Tackle cost of living first before playing Cupid

Apocalypsenow76 SG

‘Tackle cost of living first before playing Cupid’
By Ewen Boey – August 20th, 2010
[url]http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/20/tackle-cost-of-living-first-before-playing-cupid/[/url]

A majority of Yahoo! Answers users feel that the Singapore government’s plan to launch a new dating campaign for singles will not work.

A government tender was put out last week for a new month-long campaign to encourage love-shy singles to start dating in the hope it will eventually help boost Singapore’s low birth rate.

But almost all the 72 respondents who responded to the question we posed on Yahoo! Answers, “Do single Singaporeans need another dating campaign?” believe the government push will not work because it will still have failed to tackle a key issue: the high cost of raising a child.

Yahoo! user Lily lamented that it less about finding a partner but more about the rising cost of living.

“Getting married is a huge responsibility. Considering the standard of living in this country is very high, getting married also means that they need to save more money for their future use such as their children’s education, basic necessities such as clothes, food,” she said.

“If it requires both parents working overtime to support the family and live a ‘comfortable’ life, then they might as well not get married because they hardly get to spend much time with their children and they leave the job of taking care of the children to their maid,” she added.

ylime agrees: “Everyone’s too busy thinking about money, and we can’t help it. Because the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the bill meter starts.”

Former television actor Nathaniel Ho (@iamnatho), 25, also tweeted in response to the question and said, “In a nutshell, it’s too expensive to settle down. People want big weddings and HDB, sitting on a mountain of debt before their life starts together.”

A growing number of career-minded singles are also increasingly comfortable being self-sufficient.

Yahoo! user, nGin, a Singaporean single in her 30s, confessed: “As a Singaporean female in my thirties, why would I want to get married and invest my hard-earned money into some else (such as spouse, children and family) when I could splurge on my own luxury indulgences?

“Why would I reduce my chances of career promotion without the ability to outlast my competitive colleagues who can work more overtime and put in that extra bit of effort that has to come with quantitative contribution in the office?” she asked.

But a few commended the government’s latest effort to play Cupid.

Another user Kheng Oon Ang said, “Knowing our government, they cannot sit back and do nothing. If they can succeed in helping one couple, it is better than nothing. Every couple counts, so just give them some credit in trying.”

SComments perhaps summed it up best when he said: “The government needs to put REAL incentives in to make this work, not just another measly campaign. If money is the reason they (couples) are not getting married, having kids, then make MONEY the incentive… reward Singaporeans for having children and bearing the cost of raising up kids and career sacrifices.”

In light of this, Yahoo! Singapore hit the streets to ask young singles what they thought of the government’s plan for a new dating campaign.

Fenixx SG

Yup, I fully agree that the very first step to be tackled is the high cost of living in SG first. Otherwise, no matter what campaign they come up with will fail.

Since they have the Baaby Bonus programme some time back, they can kill 2 birds with 1 stone if they offer $ for every time we fuck......???

Medicated Oil SG

The cost of living is tagged to the companies that ah gong set up.

So, the livelihood of these company are more important as the croonies bonus are linked to the individual company profit.

As for the campaign, they know it will be a failure.

At least they have done their job to encourage people to get marry.

It is the fault of the people that chose not to marry and thus causing low birth rate and ageing population.

This eventually support their foreign invasion project.

gasband SG

so what nonsense is this? It is true standard of living in SG is growing higher every single year. But my uncle is a delivery driver with auntie as a housewife. He has a flat. And his daughter is doing well. Sure they are not rich, sure they are not as if they are always this comfortable. But my uncle still can smoke, still got money to buy 4D, still can afford a LCD TV, still can have Soundbar, still have has a house, still has a job and still is able to raise his daughter well. Is it difficult to raise a kid in Singapore? Of cos not easy, when was it ever easy? Even during my Father's time also not easy but did they complain? They work hard, they sacrifice for the sake of their children. My father worked so hard for us that until the day he died, he has never even gone on a trip to Malaysia cos he never even owned a passport. So what do you want government or people to do? Promise you that after you had a kid, the government will promise to give u a condo, BMW and 3 holiday trips a year? Nonsense.

~PEPPER~ SG

I think Singapore birth rate will still decline further.

TIB 781 L SG

‘Tackle cost of living first before playing Cupid’
By Ewen Boey – August 20th, 2010
[url]http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/20/tackle-cost-of-living-first-before-playing-cupid/[/url]

Former television actor Nathaniel Ho (@iamnatho), 25, also tweeted in response to the question and said, “In a nutshell, it’s too expensive to settle down. People want big weddings and HDB, sitting on a mountain of debt before their life starts together.”

'Too expensive to settle down'

Look, you can't have the best of both worlds do you? I mean afterall yes marriage is once-in-a-lifetime, it is ok to have it grand, But you have to look after your future 'nest', because that is where you have your family and stuff.

dechang SG

I think they should further reduce the price of new hdb flats for married couples.

If you marry and can't even afford to buy a house than nobody will want to get marry

Devil7030 SG

High cost of living, so don't want to marry ?

High cost of living, can also marry. Two people can share the high cost of living. Ten people live together, can even lower the high cost of living further.

High cost of raising children, so ten people raise one child, so the cost of raising a child per person will be lower.

βέτά SG

Your uncle?

How old are you?

Are you talking about the past 20-30 years ago?

Still living in the past aren't we?

How much does a delivery driver make these days? $2,000?

If you take out a loan of $162,000 for 30 years, you will have to pay $7,843.55 a year (approx. $653.63 a month).

After your CPF contribution, your take home pay becomes $1,600, assuming you are paying off your housing loan by CPF, you still need to deduct $254 from your take home pay of $1,600 which leaves you $1,346 to pay for electricity, transport, food, baby milk, education, books, medical expenses, phone bills, clothes, shoes, electrical appliances, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, haircut, dental, HDB S&C, Radio & TV licence, etc.......

You sure $1,346 is enough for a family of 3 these days? What are you smoking?

If you allocate $5 per meal for each person, it would cost you $1,350 for a month.

Don't need to brush teeth, bathe and wear clothes liao.

Clivebenss SG

βέτά SG

People talking about the here and now, some folks talking about 20-30 years ago.

During your time, I am sure you brought up your children for far less money than his/her uncle.

Clivebenss SG

People talking about the here and now, some folks talking about 20-30 years ago.

During your time, I am sure you brought up your children for far less money than his/her uncle.

they eat only one meal a day. Healthy life style.

reyes SG

Yahoo! user, nGin, a Singaporean single in her 30s, confessed: “As a Singaporean female in my thirties, why would I want to get married and invest my hard-earned money into some else (such as spouse, children and family) when I could splurge on my own luxury indulgences?

“Why would I reduce my chances of career promotion without the ability to outlast my competitive colleagues who can work more overtime and put in that extra bit of effort that has to come with quantitative contribution in the office?” she asked.

put it this way, this lady was way past her prime. even if she wana settle down, with her age and kind of mindset, i bet no guys can last with her.

yes the bill might be high, you will learn to make sacrifices for your loves one if you have the luck to meet one. but if you meet the lady as above, it better to stay single.

angel7030 SG

Arrghhooo...! angel "yawned",

what?? talking about success in an office??? she must be joking, how far can u go in the office, GM, MD or SMD??and still have to work and plough thru life, OMG?? what a stupid lady, Life is not about success, it is about value. You go for value in life, not success.

People's tai tai dun need to work, shop everyday, go holidays, and she has to work to be successful, she must be joking. No value in Life at all, never know the joy of having a family and childrens.

Sign of the end of the world if this type of lady start to be around

angel7030 SG

My father worked so hard for us that until the day he died, he has never even gone on a trip to Malaysia cos he never even owned a passport. So what do you want government or people to do? Promise you that after you had a kid, the government will promise to give u a condo, BMW and 3 holiday trips a year? Nonsense.

From the above, most people here will want our govt not to make us work until drop dead and still cannot go malaysia tour and still cannot finish paying debts...understand or not??

gasband SG

Your uncle?

How old are you?

Are you talking about the past 20-30 years ago?

Still living in the past aren't we?

How much does a delivery driver make these days? $2,000?

If you take out a loan of $162,000 for 30 years, you will have to pay $7,843.55 a year (approx. $653.63 a month).

You sure $1,346 is enough for a family of 3 these days? What are you smoking?

If you allocate $5 per meal for each person, it would cost you $1,350 for a month.

Don't need to brush teeth, bathe and wear clothes liao.

I am 33 and my uncle is 42. Dun need to laugh cos it is true. Cos he doesnt complain all day long, instead he spends him time working hard for the family.

angel7030 SG

well, i am only 21 going 22,

Now, the matter is not about laughing, it about whether you want every singaporeans to be like your father who work until died just for the sake of working and ploughing all his life to built a family because of the Govt keep increasing the cost of living??

Pardon me for mentioning about yr father, with all due respect, I admired him.

Rock^Star SG

sure he's doing fine but I bet u his savings are pathetic.

sunnytv SG

Lol, our MPs need million $ to survive, convince them first b4 convince other.

gasband SG

sure he's doing fine but I bet u his savings are pathetic.

My point was not to say that everything is fine with my uncle. Sure he doesnt drive a car of his own. Sure he doesnt have investments in stocks, shares. He doesnt have alot of savings. But my point is, it is absolute crap for those people who says it is expensive to raise a kid in Singapore. What they should say, it is expensive to raise a kid and still want to live a life of luxury. It is a matter of expectations. If you want a kid, you would sacrifice alot of things for the kid, nothing can stop you. If my uncle can raise a kid, why cant these graduates do so?