S$300/quarter for the highest spending tier, or S$100/month – one of the highest potential earning rates on the market.
Those who spend a minimum of $500/month can also earn a 3.33% cashback. Additionally, spend with popular merchants like Cold Storage and Cathay Cineplexes earns up to an additional 10% rebate, through UOB SMART$ Programme. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a convenient card that rewards stable budgets with top rates, the UOB One Card is one of the best in the market.
How You Can Optimise Your UOB One Card For Cashbacks On Meal Preps
Back to meal prepping, for the uninitiated, meal prep refers to preparing your meals in advance for the week. For gymgoers who want to get fitter, it means to distribute your protein, carbohydrate and fat count across the week by batch cooking and packing them into daily servings.
For families, it could mean quality time spent with loved ones eating well balanced, restaurant quality food while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Although a meal prep plan may not be as feasible for gymgoers with children, it can also be useful to cook those meals on the day itself but prepare the ingredients and seasoning the day or week before. Marinating the meat and fish takes time, so having a planned diet can also help to ensure that everything flows in the kitchen.
An example of a meal prep plan can be as follows:
#1 Monday – Fish tacos: fish, tortillas, greens, tomatoes.
#2 Tuesday – Beef steak: ribeye beef, potatoes, black pepper sauce and BBQ sauce
#3 Wednesday – Pan seared fish fillet: red snapper, lemons, black pepper sauce
#4 Thursday – Homemade pizza with cauliflower base: cauliflower rice, pizza sauce, cheese, mushrooms (x2 for Bolognese), capsicum, red onion.
#5 Friday – Chicken and roast veggies: chicken breast, pumpkin, red onion (x2 for pizza), zucchini, potatoes.
Costs of Meal Prep (Weekly): For A Family Of Four
Day of the Week | Ingredients | Prices |
Mon (Fish Tacos) | Salmon (400g) Tortillas (400g) Baby Spinach (100g) Tomatoes (600g) |
$15.00 $7.95 $6.00 $5.65 Total: $34.60 |
Tue (Ribeye Steak) | Ribeye Beef (500g) Russet Potatoes (X2) Black Pepper Sauce (80g) Jim Bean Bold N’ Spicy BBQ Sauce (180oz) |
$22.45 $1.90 $1.75 $9.95 Total: $36.05 |
Wed (Pan Seared Fish Fillet) | Red Snapper (300g) Lemons (X2) Black Pepper Sauce (80g) |
$14.07 $1.50 $1.75 Total: $17.32 |
Thu (Homemade Pizza) | Pizza Base (355g) Mozzarella (125g) Shredded Parmesan Cheese (150g) White Button Mushrooms (200g) Bolognese Pasta Sauce (680g) |
$7.95 $15.50 $5.85 $3.55 $4.60 Total: $37.45 |
Fri (Chicken and Toast Veggies) |
Fresh Chicken Breast (4 pcs) Pumpkin Red Onion (350g) X2 Zucchini |
$7.35 $3.95 / 500g $5.70 $2.95 Total: $19.95 |
Subtotal: $145.34 per 1 meal a day OR X 2 meals per day = $290.68 per week |
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Total monthly costs for prepping your own meal: 1 meal daily: $581.36 2 meals daily: $1162.72 |
(Prices were sourced from Cold Storage)
If you are already spending money renewing your gym membership, combining regular workouts with good dieting habits can create long-lasting changes in your physique and make you feel more confident in yourself.
For gymgoers who want to earn cashback on their meal prep, you can earn up to 5% rebate with your UOB One Credit Card on your supermarket trips, with an additional 5% rebate on Dairy Farm Singapore merchant supermarkets: Cold Storage, Giant, Marketplace and Jasons.
In order to qualify for the rebates, you have to achieve the following:
#1 Make a minimum of 5 purchases before the UOB One Credit Card statement each month
#2 Spend at least $500 per month and maintain that expenditure every month
Monthly Spend (Minimum) | Cash Rebate (Quarterly) | Rebate (%) |
$500 | $50 | 3.33% |
$1000 | $100 | 3.33% |
$2000 | $300 | 5.00% |
So, let’s say you decide to prep your meals by going to Cold Storage for fresh produce and spend more than $500 monthly, your rewards are as follows (based on the above tabulated costs):
1 Prepped Meal A Day: $581.36 each month
Cash Rebate Per Quarter: $50
Additional Cash Rebate of 5% (Disbursed after every quarter): $29.07 x 3 = $87.21
Total Rebate Per Quarter (%): $137.21 (7.87%)
2 Prepped Meals A Day: $1162.72 each month
Cash Rebate Per Quarter: $100
Additional Cash Rebate of 5% (Disbursed after every quarter): $58.14 X 3 = $174.42
Total Rebate Per Quarter (%): $274.42 (7.87%)
As you can see, the rebates each quarter can amount to quite a lot. Based on the projected spend, you will be able to save up to $548.84 and $1097.68 per year for single daily meal prep or twice daily meal prep respectively.
Do take note that the additional rebate is capped at $100 per statement month.
Who The UOB One Card Is Not For
The UOB One Card is less beneficial to irregular or low spenders. Because cashback depends on the lowest monthly spend during the quarter, a cardholder with an inconsistent budget can easily miss out on the higher-tiered cashback rewards.
If you spend just S$1 less than S$2,000 — even for 1 month — your quarterly rebate drops from S$300 to S$100 (and continues to drop for each tier). Thus, this card is ideal if you have a consistent budget and are looking to maximise rewards and offset your future purchases.
Fees:
Annual Fee: $192.60, with a first-year card fee waiver
Eligbility:
For Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents:
Minimum annual income of S$30,000 is required or Fixed Deposit collateral of at least S$10,000
For Foreigners:
Minimum annual income of S$80,000 is required or Fixed Deposit collateral of at least S$10,000
Age: 21 and above
Start Earning Cashbacks On Your UOB One Credit Card Today
If you can see yourself prepping meals in time for the gradual opening of the world in 2021 and finding yourself at the beaches late next year, results at the gym will take time to show and it could be a good time to consider nutrition on top of your exercise regimen. On top of that, you could also start to have more quality time with your family at the dinner table instead of in front of your laptop screens. Start your meal prep journey with UOB One today!
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