SINGAPORE: A young Singaporean has sparked discussion online after sharing that his mother has been insisting he hand over 60% of his part-time earnings, leaving him struggling to save or enjoy the money he earns.
In a post on Reddit’s r/SGexams, the student explained that he initially went along with the arrangement while he was still in secondary school, as he did not have many expenses at the time. However, things became increasingly difficult after he completed his O-Levels and began taking up part-time jobs in the banquet and F&B sectors.
He said that every time his salary was paid, his mother would demand 60% of it, regardless of how much he earned.
“It’s not that I don’t value filial piety. I do want to give her what I earn, always—at least 20% of it; I’m willing to, but 60% is too much sometimes,” he said. “My mom also preaches about how much money she and my dad spent on my education, and I just feel like I have the need to always give more than half to them.”
Things became even more upsetting when he spoke to his friends about the situation and realised that none of them were required to give their parents money from their part-time jobs. According to him, his friends contribute only “out of goodwill,” usually around 20% of their earnings.
“I feel like this is one of the reasons I’m always broke. Imagine earning S$100 and then only keeping, freaking, 40%… where am I supposed to save large sums of money???” he wrote. “I can’t go out regularly, I can’t even go on occasional café ventures because of my allowance. I can’t save THAT much because of it.”
He also claimed that whenever he tried to discuss the issue with his mother, she would become angry and “dismissive.” He alleged that she threatened to forbid him from working altogether if he refused to give her 60% of his earnings.
Exhausted and frustrated, the student admitted that he has resorted to lying about his pay on some occasions just to keep a little more money for himself. Even then, he said he sometimes only gets to keep S$200 despite earning around S$600.
“Either don’t work or under-declare the amount you actually earn.”
In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor advised him to quit working, adding, “If the amount you earn from working part-time makes almost no difference to your savings, then just chill at home. You need to decide whether you want to be broke without working or be broke and tired from working.”
Another agreed with this suggestion, saying, “Just don’t work if that’s the case. And you can also stop sharing things with her, since she’s using that information against you in an unreasonable way. Honestly, this is why some parents end up getting abandoned by their children in their late years.”
A third added, “Erm…. either don’t work or under-declare the amount you actually earn. Like if your take-home is S$3000 a month, just say you earn $2000 a month.”
A few others, however, defended the parents, suggesting they might have been trying to help him save. One wrote, “Maybe they lied to you to help you save up?”
In other news, a worried son has turned to social media for advice after his elderly father, who is in his early 60s, was dismissed from his job only weeks after being hired.
In a post on Reddit’s r/askSingapore forum, the son shared that his father had recently secured employment as a cleaner at one of Singapore’s top universities. However, just a few weeks into the role, his father was terminated after taking medical leave.
