Small Bonus Payout

Well, tonight is the last day of the pretty long weekend due to the public holiday on Friday. Oh before I forget, would like to wish a Selamat Hari Raya Haji to all muslims..or rather, those who actually celebrate it and not bumming around like me.

So in two week's time, I will be getting my year end bonus and because of the slow picking up of the economy, it's not going to be much although the 13th month bonus is still there. It's just that there are no 'extra's like another month or at least a three quarter pay more. In fact, this is the lowest bonus payout in recent years for people in the civil service. My ex colleagues got their bonus somewhere in October and it was for three months. Im not trying to compare myself to them because in terms of job stability, I would say mine is more stable than theirs while for them, it depends largely on the company whether they need to continue with their service or not down the road.

In light of job retrenchments and difficulty of finding jobs nowadays, I would pick job stability anytime. The bills drive me crazy sometimes because I don't know how they charge and I do find myself in situations where I have been given warnings to pay up the accumulated amounts. It's not that I don't want to pay all. As a user, I basically take note of how much I am using. When I read my phone bill, I don't understand half of it even though some parts of it are clearly spelt out what the charges stand for. I just don't get where these extra charges come from. I don't earn much so I can't afford to pay a lot and therefore have to budget my salary well so that I have some balance to feed myself and my family. Like come on, I don't work hard just to pay off my bills, right?

So my expected salary for next month including the bonus falls short of about 300 dollars. I am afraid of that actually because I expected at least 3K such as back then in the 'heydays' when the economy was doing well before the banks ruined it all last year. It's not going to affect the amount I have planned to set aside for savings but it is most definitely going to affect my expenditure. By 300 dollars, no less. Shucks.

Anyway, it's not going to be a big shopping spree for me, like always, but just a mini one except this time it's a super mini one. I remembered back then buying up to 3 pairs of shoes and up to 2 bags. But I guess I can survive. Currently, I am looking for a low pair of heels that looks nice but comfortable enough to wear. I tell you nowadays there are a lot of pretty looking shoes but is torturous for the wearer who would rather bear and grin with it for the sake of fashion. Maybe I get a small shoulder bag too, preferably a blue patented one like the one by Coach. Of course I am not getting a Coach bag. It will be beyond me to get one.

Then again, they're not compulsory. If I find something that I want and matches my budget, I may get it. But if I can't find, no big deal although I did spot a pair of blue shoes with low heels that are within my budget so there is a big possibility of me buying that one. The thing that I am really looking forward to, two weeks from now, is a ride up the Singapore Flyer with my brother followed by dinner at Breeks. It has been ages since I last ate at Breeks and it will be exciting to get a bird's eye view of the cityscape via the capsule window of the Singapore Flyer.

Knowing how greedy I can get at times on my 'off days' from a careful diet, I might end up eating more than just at Breeks but probably just mini snacks that do not cost much. Right now I just have to bear with the 'long' wait and somehow now, I emphatise with my brother when he has to wait for a long time to accumulate enough savings for his Ipod. For me, that wait is for the bonus to come.

Now, what I can do is just to tighten my belt with whatever money I have set aside for the next two weeks. Actually, it has been reduced by quite a bit because my aunt needed some financial help to pay for my cousin's books for primary one. She has been going on and on about not having enough money to buy them and so it didn't strike me as a big surprise when she asked for help. However, knowing what a planner she can be, since she asked for financial assistance already to get free textbooks from the school, I doubt that money will be used to buy the books.

She promised to pay back in January which I found out why the wait until Jan is because she is going to get quite a payout from my cousin's baby bonus which will be withdrawn out when she turns 6. I mean I didn't see it as a long wait but I just know where the money will be paid out from. I just hope she uses the money wisely for her daughter's education instead of spending it on her relatives who often take advantage of her kindness to make her buy things for them even though they have their own income.

Yah, strange world we live in. When it comes to money, people will treat you like friends or declare themselves as relatives in the hope of sponging off you later.

So in comparison to having no mid year bonus at all this year, I am still thankful that I am getting my year end bonus despite it falling short of my expectation. Oh well. Actually, I don't care about the shoes and bags and all things nice. If part of it can be rolled into savings for my family's survival for the next few months at least, it will be even better.

Speaking of which, I would also like to kick start an emergency fund. Today's paper have tips on how to use your bonus wisely in the light of the economic gloom and one of them is to have an emergency fund. I want to start saving up at least 50 dollars per month and if I have 'extra's like bonus, for example, then I will double the amount. I want to keep it for at least a year so that I have a stash of ready cash. I may have to be even more careful about my spending so I will see how it goes but only in terms of how much I will set aside in the particular month but not so much of not setting aside at all.

So for now, I will have to pull a bit of string here and there so that I don't end up using part of my bonus to pay back whatever additional things that I have spent on that go beyond my current budget. Yikes.