So I just graduated and started working.
My friends keep complaining about having to pay their tuition fee loans.
I had a scholarship so I don’t face the same problem.
But the thing is they kind of make me feel bad for not having to pay loans. They will say things like I come from a middle/upper income family and so of course I don’t understand.
They spend a lot of money on hair/facial/clothes while I have been saving since year one. Each hair perm/colour is $300-400! And they look fine but they still wanna do facial or buy expensive beauty products to ‘maintain their youth’. I work part time jobs during the semester and keep my daily spending below $10 by only eating caifan and not buying drinks if possible.
Yes you can say I am privileged cause i got a scholarship but I also worked hard for my scholarship. I never took any tuition lessons before, although my parents let me learn the violin. My parents didn’t give me allowance in uni and I paid for things like my driver’s license on my own.
I don’t have a sad backstory but I do have a disciplined approach to my money. Meanwhile my friends spend money on gym memberships (when NTU gym is free!) or non-essential things like diving lessons/expensive 21st birthday parties/too many short overseas trips/dining at expensive places.
Then they come and complain how I am so lucky that wah so good got scholarship then no need loan can buy BTO with boyfriend. And when I tell them that I worked hard to save my money and I work part time jobs in school during the sem/give tuition etc… they just don’t recognise the hard work I’ve put in to save. Both me and my boyfriend wrote out a savings plan on how we would save for our BTO back in Year 2.
But they think I am a ‘privileged elitist’ who can’t understand their problems or am out of touch. I have to prepare for tuition lessons and plan my time properly so that I can also achieve decent grades. I found that one of the best ways to save money was to not stay in hall.
I live in Bedok, it’s not like a live at pioneer. I leave the party at 11 so I don’t have to spend on a taxi and can just take public transport. I spent the time you guys spent drinking/partying in hall on my part time jobs/studying/internships. I do understand that some people come from lower income families, and they become the main breadwinner of their family when they just grad, take on their parent’s debt, pay for their younger sibling’s tuition, some people have mental illness,family relationship problems etc..
To those people, kudos to you guys, dont give up, and all the best! I really respect such people and I know they will go very far in life. My favourite secondary school teacher was one such inspiring person. She taught me that its not about where you start or your past but what you do with the present.
But to my whiny friends who just refuse to put in hard work and save money and instead complain about how life is unfair, how all the good jobs going to international students (please lah these people have first class, speak 3 languages fluently and have lots more on their resume compared to you), I think you guys need to grow up and get your act together. I’m not going to lend you money. You don’t lack money, you just lack discipline.
That being said I think it’s completely fine to splurge on yourself once in awhile, as long as you can afford it and you know what you are doing.