Quote:
Originally Posted by nono1973
I have a small question to ask bro Blackpage by quoting your post. (sorry,i need to)
In his last trip, i think he mentioned he brought a friend to Batam,and he usually stays around in Batam for about a week or so,his probably friend too. This CNY, i stayed in Batam for 6D5N (nearly one week) and i have a couple of friends who turn up too.
My question is,staying for a week or so for a single person in Batam,how much would bro Blackpage need to change the amount of money equivalent to Singapore dollar to last his spending for his week there? And then adding the total amount his friend has change....hehehe...
I am guessing bro Blackpage only has one friend who joined him in Batam for a week,i have 2 to 3 friends who turns up this CNY staying between 3D2N and/or 4D3N...hehehe...i cant help smiling at how many 50k of rupiah we all have saved in total.
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Your question seems easy and to lead to an obvious answer, but it's not.
By the way, on my last time I changed only few hundreds dollars (200? I don't remember), because that was the only cash I had! Overall, I spent maybe 1500 SGD including everything, but I took all that cash from ATMs using my debit card (the Maestro exchange rate has only +1.25% vs. the official posted on XE.COM).
However, this is not the point you raise.
I agree with you that 100r difference in exchanging SGD to IDR
in most cases is a significant amount, worth negotiating.
I say "
in most cases", meaning:
- if we change more than 500 SGD (50k is a taxi ride, after all), which is the typical expenditure for a weekend;
- if the effort spent to find a better exchange rate is not too much (I would not spend 1 hour walking around the shops to save just 50k, that is two coffees at JCo).
As I wrote many times, my SOP when I arrive to Batam with 600+ USD cash is the following:
1) I withdraw 2M from an ATM for my first expenses
2) On my second day, I take a walk along Jalan Bonjol, from the point in front Nagoya Hill walking towards kampung bule, and I poll all exchange shops for the best rate. This takes me no more than 30 mins.
3) The difference between the best rate and the worse can be as much as 2% or 3%, even more if I compare it to the rates offered at Nagoya Hill or Lucky Plaza . That means 150k or 200k difference in 600 USD (800 SGD) converted to IDR, that is around $15 USD.
Is it worth? Well, for 30 mins I believe it's worth.
Personally, I would not spend 1 hour of my time to save 50k, but everyone has a different sensitivity.
Wasting money is wrong anyway, but also my time has a value. We have to find a balance and decide what is the value we assign to our time.