A stuffed tofu stall in Toa Payoh will close down next year. Originally, it wanted to close gracefully, but recently it has been complained by customers that the prices are too high. The female stall owner explained with a sob that the customer ordered 11 toppings and the price was only over 9 dollars. Shin Min Daily News previously reported that Hop Chung Yong Tau Foo will be withdrawing from the "Hai Fung Coffee Shop" at Block 203, Toa Payoh North next month. The stall owner revealed at the time that many people are working from home after the pandemic, and the number of office workers has decreased by about 20%. In addition, customers have been dispersed after other coffee shops in the vicinity were renovated. Unexpectedly, a month before closing down, "Hezhong Stuffed Tofu" posted online that some customers complained about the high prices. The post stated that the customers ordered a total of 11 side dishes, including a serving of kueh teow. “Eight ingredients cost 80 cents each, and the other three cost 1 yuan each. We even gave them a 20-cent discount, so we only charged 9.2 yuan in the end.” In response to the post, the reporter contacted Lu Meiwen (41 years old), the owner of "Hezhong Stuffed Tofu". She became emotional and tearful during the interview on Saturday morning (December 27). She said that she was going to close down next month and originally wanted to close down gracefully, but she was criticized for charging too much and felt very wronged. “We have been operating in Toa Payoh for over 40 years. We had to stop operating due to various cost issues, which was already very difficult. But then some customers complained and even said they were happy that we were closing down.” Lu Meiwen said that many of the stuffed tofu dishes are handmade, including the addition of minced meat and seafood to the ingredients. "We sometimes innovate, such as adding cheese to luncheon meat, hoping to give diners a unique taste." She believes that during the 10 years she has been operating the business there, she has been dedicated to serving customers, providing excellent service, and ensuring the quality of the ingredients. “I was also open for business during Christmas, and seeing the criticism made me very sad. It felt like all our efforts over the past 10 years were worthless. This has been the most difficult Christmas I've ever had.” For the full report, please refer to the December 27, 2025 edition of Shin Min Daily News.

大巴窑一酿豆腐摊位明年将结束营业，原想体面关门，无奈近期被食客投诉价格过高，女摊主委屈哽咽解释，顾客点了11样配料，价格才超过9元。　 《新明日报》之前报道，合众酿豆腐将于下个月从大巴窑北第203座组屋的“海丰咖啡店”撤出。摊主当时透露，疫情后很多人在家办公，上班族减少约20%，加上附近其他咖啡店翻新后，顾客已然被分散。 岂料，结束营业前的一个月，“合众酿豆腐”在网上发文，指有食客称收费过高。文中指出，食客总共点了11样配料，其中包括一份粿条。 “八样配料每样8角，另三个则分别是每样1元。我们甚至还给对方2角折扣，最后只收9元2角。” 针对贴文，记者联络上“合众酿豆腐”老板娘卢美文（41岁）。她星期六（12月27日）早上受访时情绪激动落泪，称自己下个月就要停业，本来想体面的关门，岂料被人指责收费过高，感到十分委屈。 “我们在大巴窑营业40多年，是因为各种成本问题才停止营业，本来就很难过了，居然还有食客投诉，甚至说很高兴我们要关门了。” 卢美文说，不少酿豆腐都是自己手工制作的，包括在配料内加入肉馅和海鲜。“我们有时候也会创新，比如在午餐肉加入芝士，希望可以让食客品尝与众不同的食物。” 她自认在该处营业的10年里对食客用心，服务态度良好，也保证配料的品质。 “我在圣诞节期间也营业，看到对方的批评，觉得很难过。感觉我们10年来的付出一文不值。这是我过得最煎熬的一个圣诞节了。” 完整报道，请翻阅2025年12月27日的《新明日报》。

quote:  late30s, lease left 49yr old     if the ppl voted for VERS the 70yr flat  by the time eligibility for VERS will be is 2045 and will be in my late 50s     high chance she will need to move home when in the late 50s if the  ppl voted for VERS       there a reason ppl buy flat they see the lease first.

You may have seen a video of this cosy home on social media and wondered why the owner bought a 50-year-old HDB flat. "This is the pathway to financial ruin" and "It's a big no for me" were some of the comments on Tan Li Yi's TikTok video, where she explained why she bought the house. Others called her courageous for buying an old unit.  Despite these comments, Li Yi, who is in her late 30s, said she has no regrets about her purchase.  "I really didn't understand what they meant until I realised that is the consensus — that I'm very brave to buy a house that will have almost no returns on investment. But it didn't even concern me at all," the small business owner told AsiaOne when we recently visited her beautiful red-brick home. "I can see a lot of returns in this house. It's going to give me the lifestyle I want. There are so many other returns other than financial returns."  Search for 'forever home' For the past five years, Li Yi had been living with her mother in her childhood home in Bedok. While there wasn't a pressing need for her to move out, she felt it was time to have a place of her own.  "I think it was long overdue. I'm a fully grown, overripe adult. It's time to move out," she said with a laugh.  The bedroom and kitchen of Li Yi's three-room HDB flat. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Melissa Teo House hunting on her own came with its challenges, but Li Yi embraced the process.  "You have to do everything yourself," she said.  "You have to search for a flat alone, and when you finally get the keys and start on renovations, you do it alone, without having somebody else to share the burden with. I think that is the challenge. But it is part of adulting." From the get-go, she knew which neighbourhoods she wanted to live in and narrowed her search down to two areas.  After about five months of house-hunting in 2024, she settled on a three-room flat in central Singapore. "I chose this area because I really like the convenience. It's charming and feels very authentic," she shared, adding that her home is near hawker centres, old-school bakeries, fitness studios, and cafes that fit her lifestyle.  Li Yi purchased the flat for about $400,000 under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme and secured the unit in early January.  While she had already set aside enough money for the house, she was unaware that she would not be granted a full loan because the flat's remaining lease would not cover her until she turns 95. "The loan was pro-rated, so I had to fork out more money," she explained, adding that this cut a little into her renovation budget of about $30,000. Li Yi's dining and living room. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Melissa Teo Renovations began in March and ended five months later. Once the renovations were done, Li Yi started her TikTok and Instagram accounts, @waffleflat, to document her home journey. When asked why she dubbed it "waffle flat", the homeowner said that there was no deeper meaning behind the name and she just liked the sound of it.  "It felt fun, light, and unpretentious, which matched how I wanted to document my home," she shared.  As she did not engage an interior designer, she managed the contractors herself and spent around $30,000, mostly on wall hacking, flooring, and carpentry for her bedroom wardrobe and kitchen.  The previous owner, who lived in the flat for around 10 years, had kept the house in good condition. Thus, Li Yi didn't have to revamp some areas of the house.  "He had already done a massive renovation before me. So all the electric works, wiring, and windows, I didn't touch those at all," she shared.  To save money, Li Yi sourced the bulk of her furniture, including her sofa, walnut dining table, and bed frame, from Chinese shopping platform Taobao for around $5,000.  She soured her bed frame from Taobao. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Melissa Teo She also used e-commerce platform Carousell to hunt for good bargains.  "I bought my Wells water dispenser for around $600. The usual price is $2,800," Li Yi proudly told us while gesturing towards her kitchen.  Between two homes Despite owning her own house, Li Yi has yet to fully move in.  She still shuttles between her mother's home and her flat several times a week, even though the journey takes about an hour by public transport.  The biggest reason for this was a lack of a "push factor".  "There are a lot of people who have to move into a home because they have already sold their property. But I have my mum's place, and I'm so comfortable there," she explained.  Li Yi also admitted to feeling some inertia about moving despite her fondness for her new neighbourhood.   "I don't know anybody here. I don't even know the neighbourhood well," she said.  To ease herself into the new space, she has been doing weekend "staycations" there and will often get her boyfriend, whom she met after purchasing the house, to accompany her.  While the living room looks completed, Li Yi said she is not done with the space just yet. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Melissa Teo She also found it difficult to leave her mother on her own.  "The thought that keeps running through my head is 'Oh my god, my mum is going to be alone'. Am I leaving my mum? It is a struggle," said Li Yi.  "I want to have my own space. I'd love to cook up a storm and invite friends over, because I can't really do that at my mum's place. But there is a bond there with my mum. Will she feel lonely?"  Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Li Yi rented a house for six years due to her work as a wedding stylist. "When I rented my own place, I was so happy. I really liked staying on my own. So, I didn't think it would be so difficult this time," she told AsiaOne.  "But I realised that when you move into your forever home, there is a sense of longing for your old home, because you know the change is permanent.  While she is still adjusting to the new environment, Li Yi said being a homeowner has been a liberating experience.  "During the renovation process, I really felt a sense of freedom. I could basically do whatever I want to the space. I want to buy this sofa, I get it. I want a walnut table, I get it. I don't have to ask anybody, and that's the beauty of it. I really, really love that freedom.  "The downside is I have to be more responsible. I have to buy toilet rolls and all kinds of cleaning tools," she said with a laugh.   Li Yi in her favourite part of her home, the kitchen. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Melissa Teo While the home is already furnished with the basics such as a bed, sofa, dining table, and kitchen fixtures, Li Yi still has big plans for the space and estimates that it is only about 60 per cent complete.  She also plans to DIY several elements, including a mosaic-tiled bar counter and a coloured backsplash for the area above her kitchen sink.  Her favourite part of the house so far? It's the kitchen.  "That's where the light streams in during sunset. I wanted to build a little sanctuary there with all my plants in a corner. It's still empty because I haven't really decided on what to do. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do with the space," she said excitedly.  A home, not an asset  While many Singaporeans view their homes as an asset, Li Yi chooses to look at this from another perspective.  "Don't fixate so much on the financial returns of a house. How about seeing it as a place that you go home to every day instead of an asset? Follow your heart a little bit more," she said.  "Because we worry so much about the far future, we are neglecting what we can have now. Of course, I'm not asking people to be reckless, I don't think I bought this house recklessly."  Li Yi also said that there are many things that we can't predict about the future. "I didn't plan to not be married at this time. If I kept having the mindset that I can only buy a house when I get into a relationship but end up not finding a partner, what would I do?  "Just do what feels right at the moment, prudently and not recklessly. I think that is the best."  She added that there is no wrong or right when it comes to finding a home.  "It depends on our priorities. If your priority is on finance and returns on investment, then go ahead and get something else. But I have different priorities."