Host Lin Youyi Rented This 1-Room Tanjong Pagar Condo Instead Of Living In Her 1,000 Sq Ft Apartment So That She Can Try Living With Less Stuff
Working as a current affairs presenter and travel host has not only broadened Lin Youyi’s horizons, but also changed the way she lives. After seeing firsthand climate change victims starving due to the lack of crops or fish in the water, she began to reflect on her lifestyle and excesses.
“Travelling has taught me so much. When I was living with my parents, I took everything for granted. I had all the space I wanted, bought everything I wanted and just dumped it in the house. But when I started doing travelogues, I realised I can survive with just one suitcase. We don’t really need so many things in life,” the Hello Singapore host tells 8days.sg.
Over the years, Youyi, 42, has been taking baby steps towards a more sustainable, minimalist, and “meaningful” lifestyle, from decluttering her life to buying less, and more recently, downsizing to a smaller home.
After buying her 1,000 sq ft walk-up apartment in 2019, she decided not to move in and looked for a smaller space to rent instead. While house hunting for a suitable space, the pandemic hit so she shelved her plans and continued living with her parents in their 3,000 sq ft condo in the east. She resumed her search this year and finally moved into a rented one-bedroom condo in Tanjong Pagar in May.
She was attracted to how bright the 500 sq ft unit is as well as the energy of the neighbourhood. Being in the heart of the CBD also allows Youyi, who offers corporate training for presentations, to be near her clients.
“I need a place that is good enough for just myself and an environment that inspires me,” she says. Most importantly, it needs to “spark joy”, she adds.
While Youyi declined to reveal how much rent she’s paying for the space, only saying it’s “around market rate”, a check on property sites show that average rental of one-room units in the area is going for just under $4,000 a month.
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