Going to Orchard Road A LUXURY for Bedok family
TEENAGE KIDS
Walk to school (15 mins away), go to Orchard Road only twice a year during school holidays
HOUSEWIFE MUM
Meets friends only at coffee shops near home, avoids taking transport
CARPENTER DAD
Bulk of family's transport budget goes to him. Travels to work on motorcycle, spends $50-$60 monthly on petrol
By Genevieve Jiang
February 27, 2008
THEY have never gone on a family holiday. Shopping for clothes is a once-a-year indulgence.
And even going to Orchard Road is a rare luxury, happening only when their two teenage children have their school holidays.
Every cent counts for Mrs Lim Siew Houng, 45, a housewife, who has to run the household with her husband's average monthly income of $750.
Yet this family, which manages to save about $100 a month, is not complaining.
Going for cheaper options and living frugally is how the Lims are coping with the rising cost of living.
They also depend on financial aid from the children's school, Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), and welfare organisation Family Life Centre.
The school now provides free textbooks, while the CDAC gives them Popular Book Store vouchers to buy assessment books, for both children. Last year, it gave each child $30.
The family also received a one-off payment of $800 from the Family Life Centre after the school recommended them to sign up for help ast year.
Mrs Lim said in Mandarin: 'With increased GST (Goods and Services Tax), and the increase in electricity bills, we definitely feel the pinch.
'But we just have to make it a point to continue scrimping to get by.'
Her husband, Mr Lim Cheun Cheong, 47, is a carpenter who runs his own business. Income fluctuates monthly, according to how many customers he gets.
On good months, he can earn as much as $1,600. But there are months when he takes home less than $400.
Mr Lim said: 'About two to three years ago, my business was very poor, and on average, I took home about $500 a month. It was common for me to get money from my siblings, who would give me a few hundred dollars.
'These days, business is a bit better and I'm able to stand on my own two feet.'
The increase in income, Mrs Lim said, does not make much of a difference to their lifestyle.
More than half of Mr Lim's pay - $500 - goes to paying for the family's four-room flat in Bedok North every month. He spends $50 to $60 a month on petrol getting around on his motorcycle for work.
Mrs Lim's 14-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son do not get a daily allowance. She prepares food for them to take to school every day.
The children walk to and from Bedok Green Secondary School - a 15-minute journey from home.
This year, the children get a waiver on school fees.
Mrs Lim spends her days either at home, or with friends within the Bedok neighbourhood, which does not require her to take public transport.
And the children are allowed outings to other parts of Singapore only once or twice during the school holidays.
$10 TOP-UP
Each child has an ez-link card, which MrsLim tops up once every two to three months by $10.
The family doesn't go shopping, except during Chinese New Year, when each person is allowed a new set of clothes and shoes, spending about $200 in total. As for daily grocery shopping, Mrs Lim makes it a point to compare prices among supermarkets and wet markets in the area to make sure she gets the best bargains.
She said: 'I always choose the cheapest brands, whether it's eggs, noodles, bread or milk.'
In all, she keeps to a shoestring budget of between $120 and $150 a month on groceries and other necessities.
The family might most likely qualify for the Workfare Bonus, which was introduced in May 2006 to be given to low-wage workers.
Workfare doles out a sum - in cash and into Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts - to Singaporeans above 40 years old who earn below $1,500, and who have been working for at least six months.
The Lims were not aware of such a scheme, and did not apply.
In Parliament yesterday, a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) raised this issue.
MP Zainudin Nordin said: 'Recent estimates showed that only 9,000 out of 112,000 people who qualify for Workfare have signed up. This means we are not yet helping 92 out of every 100 people who deserve help.'
Last month, The Straits Times reported that two factors - having to top up their Medisave accounts and the lack of information about the scheme - are preventing a large pool of low-wage workers from getting on the Workfare Income Supplement scheme.
WHERE'S THE BIRTHDAY BOY?
Mr Zainudin said: 'Imagine spending weeks planning the perfect surprise birthday party but the birthday boy didn't show up. Why? Because you forgot to send his invitation card.
'Or maybe you did send it to him, but in a language he couldn't understand. It ends up that the one person you went to great lengths to plan the party for, cannot appreciate your effort. Wouldn't you have gone a mile to prevent this from happening? It should be the same in the CPF case.' (See report at right.)
Even after we told the Lims about the Workfare scheme, they still thought the scheme was too 'complicated' for them to sign on.
However, they will definitely get some money from the Government, who announced Growth Dividends for all Singaporeans during the Budget statement on 15 Feb.
Based on Mr Lim's current income and housing type, he's likely to get $300.
His two children will also get a total top-up of $1,200 in their Post-Secondary Education Accounts.
The Lims do not have any health insurance.
Being self-employed, Mr Lim doesn't have CPF savings. Mrs Lim declined to reveal how much personal savings they have.
Mr Lim said: 'We are lucky that we are all healthy, and don't have to see the doctor so far.
'But if any one of us were to be ill, I don't know how we're going to survive.'
- Additional reporting by Swan Tan
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YESTERDAY
We saw how 3-room flat family cope with rising cost of living
TODAY
We find out how 4-room flat family survive on $750 monthly
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4-room family earns and spends...
INCOME
Then and Now:
No change, between $400 and $1,600 a month
HELP THEY GET
CDAC
Then: $20 transport, $20 NTUC voucher, $30 popular voucher, and $27 transport for elder child
Now: $160 transport ($80 for each child), $10 NTUC voucher, $60 popular voucher
Family Life Centre: $800
GST credits: $400 ($200 per parent)
EXPENDITURE
Utilities
Then: $80
Now: $100
Education
Then: $200 ($100 per child for books)
$20 ($10 per child for school fees)
Now: Free books and waiver on school fees
Transport for children
Then: Walk to school
Now: Walk to school on most days, but take bus occasionally. About $10 per child every two to three months
Housing
Monthly mortgage: $500
Food and daily necessities
Then: $100
Now: $120 - $150
Handphone bills
Between $20 and $70 depending on business
Savings a month
Then: $150
Now: $100