“Roti kosong dua” (two plain pratta)“Minum?” (drinks?)
“Ais kosong” (plain water)
Those were my regular lunch when I first entered the modern slavery kingdom. Such lunch will cost me RM1.40 and for dinner, I will usually eat at home. I remember having McD for lunch is somewhat a luxury. Very strange indeed because, kind of like a reversal of fortune because going to McD when I was still a student isn’t exactly a luxury. Then it hit me… those days when I can just stretch out my palm and ask for pocket money are gone. When I started working, I actually try to limit my McD lunches to twice a month.
Another thing which sort of irritates me is farewell. I was unfortunate enough to be dragged to a farewell lunch at a somewhat posh restaurant and not only the lunch was expensive; I had to chip in to pay for the meal of the resignee, whom I don’t really know. And consider that I still haven’t got my fist paycheque at that time, imagine my face when I had to pull out 50 bucks from my depleting wallet.
I started with RM1,800 (circa USD520) a month in a firm which ranked 2nd in the international
auditing world. I was given the impression that I am fortunate to be recruited because amongst hundreds who applied, that firm only recruited 4. I was one of them, so I was told. With that salary, I have to pay for my car, pay some to my dad, gave some to my Mom with parking making up the autonomous consumption. On top of that, I was determined to save as much as I can, which explains why McD is a luxury and that RM1.40 meal is my all time favourite lunch.How much I managed to save in my first year of being a modern slave? Approximately RM9,000 (USD2,300). Of course, the overtime claim which the firm paid in cash at that time helped quite a bit.
6 years plus into the modern slavery life, I don’t earn that kind of salary anymore, a little bit more of course. Naturally, I would have been able to save more. Do you think that is the case? Truth be told… I hardly save any. Not that I do not wish to save but somehow, money just finished without me knowing it.
Let’s pause and do a lunch habit comparison. Certainly, McD is no longer a luxury. I did some observation on myself lately and I noticed that I spend an average of RM12 per lunch. That is almost 9-times what I was paying when I was an infant modern slave. Now, the question is, did my salary increase 9-folds? OF COURSE NOT!
I think I am not alone when I say that the more we earn, the less money we seem to be left with in the bank at the end of the month. We are somewhat led to believe that with a little increase in our salary, we can afford so much more but in actual fact, we can't. If we are not careful, we may land ourselves in a 5 figure credit card bills and with your 4 figure salary, you are going to have a very tough time paying it off.
I know many of you will say that our employers are not paying enough and that we are made to work like dogs with a puny salary. That is true, it is a modern slavery world after all. but at the same time, we should also examine ourselves to see whether are we doing our lives any justice. To those who live on a earn-all-spend-all motto. Let me just tell you that
you have not reached a point of your life where you are desperate for cash and … not having them.We don’t need to alter our entire spending habit to make a big difference. Just keep a check on some minor things and it does make a big difference. I am going to start my not spending too lavishly during lunch. What about you?
P/S: My company just blocked our access to blogspot this week. KNNCCB!
79 comments:
My weakness is food. So on your RM1.40 lunch, that had almost never happened to me. I'd rather save on clothing and other luxuries, never food.
Gosh! I'm first. Hah!
Well, money is never enough.
When I'm studying in PJ, I spend approximately RM10 for one day's worth of meal.
Me too! When I started to work in this City my salary only RM1.5K included all allowances. I'll had heavy cheap breakfast and will skipped my lunch. My dinner will be either bread or maggie mee only.
Now, I still did the same thing, just only thing my current working company provide us lunch coupon which is RM3 per day. I still take simple dinner as well, all my saving has gone to my part time studying last time. I only will have 'luxury' lunch or dinner once or twice a month when salary is out.
Life never come easy especially live in this city. Your company blocked blogspot? Damn ciaklat la! Anyway, I don't have internet access in office.
The more we earn, the more we spend... u think it'd help us to 'save' (more) if we keep track of all our expenses? Been meaning to do this but always so lazy...
Waaa... your P/S would be a nightmare! How can?? Die...
I remember my first job after graduate with a salary of RM1k as an admin. clerk, it's still enough but i look for a second job which was RM450.I could save up to RM1k per month (which after that i spent all on travelling). I have to work every single day. Therefore, there's no time for me to spend my money.
When i finally found a real job, and my salary was a bit higher, i couldn't save anything at all. I just don't know why! I didn't buy any clothes or technology stuffs. End of the month, i've to ask some money from my dad!!
Like what they say, money is never enough!
But you spend your lunch an average of RM12 per lunch is indeed much. What you eat lah? When i work, i bring food from home very often..
Many ppl tend to live beyond their means and perhaps you are no exception.
We are attuned to a lavish consumerism lifestyle that we can't detach. How many times do we tell ourselves that we must have that branded this and branded that? As long as we can make out the thin fine line between 'needs' and 'wants', we should be all right.
Frankly, there are a lot of things we don't need.
most people see themselves as having income problems,not expense problems.
You're in the auditing world and I could assume you're those financial savvy people. Hey, you lamenting then the rest of us habis lar? lol
Honestly, I'm no financial guru, but some gurus say cutting back your already moderate lifestyle to save is not a good idea. The solution is to find ways to earn more. lol
During my days as an apprentice for a small software company, I had chicken rice without the chicken! just rice and char siew gravy for lunch everyday! 80 sen niah!
Hey, blogspot blocked in office.. damn!
As about higher income and still lesser money at the end of the month - I know what you're saying. I spent miserable ..absolutely miserable two years after I bought an apartment. The EMI was huge and I would have little left to spend on the weekend. So partying at clubs, going dancing etc. had to be curtailed. Had to actually analyze where I really wanted to spend.. if I really needed the stuff I was picking up.. :|
I'm not working. Just an international student at Perth.
Just to share sth which made me stunned on the spot... A few hours ago, my friend told me that she knows a family with two kids which is able to spend just $80 for one-week grocery. The embarrassing fact is that... as a student that's been here for one semester, I never spent less than $80 for my one-week grocery. I was like... HOW THE HELL IS THAT POSSIBLE FOR THEM?? Well, it's obviously possible. It's just that you'd need to spend some effort to figure it out.
I find myself guilty.
i've worked long enough to realise that the cost of owning a car really drains your finances. paying for the car, petrol and parking and after that, taking a hit on the depreciation.
blogspots been blocked? that's a real bummer. hope the IT people in my office dont get that intelligent.
same thing happened to me.
having easy credit doesn't help the cause either. look at the kids today compared to our parent's generation. most of them are decked out in designer gear and having coffee at coffee bean instead of the traditional kopitiam.
Sigh, how true you are. I'm earning more than I did when I first started out, but with a slightly higher earning power, comes all the extra, e.g. a car, house, etc. I'm only just doing the monthly repayment thingy for my car, and it's already eating me. That does not include the *ahem* occasional shopping, etc. I definitely saved more when I started working than I do now.
About the blogspot ban, dude, get your own dot com! ;)
u used to work in pw of c eh..1800? dear fren i got 2100 gross when i joined early last yr..talk about rm50 increment yearly..
wtf! blocked blogspot!?!! aye
u started off 1.8k 6yrs ago??? that is SO nice..i started off 1.5k less than 2 years ago! >.<
from the day i started working till now i havent saved a single cent, well maybe a few..since you cant withdraw everything in maybank! =P
grrrrr...amcorpmall the cheapest lunch is RM6..for malay chap fan..2 dish only! blegh! mcd is only rm7.50! i'd rather eat mcd!
ArgghhHHhh.... my weakness --> Food too!!!
I spend a lots in this!!
And u know wat..Foods nowadays are so damn expensive!! The price only increase and never decrease wan!! A curry mee with nice bowl can go up to RM5 per bowl!! Normal coffee but adding "Hokkies Style" cost u RM5.90!! Really cannot understand that..
Why we say when we earn more we spend more too?? Things are gettin more expensive too at the same time....I hate to be like this, modern slave!!
My cousin was offered a job last year by an audit firm..local grad..RM1300!! Holy cow..isn't that ridiculous. He went further study instead.
Your company blocked blogspot? hmm...send me an email from my blog. I heard there is a special 'vip pass' to access ;)
First of all, your salary a few years ago started the same (or even more) compared to the younger generation like me (muahahaha, u r old...), but things are only getting more expensive.
Besides, aint you on a diet? Somemore McD twice a month? (And I can guess definitely some other luxurious feasting also :P)
Always do a financial budget and monthly expenses spreedsheet, it helps to keep on track one savings & spendings. And don't own a credit card.
I normally packed lunch from home, that's why people think I am weird (she just came back from China mar). Hey, but I dun wanna be "5 figure credit card bills and 4 figure salary modern slave".
Eating in Mont Kiara/Sri Hartamas is bloody expensive, normally a 2 figure lunch.. aiyo, how can afford to go out for lunch everyday?!?!?
ya, and you can diet whilst saving money. two birds, one stone. order abc, minus the 'c'..or nasi lemak..kosong, without the cucumber and peanuts even. better still, bring a plastic box to dinner tonight...and ta pau all the leftovers. go to nearest 7-11, can heat up for you foc. :-p no need to thank me ah, if you have save hundreds by the end of this month. belanja me japanese sudah boleh. hahaha.
btw, u think u banyak teruk kena banned by your co....kenny seems to be even more teruk. internet access pun tak ada. count your blessings hor, kiddo.
money means food..and vice versa.i dun mind spending more and more on food.
cuz,i cant werk with perut lapar and teringat2 sotong or ayam kat kedai masa lunch tadi!!
and roti canai for lunch? i rather quit my werk.
hehe...but agree with anon,its not about our income..its our expense habit.
uhh...and if my office blocked blogspot..i quit also~! haha
my starting pay RM1.2k (full time job + part time job) for almost 2years now, i don earn a single cent. even b4 this job, i did part time job during my diploma, there r roughly rm500 per month, non of them left in my pocket. all my money will jz gone EVERY SINGLE 1ST WEEK OF THE MONTH!!!!! meaning to say, im only call myself "rich" for every 1st week of the month hahaha....ntg is funny *sigh* sometimes i've to ask help frm mom but i've to pay it back to mom too if i hv jz enough to pay her!!
PATHETIC!! how to survive?? wat i spent??
CAR!!!! this is wat killing me most - installment, maintainance, petrol, parking (this take more than half of my salary)
PTPTN loan, phone bill...die =.=
Oh my! That sounds like me... when I first started working I only earned RM800 and I used to save so much on my lunch I would go to the nearest bakery and buy a bun (RM0.80) bring it back to office and eat with plain water. Then as my salary went up, so did my lunch expenses, and I find that I have little or no savings to speak of! Expenses expand to fill up the amount of salary you earn as a slave, I guess.
Your office banned blogspot? Poor you! Time to get that dot com, I say.
when u convert the salary to USD, i felt like a modern slave. :( btw, can share tip how do you save that much ? my salute to you.
aiyo, after this no blog ar ?
Everyday eat roti canai? Issat how you get your chubby figure? Hehe.
I also started off 1.5k like Kenny. And ended up with very few savings after 5 years of work. I am glad i left that country and working in cheena now. Amount of money that i saved in a year here is more than what i can save for 5 yrs in MY. Also, i can eat luxuriously here everyday. Muahahahaa!
cirnelle - my weakness is food too, but somehow, i managed to do it then. not now though.
day dreamer - including dinner?
Kenny Ng - looks like a lot of us are really trying very hard to survive here. wonder why so many ppl still wanna come here and work. no internet at work??? i think i will resign if that happens.
angel - lazy or just being ignorant? yeah... what a nightmare for me sigh...
Seok Thong - eat local food like char kuey teow la, but colleagues like to go those fany restaurant and not coffeeshop... so damn expensive.
Cocka Doodle - wow... i am absolutely blown away with such serious and non-hamsup comment from u! hahaha... you're right there. we are all blinded into believing that we need a lot of things but in fact, most of them we can do without.
Anon @ 1.59am - that's a very good point. not most but all.
Helen - haha... just look at the comment from anon above... we will only see income as a problem... not expenses. like what cocka said... there are a lot of things we dont need.
adrian - and you add rice too right? i think i have done that before, but with the chicken la.
Rashikaps - oh yeah... committing to a property is no easy feat. it's like your whole life will change when u buy a property. but it's a good investment, better than buying other things.
kexiou - $80 for a week eh? hmmm... you know, when i was in london as a student... i spent less than 10 pounds per week... how about that. and i can still afford to eat rice and vege and chicken drumstick. like u said, it's all about lifestyle. but then again, dont push ourselves too hard.
What A Lulu - car is still ok. a property is a killer! haha... if you're not in a big organisation, i think they wont block blogspot.
flaminglambo - yeah... it's all about looking cool. that' becos they dunno how hard it is to make money on their own. but dont blame them... it's the parents' fault too.
with greater power comes greater responsibility, with greater money if you don't know how to spend it wisely comes freat misery
oh yeah ..
Tine - wait till u get your own house... the electricity and water and astro bill will be a monthly headache. get my own dot com... hahaha... is that really necessary?
Constant craver joe - hahaha... nope, i was formerlly with arrogant assholes. figure that out.
Huei - i always wonder how ppl like u can afford to pay rent and probably car and survive.... i really need to blog about this topic too... haha... eat McD ok... dont buy malay chap fan kakaka....
guaisaujai - what is hokkien style coffee ah? haha! yeah... our income is just not increasing fast enough. but we are also guilty cos we allow our expenses to keep increasing.
whisperingshout - 1300!! i think that's a medium size firm. i have tried all the vip pass... doesnt work. my company's websense damn lan 7 powerful.
Princess Eileen - yea la yea la... on a diet... sigh. dont own a credit card? that's really a no no... besides, it's a good way to control cashflow. as for packing to work... i think i cant do that, i will probably come back and eat... like now... haha
me - eh... nasi lemak very fattening wan la. how to diet like that? yeah... kenny's situation is really a bummer... i think i will resign if that happens.
jorji - nasib baik saya baru makan... kalo tidak, dengar je sotong or ayam... habis. yeah la... expense planning works... all the time.
SuddenlyIDunnoWhoIM - at least you're paying your PTPTN bill... which is a good thing. hahaha... everyone seems to paying for a car... that's why we have such bad traffic jam la.
rinnah - yeah, we allow our expense to increase at a much higher rate than income, that's the whole problem. own dot com... everyone seems to be saying so... really necessary meh.
alan zed - 2 roti kosong and ais kosong lor... haha... really, that's the secret. and i never allow myself to withdraw anything more than 30 bucks a day from the ATM. got blog la...
purple mushroom - yeah la yeah la... if i didnt come back from china... i can also do the same la. that's the thing about living and working here.
cibol - hahahahahaha.... well said my friend. well said!
*sigh* you started at 1.8k, me 1.2k, at that time I need to pay for 2 tolls two-n-fro Puchong-Kepong (RM4 per day), my petrol also jialat... (=_=)" in the end, breakfast and lunch I skip consuming only green tea which the office provided, dinner also seldom... if got also meehoon goreng or nasi goreng in containers from 7-11... (=_=)"
whats new... the regular, 'underpaid and overcharged scenario. The cost of living in M'sia is high! No on seems to be listening. I miss reading your blog ler!!! So susah to online nowadays. ISH!
12 bucks for lunch? -_- *counts mine*
Eh mine also about that lah in PJ! And I am not earning money yet!
No exactly in line with what you are talking about, but just wanted to share this conversation I had with my dad recently...
"You think the rural folks are better off when the gamen give them development? At first they get water from the well or river. They peddle on untarred roads in their bicycle. Night come, they use oil lamps and they sleep early. And they get up early. Life was simple, and cheap.
Gamen start developing the area, clearing forests. Give them electricity, piped water and new roads. Wells and rivers become polluted, can't get free water anymore. They need to start paying for water and electricity. Got electricity, and start buying TVs for entertainment. They are encouraged to buy cars and motorbikes to make use of the new roads. Have to start paying for petrol.
You think their economy has improved? New job opportunities created?? Everything remains status quo.. except for their expenditure. Who gains here??"
Am I going to get you in trouble with OSA with my comment?? Better delete it then!! Wouldn't want the authorities to visit you in the office...
*grim laughter*
i left out a point. i never take lunch wif my salary since i started to work. but i still don save any cent =.=
i either didnt eat or only bun (mom bought frm bakery the nite b4) wif plain water. ppl will still asking me, NOT HUNGRY?? oh well....get use to it n everything will b fine. i found few readers here doing the same s me too =)
Living an independent life is really tough. Food here damn expensive, that I have to cook and pack the leftover for lunch. Mortgage is definitely not helping at all....roti kosong is somewhat a luxury lunch to me. A taste of it is enough to kill already.
warghhh!!! :( why we so sad wannnnn :(
use google reader can or not? www.google.com/reader
My first pay slip is Rm350-00!!!U r correct! U have to made adjustment to ur spending habit & ur living standard! Eg people have 42"lcd tv, me I have 16" colour tv, people use durex,I use hunter etc.What I meant is 'lower' down ur living standard den can save some $$$ for 'rainy' day.Have a nice day!
let's see..i only take two meals a day..jus a little bit curious..wat did u haf for lunch tat costs up till RM 12??a bit exp ler..
McD has been a luxury for me too these days. And all I could save is the 50-cent coins from the change when I pay for things. Now, I've somewhat like RM300++ worth of 50-cent coins, if all of them are genuine money. :-(
Talking about modern slavery - i'm starting to feel the pinch already.
Btw, yeah get ur own .com or .net or .org :p Luckily my company no such restrictions - but as far as i know, nobody blogs here -_-"
HornyAngMoh is correct. To survive we need to make it work with what we earn.
I started with RM350 way back in the 80s. As time went by, I adjusted to pay increase. When I qualified for a credit card, I did not use it for luxuries. It was meant for emergencies. I kept to the rule of "If I cannot pay this by end of the month before the bill arrives (and not touching the savings), I don't charge it".
It was the only way I could keep out of debt and see some savings in the bank. I was never paid overtime although I did overtime to finish my work each day. (slave!)
I am a housewife now but I still have a budget for the home. Put aside savings first and then work around what I have left. Just a pattern I got used to. I am sure everyone finds a way to handle their situations.
No more blogspot in office, huh? Bummer!
hey........yea knn....i had to take leave just to leave a comment into your blog wahahha abit exaggerating here....but neways really blocking our access to the so called 'personal networking sites' boring shiat*
:D I wanted to comment but then I realized something...
blogspot blocked? I just helped Tingtitlei move his blog. Just a suggestion ;)
HAHAHHA BLOGSPOT BLOCKED! reminds me of china so much. try this http://purple-mushroom.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-could-read-blogs.html
andd.. kesian la you. but im sure u earn more than 1800 now right? got side income from nuffnang some more XD
These days my hubby comes home for lunch as he's working not far from home. I told him, so sad lah in France, people only eat sandwich for lunch or go home cook for themselves. I miss my hawker food, the most I spent was RM3.50. Also, women eat less compared to men, so small portion of economy rice enough already. Some economy rice stores have so much choices that you won't feel bored with the dishes. Eating in France is no fun unless you are rich.
Ok guys/gals....The point is straight forward: Spend on what u need not what u want. I have to say this: Since i started working, I have no issues on money before, and i depend on myself. The Key is peanut...I need to repeat it: Spend on what u need not what u want, and everything will be fine. Like me...i bought a second hand proton, 10 years old...still good, no problem. Yes we need a car, but not a new one. We must be smart on spending on what we need. Think about it.....Raymond Y
Calvin's wife - hahaha... that's becos u insist on driving right? public transport tak boleh ka... ok ok ... i am also guilty.
bubbly soda - really so ulu up there meh?
Rabbit - wait till u no longer can ask for pocket money from your daddy... then u will know how it feels like... :P
kat - i think it's a chicken and egg argument. rural area will not have access to clean water, no electricity means you cant go on the net! this would probably means very poor medical assistance. yeah... development does complicates things, but it's a must. as for the cost, that is up to the gamen to do their best to make the economy sustainable... that's their job. whether they are doing it right is another notion altogether.
SuddenlyIDunnoWhoIM - i thoroughly understand how u feel. it's very close to my 2 roti kosong days. u know what? this only shows that a lot of us are really struggling with life... makes us wonder why does all the outstation ppl still wanna rush in.
Doreen - haha... you are a special case cos you're all the way down there. oh... that sounded dodgy. anyway, i am sure the standard of living is better and you dont have to endure 'certain things'.
Winn - can... but cant comment mah.
Hor Ny - hunter... apa tu? hahaha... sounds very fearsome leh... haha... i agree with wat u said there... we really have to do a check on ourselves.
neno - such lunches include going to chicken rice shop and order sharing portion. the we just split the bill. others include going to a medium standard restaurant for a char koey teow which costs about 9.80.... cos got air cond mah. plus drinks and all. well, the problem is... we dont have coffee shop around us. or should i say... it's too far and no many is willing to talk. i do though.
deOughtred - 50cents coins?
narrowband - feeling it eh... this is only the beginning. haha... get my own domain eh. that has been in my thoughts lately. not now though.
JT - that is a very good approach. many still take the same approach... just that it's modified... theirs "if i cannot pay this by year end, i dont charge it"... so...... yeah... bummer!
jaezrel - wahhh... thank you for your support!
Jonny - what do u mean by move his blog?
TTL - ahhh... google reader... yeah, i can use that. but then hor... i cant comment... that's the thing... of cos earn more than 1800 now ler... if still 1800... can die weh, how to get married?
Bee - RM3.50 for an economy rice? Bee.... i think you have been away from malaysia for far too long. or perhaps, you've been away from KL too long. but i understand your predicament. i lived in london once and i know... if you lived to eat... it's a torture.
anon @ 8.23pm aka Raymond Y - brilliantly spoken and i thoroughly agree. also... many a times, we buy things that we dont need to impress ppl that we dont like. sad eh?
u r absolutely right there. b4 i stopped working full-time i hardly saved any (almost zero, frankly)but later when i had a child and worked only occasionally (earning abt a quarter of what i used to get),guess how much i saved??? 100% of it!an impossible feat for me to achieve when i was earning a full-figured salary.
p/s>u're in e&y ka?
Ngek ngek ngek... luckily they just block www.blogger.com but I have found a way to post via email anyway.
Luckily blogspot is still not in hitlist... I pray...
You said it right. The more we earn, the more we spend, the lesser we save.
I am not as thrifty as you though. I didn't save that much but it was enough to pay downpayment for my modest car during the first 2 years I work. I was a little of a wander lust. I spent most of my money on air tickets and holidays.
Seeing that I couldn't save - I almost landed myself in some credit card debts which I swear, it would never happen again (all due to too much drinking and partying), I bought myself huge insurance - for retirement and illnesses. So I guess at least.. money won't just deplete for nothing. At least I am secure when I am old.
Lucky those who lives on residual income and not needing to work their arse off most of the time....
Careful zewt, august-sept (and maybe towards aidilftri) is megasale carnival time.
Too frugal not good, too spendthrift also not good. I came across some program on the telly recently saying that many of the rich parents are careful with their expenditures but their kids are the total opposite and they opt for luxury living.
My blog access wasnt that smooth yesterday at the office that i had to go to google and clicked blogger icon there. Today i reckon back to normal.
Wow. Blogspot also blocked.
I had like..20 entries to read through to this post. So many things I had missed out!
I never have a perm job oo.. when i was kanak-kanak time.. earning 150-250 a week is normal, Then coll days..working for SB and exhibitions getting 1-1.5k a months is easy. But now being in a corporate world.. my pay is miserable unstable!!
what my ahma say is true.. "Lang tan lua jui, pun eh khai lua jui eh" - poeple spends as much as they earn.
sooi2 - 100%... impossible! EY... after the merger.
freethinker - hitlist?
anigma - oh yeah... a few years back... my clubbing lifestyle sucked me dry... but it was a phase which i enjoyed. old and secure huh... happy for u. i wonder who will be the lucky guy.
Manal - hahaha... there is a chinese saying... "lo dau jan chin jai heong fook"... which means father works to make money, children gets to spend them lavishly.
twisted heel - take your time, i am sure it's worth it! :P
-=Sin=- - i think ppl spend more than they earn... much much more. kanak kanak? woooaahh...
Yeah, RM10 for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
hi zewt,
hmmm.. RM1.8k a mth for ur 1st job is quite a comfortable amt.. prolly cos u a r graduate. i actually started wit RM800 at my 1st job and until today (i jz only broke the 1.5k barrier at my last job) i don hv any savings...
lunch and breakfast a day set me back RM10 a day and parking was RM3 (previous company) no toll so yea was thankful for dat. there was a huge variety of food u can get @ menara tm and sometimes (wen i'm really broke) i'd spilt a plate of nasi goreng kampung + telur dadar with my colleague which costs us RM 3.50 (inclusive of drink) but still no savings...
i jz started at the new job and the distance (as opposed toi BU - Menara TM - BU but now it's BU - TPM - BU) is really killing me... one full tank only lasts me 5days now (a week before) plus the toll is RM 3.20 a day (add another RM2.20 if i'm running late which is normally d case)... parking is RM50 a mth (apparently claimable but i hvn't submitted it in so don't know how far dat's tru)...
i agree with j or ji dat it's our expenses. back wen i was earning RM800 i cud get by... but now earning almost 270% more i still jz get by... n u'll sit n wonder how the hell u survived on less den RM1.5k cos ur cost of living jz increases with your pay... yea main culprit is credit cards... n car expenses...
plan to clear dat then try n save... god, u'd think a person working in finance shud know better...
owh... n i forgot, now cos of the toll n distance... not to mention the sucky food @ tpm (u hv to drive out to OUG for decent food which incurred more petrol)... i now bring my own bfast, lunch and sometimes dinner (if i plan to go to the gym straight after work)...
hopefully dis way my pay will stretch further... and i'll lose weight... owh... not forgetting the ciggies too which hv increased but so far hv been able to avoid buying any big packs since the increase cos my current company hv loads of staff overseas so i jz bug those who don't smoke to buy me a carton (which last me 3-4weeks) so it's like cheaper by half... which reminds me, i need to bug someone to buy me another carton... hahahaha.
sometimes the longer we work, the more we tend to say "it's ok to spend this much now, since next time, I'll still be getting my salary, and then, I won't splurge anymore"
but most of the time, that doesn't happen. we still spend the exact same amount, and tell ourselves the same thing over and over again... -_-"
Awww.. I don't want to go into the working world!!! =(
Haha.. Maybe they found out you were blogging too much hence the blocking! =P
I was supposed to type great misery, NOT freat .. darn these keyboards .. yeah yeah .. blame it on the keyboard, typical malaysian
I agree. When I was a student I would think 10 times before taking a cab. As a working person, I'd just hail a cab coz it's more convenient and I can afford it. That's the mentality... "I can afford it." What is RM10? Or even RM20? I catch myself thinking, "Aiyah, it's not that much what..."
I live without plastic. I gave up my credit cards three years ago after getting into some trouble. Can't handle it, better not have it.
Btw I read on two blogs recently that their companies had blocked Xanga at work. And yours has just blocked Blogspot. What is this, a nationwide crackdown? I also know for a fact that at least one company has specifically blocked my blog!
day dreamer - wow... that's not too bad for PJ. coffee shop all the time i guess.
aSstHa - i think one of the main culprit is car... but then again, we all know too well that having a car is a must these days. but if we are willing to take that away... we can actually save a lot. also... if you're a smoker... that's another way to cut down.
water angel - yup.... it's a fact that we are the one who blinds ourselves... cant run away with it.
princess shin - you still have long way to go la. the states await u... yeah... must be me and all those who reads my blog in the office :P i received a few mails from ppl in the office telling me they cant access my blog.
cibol - bro... maturity... admit to your mistake... keke...
sunflower - yeah... like i said. we bling ourselves. we thought that few hundred of increment means we can now have afford this and that and those and these... wow.. which company specifically block u?
hohoho....
tell me abt it. i used to think that the cheapest lunch i'll get was the RM2.40 which was two nasi lemak packets.
in the end, that is causing me a lot of misery and i have to torture myself at the gym to get rid of the old nasi lemak fats stored.
yeap, keep track of what you spend but don't be a stinge. you won't be very fun to hang out with. ;-)
working in kl these days, i tend to spend a lot more on food than i used to. however, i don't go out as often and that gives me a zero sum. hehe...
Zewt: Haha I tell you through email...
Angie Tan - well... we need to eat anyway. but i guess sometime, we tend to pamper ourselves... a lil too much.
Sunflower - sure
Can't wait to tell you MY starting salary when I work in a govt. hospital :P
Anyway, I totally rasa your pain about having to fork out money for a farewell dinner. I remember I purposely ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, while everyone else ordered expensive steaks & the like. Mana tahu, they ended up splitting the bill EQUALLY between everybody! Where got fair, right?? I may have looked like a cheapskate, but I never regretted never going out with that lot for dinner ever again.
My first pay were RM750 and that is abt 12years ago. After deduction, I only take home 600++. After that, I make things to sell to gain extra pocket money. Costume jewels lar, cakes and cookies. Even, when I have become a full time housewife, I do my budget too. Every Sat, I will make a list what to cook for the following week. Then, from here I can calculate whether I will overspend or not. My hubby never put a limit there but I just don't want to spend on unneccesary things. However, me and my hubby spend most on food..........
Sheena - oh yeah... i remember that too. there was once in the UK... celebrate one of our uni-mate's bday. me and my ex ordered the cheapest in the menu only to pay so much more. i feel your pain too.
erinalaw - hahaha... food is something which we cant just resist. hey... if u can make cakes and sell...maybe u can make that into a business!
I also make cakes, cookies and bread for selling but upon order only. Now I am so busy preparing for mooncake festival. I am making them............... and it's going to be with special filling
Wah...I wish my starting salary as infant slave was like yours at least...hmmpphh! Hehe...
I think the first (well, one of the first) things I'm gonna eat when I'm back is roti canai!! no good ones here. not that I could find anyway.
farewells are so frequent in my co, it's scary. then again, maybe it's the industry that's famed for the high turnover. farewell "do's" are usually drinks at the pub at night, and the boss picks up the tab... we is cheapskates! LOL!
but yeah, saving is hard. I tapau lunch at least 3 times a week to save $$... *sigh*
erinalaw - wow... that's good. moon cakes? i remember yu ming bakes quite a lot too.
mar - come to KL and be a slave to the big 4... startin pay now is 2200 i heard.
may - i know tah pau from home is quite common in aussie. not here though. if i ever live there in aussie, i will probably do the same... tah pau i mean... :)
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