Here's how I saved $15 in a day with foodpanda's 10-cent pandapro subscription

Covid-19 has definitely changed the way we work. Despite the easing of community measures, many companies have adopted hybrid work set-ups. From flexible working arrangements to working from home, many of us have embraced remote work as a new normal.

When working from home, I find myself guilty of inherently letting my usual lunch habits fall to the wayside, often skipping meals or satisfying my hunger with snacks I can find at home.

While an hour's lunch break may seem like plenty of time to whip up a meal, for someone like me who can't cook, it's a chore I'd rather not partake in.

Other times, I try to venture out to nearby eateries for takeaway, but as one would expect with the bustling lunch time crowd, it takes up a lot of time and I end up having to hurriedly gobble up my food.

Consequently, food delivery has become my best bet, often relying on foodpanda for all my delivery needs.

And as luck would have it, in celebration of foodpanda's 10th birthday, they are having a huge promotion on their subscription service - pandapro.

As it dawned upon me that with the promotion, a one-month pandapro subscription only costs 10 cents, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to try it out for myself, as pandapro features unlimited free delivery from a myriad of merchants, both near and far.

So, is the pandapro subscription worth a bang for your buck? I decided to compare a day of working from home without the use of any food delivery services and a day of working from home with the use of the pandapro subscription to find out.

Day 1:

Lunch

As lunch rolled around and the hunger pangs struck, I itched for some good ol' chicken rice, and when in Katong, where else would one get their chicken rice from other than the famed Katong Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice? While the stall is relatively nearby, I decided to take a bus as the weather was extremely humid. The short bus ride cost me $0.95, and upon reaching the eatery, I was greeted by a snaking queue of people also eager for their chicken rice fix.

By the time my food had arrived, I was only left with 25 minutes to wolf down my meal and head back to my screen at home.

The bus rides to and fro the eatery cost $1.90, and the chicken rice was $7.60. In all, lunch added up to a grand total of $9.50.

Monetary cost aside, I reached home feeling quite spent from the heat and having to rush back and forth, which really took a toll on my energy.

Dinner

As I ended work late, I decided to have dinner nearby. I walked to The Garden Slug for a bowl of pasta, a place I frequent often to satisfy my carbonara cravings.

By the time I had reached, the restaurant was already crowded and I had to wait to get a seat.

Because of the crowd, I decided to opt for takeaway instead and ordered their carbonara which cost $19.80.

After I had finished eating, I walked to a nearby supermarket to get some groceries. However, by the time I had reached, the supermarket had closed.

Had I bought everything on my grocery list, I would have spent $36.45. In addition to the bus ride home which cost me $0.95, I would have spent $37.40 in total.

Day 2:

Lunch

As per day one, in a bid to compare the benefits pandapro has to offer, I ordered the exact same plate of chicken rice from the same stall.

As I was preoccupied with work, it slipped my mind that I could order my meal in advance, prior to the lunch hour rush.

I placed my order at 1pm, with expectations that my meal would be delayed due to the high influx of lunch orders, but to my delight, my order came within 25 minutes.

The chicken rice reached me piping hot, and I didn't have to break a sweat rushing to and fro just to satisfy my cravings.

I had lunch in the comfort of my home and had time to spare afterwards to rest before work resumed again.

With the use of pandapro, I paid $15.48 for two packs of chicken rice, and since delivery was free, one pack of chicken rice only cost $7.70.

Dinner

After work, I decided to get takeout of the same pasta as the day before from The Garden Slug via foodpanda pick-up.

As a pandapro subscriber, I got 25 per cent off my meal, and the same bowl of pasta now only cost $14.85. Furthermore, the app showed me the estimated time it would take for my order to be ready so I could time when I walked over to collect it.

Another perk that pandapro features is unlimited free grocery delivery with a minimum spending of $29 on all pandamart orders, and with my failed attempt to visit the supermarket yesterday, I decided to place my order on pandamart.

I was pleasantly surprised with the convenience that pandamart offers, as I was able to check off everything on my grocery list, get a discount at the same time, and avoid the hassle of lugging home the heavy bags.

My pandamart order reached me in 30 minutes, making the experience even more enjoyable. In all, I spent $29.18 on the items without even having to lift a finger, saving $5.31 on items that were on promotion, and $4.29 on the delivery fee thanks to pandapro.

Cost breakdown

In all, I spent a total of $66.70 on day 1, and $51.73 on day 2, which meant that I saved $14.97 from just one day of being a pandapro subscriber.

Aside from the monetary costs saved, I also significantly decreased the amount of physical effort and time expended.

Overall, the subscription has proved to be extremely convenient and efficient, especially considering that it only cost me 10 cents.

No cons, only pandapros

In sum, my experience with foodpanda's pandapro has been nothing short of pleasant, with perks such as:

• Unlimited free delivery on food and groceries (minimum spending applies)

• Unlimited 25 per cent off on all pick-up orders

• Unlimited 20 per cent off the entire bill when you dine out

The pandapro promotion runs till Aug 31 and at the low cost of only 10 cents, it is the best time to try it out for yourself. Simply sign up here via the foodpanda website or the app and start saving now!

This article is brought to you in partnership with foodpanda.

jaelynchin@asiaone.com