Young people have many spending needs such as shopping, beauty, entertainment - Illustration: WHITE CLOUD
Minh A's life, if seen through the photos she posts on Facebook, outsiders will be amazed at how carefree, happy, and comfortable she is.
Overspending for fear of being left out of the loop with coworkers
Behind Minh A.'s lavish lifestyle on social media is a completely different reality. She has always lived in poverty.
Minh A.'s salary as a content writer for a marketing company is about 11 million VND per month. But the technology she uses is all from Apple: iPhone, new Macbook.
"Everyone in the building where I work always dresses fancy and carries expensive phones. So I can't be too rustic, otherwise I'll feel out of place," said the U30 girl with zero savings.
Shopping and spending need to be reasonable, controlling the amount of money you have - Illustration: WHITE CLOUD
The salary is just enough to cover daily living expenses, plus the year-end bonus, Minh A. should have had some left over. But she spent it all on shopping and experiences.
Every day, the young girl spends hours surfing Facebook, Instagram, and watching the luxurious lives of her peers.
Even though she knew her income was limited, she still decided to buy a new phone on installments. She bought expensive clothes and cosmetics.
Minh A. is one of many young people today who are following a consumerist lifestyle. They often spend beyond their financial means.
Partly they are pressured by social media. Where everyone is flaunting their wealth, they feel they have to spend like that to be accepted.
Especially in the context of decreasing salaries and rising prices, this spending style makes it easy for young people like Minh A. to "go broke".
Borrow money from friends to buy technology and branded goods
Minh A. said his recent Tet bonus was just enough to buy a new Macbook. The main purpose was to bring it to coffee shops to look classy. Everyone in coffee shops now uses this type.
She herself assessed that her job does not require a laptop with too high configuration, a machine under 10 million VND can handle the task well. "But it's not a Macbook."
To buy delicious food and travel, Minh A. reluctantly spends most of his monthly salary.
Many times she had to borrow from friends and relatives or choose to pay in installments over many months.
"Like this phone, I'll pay in installments for a year. It won't be finished until April next year (2025)," she shared.
In addition, the money she spends on working at a coffee shop is not small.
"A cup of coffee in a shop costs at least 45,000 - 55,000 VND. But I can't work at home," she said.
Having two children and not as leisurely as Minh A. Thanh V. (30 years old, living in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City) works for a small garment factory.
With a monthly salary of nearly 8 million VND, the girl from Bac Lieu hardly contributes to the family's general expenses, but leaves her husband to fend for himself.
To reduce spending pressure, V. and his wife sent their eldest child (6 years old) to his grandmother in the countryside.
Every night, she surfs TikTok to watch livestreams of channels selling dresses, lipsticks, skin creams, etc.
When closing the deal, afraid that her husband would find out she bought too many things, V. left the delivery address at work.
V. often buys cosmetics on sale, one get one free. Even though she still hasn't used them all year, she buys them in reserve during "double day" promotions like 9-9, 10-10... When she's short on money, she asks friends and relatives to borrow, but sometimes she "forgets" to pay them back.
In a few short years, V. changed her phone three times. When her husband's motorbike was still running well, V. discussed with her husband about buying a new Yamaha Exciter on installments for nearly 60 million VND. They are also paying for a steam fan on installments for 9 million VND.
In particular, she is obsessed with beauty. V. spends more than 1.5 million VND/month on beauty pills. Not to mention creams, masks...
The couple often quarreled over this spending issue. And because V. was absorbed in surfing the internet and shopping, and did not play with the children.
At times like that, V. said: "Why don't you play with your child instead of scolding me?"
Although he doesn't have much money, Huu D. (26 years old, living in Tan Binh district) has always liked to use branded goods. When he was a student and didn't make any money, D. waited to buy branded items that were out of season.
D. explained that branded items are durable, look classy, and are very beneficial when going to work and communicating.
From saving money and hunting for sales to buy, on occasions when going out or eating with friends at shopping centers, D. would buy at the original price. Shirts and jeans cost from 1.5 million VND, shoes from several million VND.
As for watches, D. argues that a good watch shows status. When meeting customers, they will respect him. Last year, he spent more than 20 million VND on a new watch, while he already had several that were not yet old.
Even though he later applied for installment payments for some items, he said that at the end of the month, looking back at what he spent, he found it was very expensive. And D. himself has no plans to save anything, "but never mind, he's still young."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/luong-khong-bao-nhieu-ma-thich-tieu-xai-lo-vi-khoai-sang-chanh-20241019222843315.htm
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