Singaporeans have not been unaffected as economic storms hit the United States, Europe and parts of Asia.
The Sunday Times looks at how, slowly but surely, the financial crisis is affecting the way people live, work, eat, shop, play and do business here.
EAT
Corporate customers go for cheaper wines, no-frills meals
Restaurants may still be crowded but the tills are not ringing as merrily as before.
Customers have become more cautious with their spending since the financial slowdown, said restaurants, and the hardest hit are those which depend on corporate clients.
At Vietnamese restaurant Viet Lang at the DBS Arts House, where the majority of customers are white-collar workers from the Central Business District, earnings have dipped 15 per cent since the financial turmoil in the United States.
Job-seekers in finance sector finding it tough
Miss Hanees Mohamad has been sending out an average of 20 resumes daily since she graduated two months ago.
She has heard from fewer than 10 companies so far.
'I'm getting frustrated. I didn't think it would be this difficult to get a job,' said Miss Haness, 24, a management graduate of the Singapore Institute of Management.
Other recent graduates like her are having a tough time too.
Adapting to tight cashflow, dip in sales
With limited resources and a tight cashflow, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) work harder in tough times.
The Sunday Times spoke to SMEs in the retail, food and beverage and manufacturing sectors, with most saying they are feeling the financial turmoil's impact.
A spokesman for general contractor Hamid and Sons said she had seen a 20 per cent drop in walk-in customers this month.
Financial slowdown may ease construction costs
The financial slowdown may actually spell good news for the construction industry.
Mr Simon Lee, executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association, said the downturn will most likely stabilise the cost of construction materials.
He noted how prices of materials had escalated tremendously in recent times and far exceeded their estimated cost during the tender stage of projects.
Top-end brands 'recession resilient'
While most people cut back on the good stuff during bad times, the rich still have money to spend.
That is why high-end luxury brands like Cartier are not worried over the economic gloom.
Cartier, a French jeweller and watchmaker, continues to enjoy high levels of sales despite the economic downturn.
Fewer party-goers - and they spend less
Who is in the mood to party?
Nightspots say they are starting to feel shaken.
A Sunday Times check with 10 nightclubs and bars found that most, if not all, are seeing a slowdown.
