7 Life hacks to save time and money in Dubai and a Special EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT from El Grocer for MyBayut readers!

The word that is most often associated with life in Dubai is ‘luxurious’, but another one that constantly crops up in conversation is ‘busy’. The busy roads, the busy metro, the busy work environment, the busy days at home; the list goes on. Is there a way to save time and money and make your life easier in Dubai? Absolutely! If you have been asking yourself how to save money in Dubai and get more time for yourself and your family, we have some insightful tips for you. Check out these life hacks in Dubai that will definitely help you organise your time and money in a more effective way. To help you do this straight away, we also have a special discount code, courtesy of leading grocery delivery app El Grocer, exclusively available for MyBayut readers!

1. Save time and money by grocery shopping online in Dubai

Did you know that a research by the Time Use Institute showed that people spend an average of over 45 minutes on every visit to the supermarket? The study also shows that in a year, people spend over 61 hours on just buying grocery! That’s more than two whole days! We can all agree that saving time on this one task alone, will definitely help us accommodate other productive activities during the day. 

There are plenty of supermarkets in Dubai to get your grocery shopping done. But what we don’t realise when we pop into the large supermarkets, is that we end up buying a lot of things we don’t really need and spending a lot of time just perusing all the products. 

Shopping for groceries online is one of the useful life hacks in Dubai to help you avoid being tempted by flashy marketing and buying something you will never use, or buying in bulk unnecessarily. Online grocery delivery is much more straightforward; you stick to the list, add them to your cart, and check out immediately. For an easy-to-use online grocery service, check out El Grocer a hyper-local digitalised grocery delivery network, which has tied up with leading supermarkets in the UAE including Union Co-Operative and Aswaaq, to bring essentials to your doorstep in just 60-minutes! 

Use this life hack and avail of El Grocer’s special discount coupon for MyBayut readers to save even more money on online grocery shopping. Download the El Grocer App on Apple or Android phones or check out their website to use this special discount! 

Enter the code MYBAYUT at checkout and get the AED 50 discount on your total purchase amount. 

Take note of the following conditions attached to the discount code: 

• Available on a minimum purchase of AED 100, and cannot be split over multiple orders
• Available on all chosen stores except for Select Market in Abu Dhabi. 
• Can be used only once per user.

2. Get a Nol Card to travel more efficiently in Dubai

One of the first pieces of advice you will be given by expat friends when you move to Dubai, will most likely be to get the NOL card. This is a card used to get around Dubai using the metro and buses. Even if you don’t travel by metro, this card will definitely come in handy, as you can use it to pay your parking fees, and never have to worry about having spare change to feed the parking meters. The NOL card can also be used at Zoom stores at metro and petrol stations, for entry to popular public parks in Dubai and even pay taxi fares. If you are using the metro you can avail of the many different types of passes to save money on travel in Dubai. 

3. Get your E-Gate registration done

If you are a frequent traveller, this is one of the life hacks in Dubai that will certainly help you save a lot of time. You can use this service and fast-track your way through immigration. This can be done at the airport itself or the Dnata (Jebel Ali) and the General Directorate Of Residency and Foreigners Affairs office. It basically allows you to use the e-gates to get out of the Dubai airport without spending ages in the queues. Make sure to carry your emirates-ID with you for this and once you do this registration, you can access the e-gates as long as you are a resident of the UAE. 

4. Download all relevant government apps

There are several government apps in Dubai that you should download and use to save both time and money. The most popular amongst these are mPay (a one-stop platform to pay all your utility bills including DEWA, Etisalat, Salik, Nol recharges and more), Wojhati (RTA app to figure out how to get around Dubai using public transportation), the Dubai Police App (to register minor accidents), mParking (to pay for your parking), and the Ejari app to look into your rental contract registration on the Ejari system. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open as the Dubai Smart Government initiative comes up with more and more user-friendly apps to help people in Dubai. 

5. Check out Google Maps to assess traffic

One of the things that people waste a lot of time on in Dubai is navigating through the dense traffic in the city. Optimise your travel time by using Google Maps to see which is the most efficient route, and see what times are more favourable when it comes to travelling to and from work. If leaving from work is going to save you an hour’s wait in traffic, this will obviously be the better choice. To live your life more efficiently using technology, check out these others apps for residents in Dubai to enhance life in the emirate. 

6. Use coupons and offers to save more money in Dubai

One of the useful life hacks in Dubai to save more money is to bring out the coupons and flash your discount apps for cracking deals at retail outlets, restaurants and other leisure destinations. Most credit cards in Dubai come with special offers, so do your research before the weekend spending begins to take a toll on the savings! 

7. Live as close to the kids’ schools and your office as possible

Staying close to the places you frequently visit is a sure-shot way to save money in Dubai and also get more time for yourself. When you are renting property in Dubai, use Bayut’s interactive map feature to gauge the distance to your office, the kid’s schools, the closest pharmacies and any other places that you may have to visit often. This may not always be possible if different members of the family need to travel to different areas in Dubai. In that case, choose to live in areas near the Dubai Metro, as this can also save time and money. If your priority is to stay close to the children’s schools, check out the best residential areas near schools in Dubai. 

There you have it! The 7 easy life hacks in Dubai that will help you save both time and money! Don’t forget to use the special discount code, MYBAYUT for a discount of AED 50 for purchases over AED 100 on El Grocer and take a step towards building more cost-effective solutions to living in Dubai. 

To create more time to spend with family and friends in the emirate, check out our post on the top 5 apps to make life easier in Dubai! 

Do you have any other innovative hacks to make life easier in Dubai? Let us know in the comments section below and stay tuned to MyBayut for more insightful information on life in the UAE!

Disclaimer: T&Cs apply for the discount code.