Can a family in Singapore live on 800 dollars a month?
-
UncleLim:
I would think it is possible to \"get by\" with that kind of income. But that is it. Getting by means not having the resources to help your kids get ahead other than what the school offers them.
I agreed!!! -
Yes can get by, but no buffers for emergencies, especially medical emergencies.
-
From reading this thread the poor families seem to receive many helps! Good to know they are not left to fend for themselves, as many views expressed in the Internet seem to suggest that very little are done to help the poor.
-
Yes there are many financial aids available for the poor. Problem is they do not know about it and to be able to apply for these aids, they need to have a decent command of English just to fill in the forms. A lot of these people find it daunting when they see that one condition of them receiving these aids is for them to be gainfully employed or actively seeking employment. And most aids function on a co-payment mode meaning funding will be given but not 100%, applicants must pay a portion themselves.
Those with social workers working with them will be able to get as much help as they need but there will be many who fall through the cracks. And there are those who abuse it.
I have helped a single mother of 3 young kids apply for childcare subsidy from 3 sources, CFAC, Sinda and Mendaki. And I referred her to a social worker who promptly helped her find a job but unfortunately, the mother complained that the place was too far and the pay was too low and quit within a day. Through the job placement agency she got another job. But after 1 week she accused the supervisor of sexually harrassing her and demanded compensation. She pulled her kids out of the childcare and actually demanded the childcare give her the deposit that was paid to the centre via all the fundings.
Sorry, OT liao. -
I believe you can definitely get by be it $800 ot $1000 a month if
you are not too sick to work, willing to rough it out and skimp on the
very basic food shelter and air - no luxury at all maybe at best a
mobile phone for the bread winner so he can work in these days.
If the heart is willing there will be a way out in all situation. -
NO
-
With financial aids, it is possible. But there will be NO life. No room for any mis-spending. Life will still be HARD!
-
Surviving with $800 for a family of four is a challenge especially when everything is so expensive now. Every cent of it will be spent on the daily essentials and i doubt there will be any left to be saved for rainy days. :moneyflies:
-
I don’t think $800 is enough. Not even barely enough. In the 70s/80s where living standards were much lower, my late parents’ combined income was already a struggle for our family of 6.
-
hokkiengirl:
My family of 3 who does not use air-conditioning is getting a monthly bill of more than S$90.00!!!Do you think a family of 4 (for example, a couple with two kids, one pre-schooler and one in primary school) can get by on 800 dollars a month, assuming that CPF has already been deducted? I hope this does not become a political topic; that is not the point of the question. Rather, I'm hoping for fellow forum-ers to share the best cost-saving methods for food, utilities, education, leisure, etc, and to see if it really is possible to live on 800 bucks.
I'm going to assume certain things: that only one parent is working while the other one stays at home, or the family unit comprises a single parent with two children and the kids need to go to childcare / student-care. I'll deduct 50 as allowance to parents, another 50 for medical bills and 100 for the breadwinner's transportation costs. So that leaves 600 as cash in hand. Fair? This is up for discussion and tweaking, too!
I'll start the ball rolling.
1) Don't use air-conditioning; utilities should be around 70?
2) Entertainment equals free-to-air tv and the radio.
3) Meals are home-cooked. (how much would the family spend you think?)
What say you?
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login
