SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user asked if anyone else felt “left behind in life.”
On the r/askSingapore forum on Thursday (Nov 21), he wrote that while people around him going on vacation, having six-figure savings, eating expensive food, buying Rolex watches, buying flats, and other such examples of prosperity in their 30s, they barely have any money to put away at the end of the month despite working two jobs.
He wrote that they can “barely provide” for their parents, neither of whom works, and he himself has to face their “never-ending” household, medical, food, loan, and other bills.
The money the household makes is not enough to qualify for subsidies, but the post author feels that they don’t have enough to survive.
As for their personal expenses, he wrote that they only spend between $550 and $700 a month and live with a laptop and phone that are eight years old.
If one of these gadgets breaks down, replacing it will eat into what little savings they have.
Although he tried to gain more skills, he doesn’t have a lot of time and money to do so and now feels trapped in a cycle where he wants to grow but can’t while he sees everyone else around achieving everything they dream of.
The biggest piece of advice commenters gave him was not to let what he saw on social media dictate his happiness. As one Reddit user wrote, “Repeat after me. Social media is smoke and mirrors.”
One commenter admitted that they’ve posted about dining out but, in real life, have to stick to a very strict budget the rest of the time, which no one else sees.
Another wrote that when they had to take care of their elderly mother last year after she fell ill, the cleaner in their building reminded them of how lucky they are to still have their mum.
“So, sometimes we think our life sucks, but someone else thinks otherwise. Hope you can see the positives in your life right now,” they added.
Others commended the post author for working and trying so hard to have a good life and encouraged them to continue to pursue their dreams. /TISG
Read also: What are the current struggles of a Singaporean adult? Reddit user asks
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