Every year, I would eagerly accept the pocket money from my gf’s parents and relatives during the Chinese New Year, never really thinking about the long-term consequences of my actions.
But now, as the date of our wedding draws nearer, I can’t help but feel a sense of panic.
I know that when I marry my girlfriend, I will be expected to give her family red packets of equal or greater value, as is customary in Chinese culture.
This thought fills me with a sense of dread, as I know all too well that I have been gathering far more red packets from them than I can ever give back.
It’s not that I’m stingy but I don’t earn that much.
Over the years, they have given me so much ang bao during the CNY period and in a way indirectly telling me that when I marry my gf, I need to give back more.
I’m sure they understand that I don’t earn much, but I’m still scared that they will expect me to give back more than I can.
I’m not sure what I should do. I know that I need to start saving up so that I can give them back when the time comes, but I’m not sure if that will be enough.
I don’t want to disappoint my future in-laws, but at the same time, I’m afraid of not being able to give back enough.