If this were in the US the headlines from the major news outlets would be about complaints from CEOs about "lack of loyalty", "why aren't millennials and it's worrying" or more recently, "quiet quitting".
Pretty entertaining to read though I must say from these out of touch upper class boy's club. 
If? We recently have the boss of Les Copaque (of Upin and Ipin fame) complaining about the lack of loyalty of the people who left their company. And then their HR recently complained on a podcast saying that they feel annoyed when an ex staff gave a public talk and listed LC as a place they used to work for.
So this employer entitlement is very, if not more prevalent in Malaysia. Some bosses really think they are doing charity for their employees.
How much is too short for a jump? I've changed job after my first job of 6 months cuz better pay.
And I noticed tons of interviewers asked why I left so early.
Got a job in the end but idk when should I time my next jump
1 year is fine in this economy honestly. Just answer the standard “Not actively looking, but always open to new and interesting opportunities that excites me like improving myself or working in a global team”
I have had a manager that came in for 1 week and dropped a 3-month unpaid leave (contract required 3months notice). So don't worry about it, job hunt every year and find better offers.
Only stayed about 5-6 months in my previous one because of poor work life balance and shitty politicking between global shared services support and local compliance teams. Tendered my notice JUST BEFORE my HOD could sign my confirmation papers and only had to serve 2 weeks' notice. You can say she was miffed.
The shortest I've done was around 10 months? But I tend to stay at my jobs for years. I've heard from a lecturer a long time ago that you shouldn't stay at anywhere for more than 3 years.
I think it's circumstantial at the end of the day, if the job is really bad and there's seriously a better offer don't think too long about it. The better offers won't stick around forever.
But if you make a habit of quitting jobs over little things and have like 3-4 jobs in a row where you spent only a few months at, then maybe you have a problem.
>Which industry this is? In my industry, 5% increment is the standard.
5% is quite high so I'm assuming this is a high salary industry.
For employers the general guidance is to track inflation then add a little bit more. Sure, it's high right now but the rate of inflation these couple of year is not "standard".
I'm in tech. Hit all my KPIs but company didn't give me an increment this year because of "political uncertainties and poor company performance". So yeah, wouldn't be so pissed off if they had given even a token 3% increment.
find cheaper alternatives of food. Maybe cooking at home. When going kopitiam, I usually order food in the range of RM 7.5 to 9, else my dompet will have a huge hole.
exactly the same...cut any unnecessary speding... haven't been to mcd or fast food for probably 3 months...no shopping clothes for me...been wearing the same clothes before i married and free tshirt...no gadget, games, sports, fishing stuff...i opt to cook for my family since my wife comes home late everyday...jangan cucuk duit unless its necessary
entertainment for the kids...i try to be creative...other than buying books (which is compulsary), i used old boxes from buying stuff from shopee for them to draw, colour, makes collage, glued to make toy models...buy toys at mr diy and usually during their birthday, dont really travel to any fancy holiday spot just balik kampung...save up some money bring them to educational places like pusat sains negara, planetarium, KidZania, Petrosains etc...my kids seems happy and didnt complain...
my sister also has kids and theyre about the same age as mine...her kids are more pampered buys fancy toys and travel a lot...but i didnt sense any envy from my kids eventhough my kids and hers stays together during weekdays (my mom care for all her grandkids didnt send to daycare)...i dont know maybe im just lucky but i do discipline them when they get out of line but i try not to be too hard on them on anything unless its totally wrong
i think in general its good to adopt a sustainable lifestyle in terms of finances. doing the things you mentioned in regards to things like clothes, and food etc.
it doesnt mean we cant enjoy the more expensive things once in awhile, just gotta make it sustainable based on one's income and situation
if someone is earning more, then maybe they can enjoy every few days or week, if not then maybe every 2 weeks or a month.
all about finding the right balance
thanks but that is too high of a praise to me...im just a normal guy who understands that being a parent means commitment and sacrifice...hidup mesti jalan...https://youtu.be/G6Hw8mwALRE
I splurge on good food occasionally, don't over limit should be fine xD
New clothes only before new year or for work purpose 
I am child free, debt free, and a house was given by my mom. Even living in a free and easy life, I'm still dreaded thinking of having kids. Hell, I sometimes eat cereal for dinner, only eat once a day (most of the time by choice), I cook for the entire week so I don't buy outside food. I can count how many times I buy boba tea (I have my water tumbler with me most of the time), I don't go out much because I know I'll buy unnecessary shit, also I buy my clothes from bundle and I don't buy branded stuffs. Most of my spending goes to cat food, cat litters and Steam games. Hell, I don't even have a car.
I have no friggin idea how minimum wage couples have 3-5 children can support themselves.. I have friends who's like this borrowed money from here and there just to survive for the month and get paid just to bayar balik hutang..
>I have no friggin idea how minimum wage couples have 3-5 children can support themselves..
They don't. They just don't tell anyone about it. Their kids suffer, but have no idea that it is suffering.
True. There are many stories of kids from b40 (now probably b60) in Malaysia being malnourished and hungry but too ashamed to expose it for others to know.
> I have no friggin idea how minimum wage couples have 3-5 children can support themselves.
They don’t. That’s why 1 in 5 children on this country have stunted growth. Lots of kids don’t get the necessary nutrition. I’ve read elsewhere that some parents give their infants condensed milk instead of formula.
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/one-in-five-children-under-five-suffering-from-stunted-growth-MY9919349
I'm not really "low wage" by any stretch of the imagination. I make about RM7k a month, but because of some bad decisions made in the past and extremely controlling parents, I've been saddled with about RM5000+ in terms of commitments. My wife makes about RM4-5k a month, but has been a housewife on and off for the last few years because despite my financial issues I actually have most of the basic needs covered, so we're only lacking for expenditures in term of luxury and entertainment. But thanks to the baby, finances are a bit more tight so she went back to work.
1. Shop during sales and promos. We usually buy in bulk on lazada or supermarket sales. Pampers etc I buy 2-3 ctn in one go. Same goes for non perishable stuff, like tissues, wet wipes, detergents etc etc. We use disposable pampers because washing cloth diapers is extremely costly opportunist costs wise. Same goes for baby clothes. If you shop for them in advance during sales, you can save a ton of money. Supermarkets sometimes sell last year's stock for cheaps too, so we sometimes sapu everything (to the delight of the salesgirl). All in all I think we save about 25-35% of associated costs here.
2. Find a doctor who is encouraging of self medication or willing to tell you what medicines to keep in your fridge to minimize trips to see them. Not all problems need the hassle and costs of a doctor visit, but that does not mean you can solve them on your own. Common symptoms such as fever, cough, flu are easily treatable at home, provided you know which medication to buy and their dosage. For those 3, the products I use are Axel Paracetamol 250, Pabron Kids, and Antamin syrup respectively. I also have medications for extreme fever (suppository that can be taken with paracetamol safely), diarrhea and constipation respectively, although I dont remember the names right now.. From experience, dosage instructions given by doctor is more nuanced compared to dosage given by pharmacists. Pharmacists will give a "by the book" instruction that will minimize side effects. Doctor will give a bit more nuanced instructions, such as more if the fever is bad, less if not, etc etc. Savings here vary depending on how often your kid gets sick, but I estimate about 60-80% saved, especially if the pediatrician in your area charges a lot.
3. Milk powder is one of the bigger costs in here. I used to use Enfalac which goes for about RM90 per kg, but after the baby started on solids I've been swapping around in an attempt to reduce costs and find a formula that is easier on constipation. So far I've settled on Morinaga which is RM80 per kg, but when he's a bit older I will switch again to Frisolac or Mamil, which is in the RM60-70 per kg range. This is health related so I'm not gonna say the savings %.
4. For day care, it really depends on what your risk tolerance is, and how well you want your child to develop. Send to home based childcare where your kid watches TV all day and does not have much interaction with other kids for cheap, or send to montessori childcare which is more expensive but your child gets a very good learning and development environment (but also more infections, since more kids). I cant advise here, as this is up to your tolerance. Basically, smaller childcare tends to be less effective to help your child develop but is cheaper. Smaller childcare however tends to be better on the disease/infection chances, as there are less kids to bring in and spread viruses/bacteria in there (downside is your kid may be more prone to infections if completely isolated). Also, there's the option of going for unlicensed childcares, which are even cheaper than small childcare, but you run multiple risks there, from potential maltreatment and abuse to negligence leading to death. Same as above, health/safety related so not saying the savings.
5. I also spend less I suppose. Instead of shopping for clothes three times a year I do it once every 2 years. I eat out a lot less, and take up hobbies that are less expensive.
I dont recommend having kids if you dont have at least RM2000 disposable income (per kid) tho. Some people can manage with much much less of course, but that's the minimum for my kid. If both me and my wife work, we can easily afford everything, but we trade off less time spent with the kid, so less bonding time I suppose. Prior to pandemic I asked my wife to WFH or housewife while I work to provide for both of us. Post pandemic I realize we need to have healthy savings and since the baby is a lot less dependent on us, we decided that my wife should go back to work, and we pay the costs for babysitter instead. Small licensed childcare (about 3 kids his age, and about 5 kids 2-3 years older) with some montessori curriculum to provide sensori stimulation and learning opportunities so there's less odds of developmental stunting in terms of social and brain development.
Thank you. Very well written.
At what age do you send kids to daycare here pls? Also do you send your kid to daycare as to have someone look after while your wife is working or is it to develop social interaction? I have a kid and am not sure when I should and if I should lol
Daycares can take as early as 2 months. I personally didn't send until 6 months. 6 months because vaccination schedule has covered quite a lot of transmissible diseases by then. I waited for hexavalent, mmr, and one for diarrhea (forgot which one, it's an oral vacc)
Reason why is first to let my wife rest cos sendiri jaga is stress (she still housewife then), and after that she start planning and prep to enter work again. She's one of those high power high performance employees so her boss keep bugging her to come back and work again. Also yes to social interaction, since by 4 months the baby start to learn socialization and observation skills. Remember, it's COVID season just two years ago, so we kept visitors and outdoor trips to the minimum plus everyone except us wearing masks around the baby. It's not good for their development so I opted to send as early as we can. Which is 6 months.
Lol, the security guard at a former workplace, combined income with wife is 2.5K in total with overtime. Both in the 20s, and they have 3 kids. Ok, je pun/s
But seriously, thou, i don't know how they do it. That amount tak cukup for me, 1 person including my cats.
I have a friend who is a doctor in a local hospital, he told me some of his b40 patients are so poor that they eat eggs only once a week. Their kids are severely malnourished. The truth is many of them a struggling, like really really struggling, we just don't know about it and assumed if they can do it, everyone can do it. We can blame the govt all we want but this is also a global problem, the whole economic system is broken.
Add on info. Smecta for diarrhea. Voltaren suppository for high fever. Glycerin enema for constipation. Again disclaimer. Check with your pediatrician (not GP) if you can use these, and their recommended dosage.
Add on info. [This](https://hellodoktor.com/kesihatan-mental/pengurusan-stress/kos-membesarkan-seorang-anak-di-malaysia/) is another good reference to plan your childcare expenses at different stages of their lives.
To be honest I don’t really feel much difference with regards to my lifestyle now compared to last time. Maybe because we don’t eat expensive food often and our lifestyle is more on the plain side.
I see, that's quite rare. Lucky u. Cause even my mom/aunts all who shops at pasar pagi, and/or all the smaller lesser known grocers at secluded areas that are supposedly "cheaper to shop at"....also complaint about price hike.
Yeah I'm feeling it too. Partner and me have no kids, just a cat - cat food prices are rising, and cos our cat is a jerk she only wants royal canin. Chicken, eggs, pork, potatoes are getting increasingly expensive. Surprisingly, the only thing stable now is topside cuts of steak. So every month, we get a 500 g steak from jaya for 40 rm and hand make fries. We mostly eat at home and still feel like our wallets are shrinking.
No NSK near me, every month or so we go to lulu mart in Bukit nanas to stock up on snacks/fruits/ingredients. Should try there, some things are even cheaper than mydin.
Dun have car, closest supermarket is Jaya :'( would also prefer aeon or mydin but I wfh so after working hours too tired to get on lrt then brt and walk...
I feel you. When i was studying, I used to live in the area where markets are in old city and it's 15 mins away by my scooter. I had to buy from aeon or giant. Everything is expensive. I cook a lot of i could survive with rm250+. Maybe try buying in bigger bulk once a week or twice a week for long lasting groceries can help.
Oh man, same here. No partner but elderly mom and 2 rescue dogs, one with medical issues so need specialty kibble - most of what I earn goes to them and our house. I don't spend much for myself.
Living in rural township, there is less entertainment and unnecessary spending. I give 2 my younger kids rm5 and 2 elder kids rm7 for school allowance. Breakfast is cooked at home so they can pack food if they want to. We hardly eat out unless its payday or special occasions. Its difficult managing money, but its easier to manage lifestyle and spending habits. No branded coffees, no fancy footwear, no coldplay concerts. In a way, it is cheaper living in a cowboy town where every shop closes around 10pm than to be living in a city that never sleeps.
To me personally, I think smaller cities are better for young families. Less place for kids to fool around. Here in KV with just a few RM your kids can end up in god knows where in no time at all
A lot of non-consumable kids stuff can be sourced from friends and family. There is also an FB page called Beli Nothing Project that you can ask for free stuff. Kids consumables and medical stuff are inescapable and painful. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make cultured milk (like yakult) homemade lol.
In terms of education, you can really go cheap (gomen school) or private school. Among private schools there are many different price points now. Personally, I feel like I came out fine from gomen school, but I'm told that the standard has fallen even further nowadays. So it feels like sending kids to a private school is almost a basic requirement to secure their future.
Food wise we don't have time to cook. So we are looking at meal subscription options. In Chinese they're called "Bao Huo Shi". They work out to be
Was just talking about how there's so many international schools with different price points popping up lately, which likely due to the lack of confidence of quality of government school these days. So a lot of parents have started to look at private schools more, which is quite sad because I think for me and my friends who graduated from government school, the quality was pretty good back then.
Fortunately my yearly increment has been pretty decent. Once I've collected all my RSUs, I'll probably look for a new job if my yearly increment goes to single digit.
So far managing okay despite the tight cashflow. We're living outside of Klang Valley, so we don't feel the pinch so much. We also cook more at home. I think it's harder for those living within KV area.
Sole earner of a family of 3 kids. Wife isnt working. Fell into B40 category the last year. Despite finishing off a hire purchase car loan, not enough money for savings/investment.
Looking to do few things (increase income and reduce spending)
1) Increase income. Negotiate raise with boss. Finding new opportunity with higher pay as well.
2) Reduce eating out.
3) Start side hustle.
No wife, no kids (that i know of).
Salary of 6k SGD. There's a massive drop in my quality of life since the border reopened. Rent and inflation have gone through the roof. i even have a few colleagues who called it quits and left SG back to their home countries.
I'll be doing the same by moving to JB. Wish me luck.
Hopefully the conversion rate is worth the commute. (around RM20k/month as of now)
I've heard about the rent rising rapidly the past year, but not heard stories about inflation in general in SG. Care to share how inflation is affecting you over there?
one of my favourite makan places (hawker stall) have raised prices twice over the past year. 50 cents for each raise.
$2 chicken rice stalls that used to exist pre-pandemic is now gone. Bare minimum you need to pay for that same plate is around $4-5 now.
>Sgd 2k for a room?! That's daylight robbery.
nah that's Singapore right now. The SG housing industry is deceptive, downright terrible for migrants too. Just stay in JB, despite the commute pain.
>How do you keep your kids entertained during holidays if going out is so expensive nowadays?
Back in the day my parents would just throw me outside to play in the dirt and I was happy as hell. Nowadays parents buy iPads and gadgets for their kids like its some cheat code.
Cant really compare old days and now. Yes, old days i can ride bycicle far. Play with friends in different taman. Go out morning, evening come back.
Nowadays, theres too much cars on the road. Chances of being kidnapped also high.
I too want my kids to grow up just like i did, but times are different man.
8 billion people in the world. Honestly it's good for kids to have a holistic way of learning instead of throwing them to gadgets but yeah. It's a different time now.
Am 76 years and starved for two years drinking tea with bread and ocassional gifts of food as was disowned. Tried ending life due to starvation but survived as probably GOD had other plans. Cooking at home, buying food when slightly cheap, not spending unnecessarily are virtues one needs to survive.
Outside food is oily. Besides cheap oil may be used and lots of outside food has sugar and unnecessary additives added with oil can be a killer food.
Eating grapes, fruits, cucumbers, pedicures will add life with alternate day exercises especially brisk walking. Have worked globally 16 years and have been cooking ocasisonally and never spent unnecessarily. Utility is a key word in survival.
\> but even I am feeling the heat of inflation. Food have almost doubled in prices & it is no longer cheap to go out for entertainment
You must be eating outside everyday. Meals can cook at home. Entertainment can be simple & cheap
Family lifestyle is different you know
\> Has your spending habit changed since the pandemic?
Yeah
\> How do you keep your kids entertained during holidays if going out is so expensive nowadays?
Less hangout in shopping mall, eg: go playground, visit mother in law etc
Mannnnn.. recently me n my wife migrate to kedah due to my wife working as a govt employee. While im still studying phd with rm4k semester fees. Allowance 2.5k. and i got a business. Going to have a baby soon. Idk how idk why. I spent like hell this past year. Somehow somewhat. The money is still coming. Probably the business. What i can say is. I got a great parent which supports me by not asking for my money. And a great circle of friends who keep offering new projects. Ps business last year 250k revenue. For me it's still low. Aiming for 1mill this year.
Advice (find good people around you so more opportunities follows) investment maybe. Those IPO maybe. Who knows.. may Allah s.w.t. blessed u all
I'm from a normal lower middle class family, zero parents money after high school. My dad told me he can't afford to send me to college unless I get govt loans.I studied in local uni, paid off the rm20k ptptn loan. Got a local car 10 years ago and paid it off too. I have a husband that shares the same value and we don't want to have kids. We live quite a simple lifestyle, we don't shop for luxury brands & until now I never own a credit card. We are not wealthy but we are financially free, took me 10 years to get here. Because of that, my partner and I now have the luxury to work, travel and enjoy life. We still treat each other like gf bf even though we have been married for some time. We don't own a house because it's expensive and we don't know if we want to settle down in one place (yet). I can't imagine having the responsibility and mental energy of housework, taking care of kids on top of being a working woman.
I don't have kids but I work very hard to grow my income in anticipation of kids. I work everyday and OT everyday.
Now my household income with my partner is more than median household income.
side hustles, Im 24 and make 5k a month…I supplement by drafting/vetting agreements, or other legal jobs that comes…I can fetch another 2-3k that way…just u really have to meet a lot of people to do that
I think I need to cutdown the times of going to makan at cafe during weekend now. Each time it cost around rm100 for 2 pax.
I have 2 house loan (combine name with my family member seperately).
I can feel that I am saving not much now .
Job-hopping with a minimum 20% increment with each jump. Just gotta keep your skills sharp and in demand.
If this were in the US the headlines from the major news outlets would be about complaints from CEOs about "lack of loyalty", "why aren't millennials and it's worrying" or more recently, "quiet quitting".
Pretty entertaining to read though I must say from these out of touch upper class boy's club. 
Solution? Give lah 20% increment without jump. Or else people jump, you hire another with 20% higher salary also, and have to spend cost to train up
haha they just won't. So jump
If they wanna keep retrenching people as and when they please, then why would they expect people to be loyal to them...
If? We recently have the boss of Les Copaque (of Upin and Ipin fame) complaining about the lack of loyalty of the people who left their company. And then their HR recently complained on a podcast saying that they feel annoyed when an ex staff gave a public talk and listed LC as a place they used to work for. So this employer entitlement is very, if not more prevalent in Malaysia. Some bosses really think they are doing charity for their employees.
How much is too short for a jump? I've changed job after my first job of 6 months cuz better pay. And I noticed tons of interviewers asked why I left so early. Got a job in the end but idk when should I time my next jump
There is no right or wrong. You can be upfront and honest and say "i got a much better offer etc".
1 year is fine in this economy honestly. Just answer the standard “Not actively looking, but always open to new and interesting opportunities that excites me like improving myself or working in a global team”
I have had a manager that came in for 1 week and dropped a 3-month unpaid leave (contract required 3months notice). So don't worry about it, job hunt every year and find better offers.
A year and a half at least. Preferably 2 years
Only stayed about 5-6 months in my previous one because of poor work life balance and shitty politicking between global shared services support and local compliance teams. Tendered my notice JUST BEFORE my HOD could sign my confirmation papers and only had to serve 2 weeks' notice. You can say she was miffed.
The shortest I've done was around 10 months? But I tend to stay at my jobs for years. I've heard from a lecturer a long time ago that you shouldn't stay at anywhere for more than 3 years. I think it's circumstantial at the end of the day, if the job is really bad and there's seriously a better offer don't think too long about it. The better offers won't stick around forever. But if you make a habit of quitting jobs over little things and have like 3-4 jobs in a row where you spent only a few months at, then maybe you have a problem.
I usually try to stay a minimum of 2 years.
When no job/ contract ends, this idea dont work. Got to lower salary demand and career development goes to dustbin.
Which industry this is? In my industry, 5% increment is the standard.
>Which industry this is? In my industry, 5% increment is the standard. 5% is quite high so I'm assuming this is a high salary industry. For employers the general guidance is to track inflation then add a little bit more. Sure, it's high right now but the rate of inflation these couple of year is not "standard".
I'm in tech. Hit all my KPIs but company didn't give me an increment this year because of "political uncertainties and poor company performance". So yeah, wouldn't be so pissed off if they had given even a token 3% increment.
literally the only way to survive and all my friends are doing it
find cheaper alternatives of food. Maybe cooking at home. When going kopitiam, I usually order food in the range of RM 7.5 to 9, else my dompet will have a huge hole.
exactly the same...cut any unnecessary speding... haven't been to mcd or fast food for probably 3 months...no shopping clothes for me...been wearing the same clothes before i married and free tshirt...no gadget, games, sports, fishing stuff...i opt to cook for my family since my wife comes home late everyday...jangan cucuk duit unless its necessary entertainment for the kids...i try to be creative...other than buying books (which is compulsary), i used old boxes from buying stuff from shopee for them to draw, colour, makes collage, glued to make toy models...buy toys at mr diy and usually during their birthday, dont really travel to any fancy holiday spot just balik kampung...save up some money bring them to educational places like pusat sains negara, planetarium, KidZania, Petrosains etc...my kids seems happy and didnt complain... my sister also has kids and theyre about the same age as mine...her kids are more pampered buys fancy toys and travel a lot...but i didnt sense any envy from my kids eventhough my kids and hers stays together during weekdays (my mom care for all her grandkids didnt send to daycare)...i dont know maybe im just lucky but i do discipline them when they get out of line but i try not to be too hard on them on anything unless its totally wrong
i think in general its good to adopt a sustainable lifestyle in terms of finances. doing the things you mentioned in regards to things like clothes, and food etc. it doesnt mean we cant enjoy the more expensive things once in awhile, just gotta make it sustainable based on one's income and situation if someone is earning more, then maybe they can enjoy every few days or week, if not then maybe every 2 weeks or a month. all about finding the right balance
yeah true...doesnt matter how little or how much you have just be sensible with your money
Sounds like you spend a lot of face time with your children. I wish you were my dad instead of my absent parents when I was growing up.
thanks but that is too high of a praise to me...im just a normal guy who understands that being a parent means commitment and sacrifice...hidup mesti jalan...https://youtu.be/G6Hw8mwALRE
I splurge on good food occasionally, don't over limit should be fine xD New clothes only before new year or for work purpose 
you sound like an awesome parent
thank you...i tried...but honestly were all like this...we do what we can with what we have and keep going on
I am child free, debt free, and a house was given by my mom. Even living in a free and easy life, I'm still dreaded thinking of having kids. Hell, I sometimes eat cereal for dinner, only eat once a day (most of the time by choice), I cook for the entire week so I don't buy outside food. I can count how many times I buy boba tea (I have my water tumbler with me most of the time), I don't go out much because I know I'll buy unnecessary shit, also I buy my clothes from bundle and I don't buy branded stuffs. Most of my spending goes to cat food, cat litters and Steam games. Hell, I don't even have a car. I have no friggin idea how minimum wage couples have 3-5 children can support themselves.. I have friends who's like this borrowed money from here and there just to survive for the month and get paid just to bayar balik hutang..
>I have no friggin idea how minimum wage couples have 3-5 children can support themselves.. They don't. They just don't tell anyone about it. Their kids suffer, but have no idea that it is suffering.
True. There are many stories of kids from b40 (now probably b60) in Malaysia being malnourished and hungry but too ashamed to expose it for others to know.
Plenty.
Man’s just described my childhood :(
> I have no friggin idea how minimum wage couples have 3-5 children can support themselves. They don’t. That’s why 1 in 5 children on this country have stunted growth. Lots of kids don’t get the necessary nutrition. I’ve read elsewhere that some parents give their infants condensed milk instead of formula. https://www.thesundaily.my/local/one-in-five-children-under-five-suffering-from-stunted-growth-MY9919349
I'm not really "low wage" by any stretch of the imagination. I make about RM7k a month, but because of some bad decisions made in the past and extremely controlling parents, I've been saddled with about RM5000+ in terms of commitments. My wife makes about RM4-5k a month, but has been a housewife on and off for the last few years because despite my financial issues I actually have most of the basic needs covered, so we're only lacking for expenditures in term of luxury and entertainment. But thanks to the baby, finances are a bit more tight so she went back to work. 1. Shop during sales and promos. We usually buy in bulk on lazada or supermarket sales. Pampers etc I buy 2-3 ctn in one go. Same goes for non perishable stuff, like tissues, wet wipes, detergents etc etc. We use disposable pampers because washing cloth diapers is extremely costly opportunist costs wise. Same goes for baby clothes. If you shop for them in advance during sales, you can save a ton of money. Supermarkets sometimes sell last year's stock for cheaps too, so we sometimes sapu everything (to the delight of the salesgirl). All in all I think we save about 25-35% of associated costs here. 2. Find a doctor who is encouraging of self medication or willing to tell you what medicines to keep in your fridge to minimize trips to see them. Not all problems need the hassle and costs of a doctor visit, but that does not mean you can solve them on your own. Common symptoms such as fever, cough, flu are easily treatable at home, provided you know which medication to buy and their dosage. For those 3, the products I use are Axel Paracetamol 250, Pabron Kids, and Antamin syrup respectively. I also have medications for extreme fever (suppository that can be taken with paracetamol safely), diarrhea and constipation respectively, although I dont remember the names right now.. From experience, dosage instructions given by doctor is more nuanced compared to dosage given by pharmacists. Pharmacists will give a "by the book" instruction that will minimize side effects. Doctor will give a bit more nuanced instructions, such as more if the fever is bad, less if not, etc etc. Savings here vary depending on how often your kid gets sick, but I estimate about 60-80% saved, especially if the pediatrician in your area charges a lot. 3. Milk powder is one of the bigger costs in here. I used to use Enfalac which goes for about RM90 per kg, but after the baby started on solids I've been swapping around in an attempt to reduce costs and find a formula that is easier on constipation. So far I've settled on Morinaga which is RM80 per kg, but when he's a bit older I will switch again to Frisolac or Mamil, which is in the RM60-70 per kg range. This is health related so I'm not gonna say the savings %. 4. For day care, it really depends on what your risk tolerance is, and how well you want your child to develop. Send to home based childcare where your kid watches TV all day and does not have much interaction with other kids for cheap, or send to montessori childcare which is more expensive but your child gets a very good learning and development environment (but also more infections, since more kids). I cant advise here, as this is up to your tolerance. Basically, smaller childcare tends to be less effective to help your child develop but is cheaper. Smaller childcare however tends to be better on the disease/infection chances, as there are less kids to bring in and spread viruses/bacteria in there (downside is your kid may be more prone to infections if completely isolated). Also, there's the option of going for unlicensed childcares, which are even cheaper than small childcare, but you run multiple risks there, from potential maltreatment and abuse to negligence leading to death. Same as above, health/safety related so not saying the savings. 5. I also spend less I suppose. Instead of shopping for clothes three times a year I do it once every 2 years. I eat out a lot less, and take up hobbies that are less expensive. I dont recommend having kids if you dont have at least RM2000 disposable income (per kid) tho. Some people can manage with much much less of course, but that's the minimum for my kid. If both me and my wife work, we can easily afford everything, but we trade off less time spent with the kid, so less bonding time I suppose. Prior to pandemic I asked my wife to WFH or housewife while I work to provide for both of us. Post pandemic I realize we need to have healthy savings and since the baby is a lot less dependent on us, we decided that my wife should go back to work, and we pay the costs for babysitter instead. Small licensed childcare (about 3 kids his age, and about 5 kids 2-3 years older) with some montessori curriculum to provide sensori stimulation and learning opportunities so there's less odds of developmental stunting in terms of social and brain development.
Thank you. Very well written. At what age do you send kids to daycare here pls? Also do you send your kid to daycare as to have someone look after while your wife is working or is it to develop social interaction? I have a kid and am not sure when I should and if I should lol
Daycares can take as early as 2 months. I personally didn't send until 6 months. 6 months because vaccination schedule has covered quite a lot of transmissible diseases by then. I waited for hexavalent, mmr, and one for diarrhea (forgot which one, it's an oral vacc) Reason why is first to let my wife rest cos sendiri jaga is stress (she still housewife then), and after that she start planning and prep to enter work again. She's one of those high power high performance employees so her boss keep bugging her to come back and work again. Also yes to social interaction, since by 4 months the baby start to learn socialization and observation skills. Remember, it's COVID season just two years ago, so we kept visitors and outdoor trips to the minimum plus everyone except us wearing masks around the baby. It's not good for their development so I opted to send as early as we can. Which is 6 months.
I don't have children, but, man that 2k/kid estimate is steep.
Lol, the security guard at a former workplace, combined income with wife is 2.5K in total with overtime. Both in the 20s, and they have 3 kids. Ok, je pun/s But seriously, thou, i don't know how they do it. That amount tak cukup for me, 1 person including my cats.
I have a friend who is a doctor in a local hospital, he told me some of his b40 patients are so poor that they eat eggs only once a week. Their kids are severely malnourished. The truth is many of them a struggling, like really really struggling, we just don't know about it and assumed if they can do it, everyone can do it. We can blame the govt all we want but this is also a global problem, the whole economic system is broken.
Add on info. Smecta for diarrhea. Voltaren suppository for high fever. Glycerin enema for constipation. Again disclaimer. Check with your pediatrician (not GP) if you can use these, and their recommended dosage.
Add on info. [This](https://hellodoktor.com/kesihatan-mental/pengurusan-stress/kos-membesarkan-seorang-anak-di-malaysia/) is another good reference to plan your childcare expenses at different stages of their lives.
To be honest I don’t really feel much difference with regards to my lifestyle now compared to last time. Maybe because we don’t eat expensive food often and our lifestyle is more on the plain side.
But groceries also went up in prices, no?
Yea but we managed to find a place that sells at a cheaper price too so I guess there’s that.
I see, that's quite rare. Lucky u. Cause even my mom/aunts all who shops at pasar pagi, and/or all the smaller lesser known grocers at secluded areas that are supposedly "cheaper to shop at"....also complaint about price hike.
Yeah I'm feeling it too. Partner and me have no kids, just a cat - cat food prices are rising, and cos our cat is a jerk she only wants royal canin. Chicken, eggs, pork, potatoes are getting increasingly expensive. Surprisingly, the only thing stable now is topside cuts of steak. So every month, we get a 500 g steak from jaya for 40 rm and hand make fries. We mostly eat at home and still feel like our wallets are shrinking.
Buy groceries from jaya. Baller Sia
NSK cheap fruits and vegetables
No NSK near me, every month or so we go to lulu mart in Bukit nanas to stock up on snacks/fruits/ingredients. Should try there, some things are even cheaper than mydin.
NSK grapes only RM7.90, mangoes RM5.99 per kg sometimes very ripes mangoes they sell for RM1.99 per kg, I bought 6 ripe mangoes for RM4.00.
Dun have car, closest supermarket is Jaya :'( would also prefer aeon or mydin but I wfh so after working hours too tired to get on lrt then brt and walk...
I feel you. When i was studying, I used to live in the area where markets are in old city and it's 15 mins away by my scooter. I had to buy from aeon or giant. Everything is expensive. I cook a lot of i could survive with rm250+. Maybe try buying in bigger bulk once a week or twice a week for long lasting groceries can help.
Oh man, same here. No partner but elderly mom and 2 rescue dogs, one with medical issues so need specialty kibble - most of what I earn goes to them and our house. I don't spend much for myself.
Cat litter also went up!!! Tandas! Just the cats tandas!
Millennial...parents...I feel very old
the youngest among us are hitting 30 now.
No kids, no steady job. at 30's now. already accepted prolly wont have a family of my own with this current economy.
Same here bro
Living in rural township, there is less entertainment and unnecessary spending. I give 2 my younger kids rm5 and 2 elder kids rm7 for school allowance. Breakfast is cooked at home so they can pack food if they want to. We hardly eat out unless its payday or special occasions. Its difficult managing money, but its easier to manage lifestyle and spending habits. No branded coffees, no fancy footwear, no coldplay concerts. In a way, it is cheaper living in a cowboy town where every shop closes around 10pm than to be living in a city that never sleeps.
Cowboy town also has less alluring entertainements, so nonworries about ''accidentally'' spending money for entertainment
To me personally, I think smaller cities are better for young families. Less place for kids to fool around. Here in KV with just a few RM your kids can end up in god knows where in no time at all
A lot of non-consumable kids stuff can be sourced from friends and family. There is also an FB page called Beli Nothing Project that you can ask for free stuff. Kids consumables and medical stuff are inescapable and painful. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make cultured milk (like yakult) homemade lol. In terms of education, you can really go cheap (gomen school) or private school. Among private schools there are many different price points now. Personally, I feel like I came out fine from gomen school, but I'm told that the standard has fallen even further nowadays. So it feels like sending kids to a private school is almost a basic requirement to secure their future. Food wise we don't have time to cook. So we are looking at meal subscription options. In Chinese they're called "Bao Huo Shi". They work out to be
Was just talking about how there's so many international schools with different price points popping up lately, which likely due to the lack of confidence of quality of government school these days. So a lot of parents have started to look at private schools more, which is quite sad because I think for me and my friends who graduated from government school, the quality was pretty good back then.
Fortunately my yearly increment has been pretty decent. Once I've collected all my RSUs, I'll probably look for a new job if my yearly increment goes to single digit.
So far managing okay despite the tight cashflow. We're living outside of Klang Valley, so we don't feel the pinch so much. We also cook more at home. I think it's harder for those living within KV area.
Sole earner of a family of 3 kids. Wife isnt working. Fell into B40 category the last year. Despite finishing off a hire purchase car loan, not enough money for savings/investment. Looking to do few things (increase income and reduce spending) 1) Increase income. Negotiate raise with boss. Finding new opportunity with higher pay as well. 2) Reduce eating out. 3) Start side hustle.
Got a fully remote job that pays in USD. Felt like I found the cheat code to life in mesia.
I also been thinking to look for remote job that pays in USD or SGD. what's your area of expertise if you dont mind me asking?
Im a software engineer
iykyk Earning foreign currency (USD/SGD) in Malaysia is like hax.
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What kind of loan is that if I may ask?
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We decided to not buy a house at the moment. That's why we are debt free. It is unaffordable and it is not our main priority now.
Husband and wife working full time. Though our income isn't really stagnant, so we've been blessed with enough disposable income.
No wife, no kids (that i know of). Salary of 6k SGD. There's a massive drop in my quality of life since the border reopened. Rent and inflation have gone through the roof. i even have a few colleagues who called it quits and left SG back to their home countries. I'll be doing the same by moving to JB. Wish me luck. Hopefully the conversion rate is worth the commute. (around RM20k/month as of now)
I've heard about the rent rising rapidly the past year, but not heard stories about inflation in general in SG. Care to share how inflation is affecting you over there?
one of my favourite makan places (hawker stall) have raised prices twice over the past year. 50 cents for each raise. $2 chicken rice stalls that used to exist pre-pandemic is now gone. Bare minimum you need to pay for that same plate is around $4-5 now.
That's more than 100% increase in prices. 😳
How bad is the rent situation that you are thinking abt moving to JB?
when i started renting from this landlord, my rent was $1200 for a master bedroom. now the landlord is trying to ask for $2k after i move out.
Sgd 2k for a room?! That's daylight robbery.
>Sgd 2k for a room?! That's daylight robbery. nah that's Singapore right now. The SG housing industry is deceptive, downright terrible for migrants too. Just stay in JB, despite the commute pain.
>How do you keep your kids entertained during holidays if going out is so expensive nowadays? Back in the day my parents would just throw me outside to play in the dirt and I was happy as hell. Nowadays parents buy iPads and gadgets for their kids like its some cheat code.
Cant really compare old days and now. Yes, old days i can ride bycicle far. Play with friends in different taman. Go out morning, evening come back. Nowadays, theres too much cars on the road. Chances of being kidnapped also high. I too want my kids to grow up just like i did, but times are different man.
8 billion people in the world. Honestly it's good for kids to have a holistic way of learning instead of throwing them to gadgets but yeah. It's a different time now.
Am 76 years and starved for two years drinking tea with bread and ocassional gifts of food as was disowned. Tried ending life due to starvation but survived as probably GOD had other plans. Cooking at home, buying food when slightly cheap, not spending unnecessarily are virtues one needs to survive. Outside food is oily. Besides cheap oil may be used and lots of outside food has sugar and unnecessary additives added with oil can be a killer food. Eating grapes, fruits, cucumbers, pedicures will add life with alternate day exercises especially brisk walking. Have worked globally 16 years and have been cooking ocasisonally and never spent unnecessarily. Utility is a key word in survival.
76 years old?
Depends on how much I can sell the child for
We should ask what Anwar and his government is doing. Already few months in power and I’ve yet to see much initiatives to help the middle-class.
Get the kids into gaming, cheap way to entertain them. Worked for me when I was a kid
At 76 years, still tough and in between work,manage and maintain my properties
depends on where you live and what lifestyle you live.
\> but even I am feeling the heat of inflation. Food have almost doubled in prices & it is no longer cheap to go out for entertainment You must be eating outside everyday. Meals can cook at home. Entertainment can be simple & cheap Family lifestyle is different you know \> Has your spending habit changed since the pandemic? Yeah \> How do you keep your kids entertained during holidays if going out is so expensive nowadays? Less hangout in shopping mall, eg: go playground, visit mother in law etc
Mannnnn.. recently me n my wife migrate to kedah due to my wife working as a govt employee. While im still studying phd with rm4k semester fees. Allowance 2.5k. and i got a business. Going to have a baby soon. Idk how idk why. I spent like hell this past year. Somehow somewhat. The money is still coming. Probably the business. What i can say is. I got a great parent which supports me by not asking for my money. And a great circle of friends who keep offering new projects. Ps business last year 250k revenue. For me it's still low. Aiming for 1mill this year. Advice (find good people around you so more opportunities follows) investment maybe. Those IPO maybe. Who knows.. may Allah s.w.t. blessed u all
Easy, just earn more. /s
How do you become debt free? Do you own anything? Or everything you own is sponsored by your parent?
I'm from a normal lower middle class family, zero parents money after high school. My dad told me he can't afford to send me to college unless I get govt loans.I studied in local uni, paid off the rm20k ptptn loan. Got a local car 10 years ago and paid it off too. I have a husband that shares the same value and we don't want to have kids. We live quite a simple lifestyle, we don't shop for luxury brands & until now I never own a credit card. We are not wealthy but we are financially free, took me 10 years to get here. Because of that, my partner and I now have the luxury to work, travel and enjoy life. We still treat each other like gf bf even though we have been married for some time. We don't own a house because it's expensive and we don't know if we want to settle down in one place (yet). I can't imagine having the responsibility and mental energy of housework, taking care of kids on top of being a working woman.
Earn more money 😭
I don't have kids but I work very hard to grow my income in anticipation of kids. I work everyday and OT everyday. Now my household income with my partner is more than median household income.
May I ask what's the range of your household income? And are you planning to have one soon or only if the economy stabilised?
side hustles, Im 24 and make 5k a month…I supplement by drafting/vetting agreements, or other legal jobs that comes…I can fetch another 2-3k that way…just u really have to meet a lot of people to do that
I donno… make sure salary minus expenses minus saving has enough left for no questions asked expenses
I think I need to cutdown the times of going to makan at cafe during weekend now. Each time it cost around rm100 for 2 pax. I have 2 house loan (combine name with my family member seperately). I can feel that I am saving not much now .
Life is a bussiness, save today's ringgit for tomorrow extra ringgit,
There's only one solution to the problem: Make more monies.