I talk to my Dad sometimes about financial stuff. For fun, I asked what amount people my age should be earning to be considered ‘doing financially well’. In short, what figure is a ‘good income’.
He said RM10-15k a month for single people, and people who have families need more. What.
In this post, I broke down how I spent my RM3500 salary while living in the heart of Kuala Lumpur (PWTC area, to be precise). It remained one of my popular blog posts. I also wrote about the average cost of my meals (RM2.86) and how I managed to rent a master bedroom for RM150.
Some of you know that I moved to Ipoh 6 months ago, more or less. Even though I can’t make direct comparison with current data (1 year vs 6 months), I thought it would be interesting to show the breakdown anyway and how my living expenses have changed. I want to know which lifestyle allows me to save more money – a social worker in KL or a freelance writer in Ipoh.
Enjoy this table, with an analysis whether my spending in particular categories has increased or decreased.
Hands up if you have ever typed anything along these lines in Google Search:
May I just say that the first page of Google results were designed to be there in the first place – someone lovingly crafted an SEO-optimised article, especially for the incoming Malaysian traffic. Oh, Malaysians, especially our generation, will be flocking these articles, desperate for help to counter the rising cost of living.
The articles are likely short and filled with bite-sized information. The advice given are, for better or for worse, generic, and usually ends in ‘yes you too can save money/make extra income with these methods, try it now!’. Then perhaps they will plug in a product or a service.
How do you know if you are receiving good advice or not?
