How much are you earning per annum?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

By givinig up your car, you will save a lot on parking, maintenance and petrol. At least 1-2k a month.

Alas, not having a car is not an option, face saving issue. Being highly regarded in my family circle, to own a car is a big thing. My dear wife would rather starve than not owning a car. Yes, this sounds ridiculous but we are what society expects you to be. My younger relatives have cars. Sad to say, but this is true. If only I live in a jungle with just my family, then we don't need a condo, car and all. Now I am trying to cut on things which are not socially visible. Cutting on eating out, buying cheap groceries, cutting on rich foods, etc are ways which we are targeting at. Society don't see this. I must say my family and friends circle are really shallow people. And I unfortunately reluctantly go with the flow.

I think the 120K person is speaking tongue in cheek and commenting on the fact that 120 K is not adequate to support the lifestyle and "image" of the Singaporean. This I agree with. Cars, Clothes and Fine Dining are not for the ordinary income.So the grocery commentary is only expounding the ridiculousness of keeping up with the local image. This life is difficult, I struggled throughout my life caring for my family and my parents who could never make it. Whatever I earned I told my family it belonged to all of us, so that my mum would never feel like I was giving her charity. I do not own a car, I make do with what I have. I never desired to show others I am better than them, my desire has always been to try and make as many people as I could feel a sense of dignity, regardless of their economic status. I understand the concept of "face" in this society, but really struggle to understand how intelligent people can succumb to this pressure. Having said that I must apologise to the multitude of kind people who go unnoticed through their daily endeavours to improve the lives of others. I pray that one day this sense of justice, equality and fairness will override the ridiculous need to show one's wealth.

guess i am the lowest paid in this thread. taking into my 13th and less than 1 mth PB, i would be earning 45000. i have a degree fr local uni and working in admin(education) sector but not in the management level though. i prefer a less-stressed job therefore its my own choice not to take up mgt role. but i do feel shortchanged despite the fact tat i have 12 yrs of working experience yet earning this amt only as an executive. now i am in the midlife crisis. want to change job yet feel companies will not pay me to do an executive job.

i started saving since my 1st temp job, at least 30% of my pay. never owe a car, which its a hardest decision yet mos right for me. coz i can use this $1.5k-$2k to buy shares to get yearly dividends. holidays wise, i travel within burget to neighbourhood countries wen i was single. i seldom travel anyway until i have a family.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

There are many high income earners in Singapore. My friends and I are in our 30s and we all earn about $500k pa. Not surprising why condo prices continue to go higher.

to be honest, this is quite low, i used to earn that when i was in my late twenties...
my friends and i now mostly earn a couple of millions.... whoever earns the most during the year, the christmas party is on that person!!

Another example of the local culture

Originally Posted by Unregistered

guess i am the lowest paid in this thread. taking into my 13th and less than 1 mth PB, i would be earning 45000. i have a degree fr local uni and working in admin(education) sector but not in the management level though. i prefer a less-stressed job therefore its my own choice not to take up mgt role. but i do feel shortchanged despite the fact tat i have 12 yrs of working experience yet earning this amt only as an executive. now i am in the midlife crisis. want to change job yet feel companies will not pay me to do an executive job.

i started saving since my 1st temp job, at least 30% of my pay. never owe a car, which its a hardest decision yet mos right for me. coz i can use this $1.5k-$2k to buy shares to get yearly dividends. holidays wise, i travel within burget to neighbourhood countries wen i was single. i seldom travel anyway until i have a family.

Earning $45k pa is not bad, looking at the bright side, you can get many grants when buying BTO flat. you can qualify for rebates and your kids can get financial aid. on a net basis, a person earning $70k pa may be in the same financial situation as you as he may not qualify for all the financial perks. being low income has got its priveleges.

er...but i cannot apply for any grant because my spouse is also working and earning more than twice my pay

but ironically i have 6-figure savings inclusing golds and shares, considering my pay is very low. i really spent moderately when i was single and working.

Like that, you are very lucky then to have a rich wife. So no need to complain. Respect your wife for accepting you even though you're earning so much lesser. Not many good women like her nowadays. Count your blessings.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

er...but i cannot apply for any grant because my spouse is also working and earning more than twice my pay

but ironically i have 6-figure savings inclusing golds and shares, considering my pay is very low. i really spent moderately when i was single and working.

my spouse is a man

Originally Posted by Unregistered

my spouse is a man

Ha ha ha ... You sounded like a guy. You should be a tai tai then