Thursday, August 10, 2006
Broke To Their Underpants
A few days ago, I visited a friend BB who has just delivered her first born. I told BB that I did not know what to buy for her baby girl and so I'd just do the usual and give an angpow. Boy! Was she glad I gave the angpow instead of buying the baby another cot-mobile or something.
When BB got married last year, there were two grands receptions, one at BB's hometown and one at hubby's place in KL. Despite the angpow collections, after deducting the costs of the two receptions, they found themselves in deficit position. Add on the money spent to do up their cosy pad and a throw in a romantic honeymoon package, they found themselves seriously BROKE to their underpants.
As luck would have it, BB got pregnant the following month - they call it 'jeep mooi hee' in Hokkien ('bunting pelamin' in BM, dunno what they call it in English). Add on some more O&G bills and additonal items to buy for the baby and the newly weds found their finances stretched to the limit every month. Ta daaa ta daaa...time for the baby to make her entrance and she had to come through a C-section. Baby had mild jaundice and had to undergo phototherapy. The hospital bill just got longer and bigger - all in , it came close to RM8,500!
That's not all. BB engaged a confinement lady for the month and the charges, including an angpow at the end of 30 days was about RM2,800 or so. And the food bill for the extra nutritious confinement menu - BB was not even sure of the figure, she had lost count. Listening to her, I could only gape.
Nowadays, it costs so many thousands of $$$ to have a baby. For me, I think this is enough reason to support family-planning; how to afford a basketball team? Don't even say football team any more. And we are not talking about future costs of bringing up a child - art class, ballet lessons, piano and violin lessons, singing/vocal training class, tuition, class private school fees, college fees, etc, etc.....
So, my friend BB is very grateful to all her relatives and friends who gave angpows.
When BB got married last year, there were two grands receptions, one at BB's hometown and one at hubby's place in KL. Despite the angpow collections, after deducting the costs of the two receptions, they found themselves in deficit position. Add on the money spent to do up their cosy pad and a throw in a romantic honeymoon package, they found themselves seriously BROKE to their underpants.
As luck would have it, BB got pregnant the following month - they call it 'jeep mooi hee' in Hokkien ('bunting pelamin' in BM, dunno what they call it in English). Add on some more O&G bills and additonal items to buy for the baby and the newly weds found their finances stretched to the limit every month. Ta daaa ta daaa...time for the baby to make her entrance and she had to come through a C-section. Baby had mild jaundice and had to undergo phototherapy. The hospital bill just got longer and bigger - all in , it came close to RM8,500!
That's not all. BB engaged a confinement lady for the month and the charges, including an angpow at the end of 30 days was about RM2,800 or so. And the food bill for the extra nutritious confinement menu - BB was not even sure of the figure, she had lost count. Listening to her, I could only gape.
Nowadays, it costs so many thousands of $$$ to have a baby. For me, I think this is enough reason to support family-planning; how to afford a basketball team? Don't even say football team any more. And we are not talking about future costs of bringing up a child - art class, ballet lessons, piano and violin lessons, singing/vocal training class, tuition, class private school fees, college fees, etc, etc.....
So, my friend BB is very grateful to all her relatives and friends who gave angpows.
posted by nyonyapenang at 11:10 PM, | 
16 Comments:
family planning? so make just 1. only 1. prince or princess. gets all he/she wants in life. ballet, piano, swimming, golf, tennis, personal maid, dinner at restaurants, all the toys in the world, chaffeur-driven car to school... blahblahblah
I don't undrstand, got not so much money somemore,
2 grand receptions.
renovate house.
romantic honeymoon.
pregnant (ok.. let's consider that unavoidable)
go some expensive centres to deliver.
engage specailist confinement lady.
this one i call,
'kah kee gia lai kan kor'
i got 4 children, all delivered in govt hospital. my third daughter oso jaundice and kena pneumonia and had to stay there for more that a month before she was released. I add up the fees for all my 4 kids, and it is not more than 500 bucks!
And the quality of my children is same as those who spent thousands getting delivered by expensive specialists.
So i don't pity your friend.
No such big head, don't wear such big hat.
2 grand receptions.
renovate house.
romantic honeymoon.
pregnant (ok.. let's consider that unavoidable)
go some expensive centres to deliver.
engage specailist confinement lady.
this one i call,
'kah kee gia lai kan kor'
i got 4 children, all delivered in govt hospital. my third daughter oso jaundice and kena pneumonia and had to stay there for more that a month before she was released. I add up the fees for all my 4 kids, and it is not more than 500 bucks!
And the quality of my children is same as those who spent thousands getting delivered by expensive specialists.
So i don't pity your friend.
No such big head, don't wear such big hat.
I sorry to hear your friend's financial difficulty and hope she will come to see the lights in the end of the dark tunnel.
jemima,
that BB seriously needs some sound financial planning advice.
las montanas,
what kind of prince/princess will that turn out to be?
ah pek,
they wanted the best and they bit off more than they can chew. sad hor?
aceone,
overspent liao, so have to slave to pay off the debts lor.
that BB seriously needs some sound financial planning advice.
las montanas,
what kind of prince/princess will that turn out to be?
ah pek,
they wanted the best and they bit off more than they can chew. sad hor?
aceone,
overspent liao, so have to slave to pay off the debts lor.
i agree w ah pek...
i also got married recently and only now started to plan for a kid, renovate the house, go for honeymoon... after more than a year of marital bliss for the simple reason we cant afford everything at one go.
i think you fren need some solid financial planning advice and be realistic.
i also got married recently and only now started to plan for a kid, renovate the house, go for honeymoon... after more than a year of marital bliss for the simple reason we cant afford everything at one go.
i think you fren need some solid financial planning advice and be realistic.
sengkor,
honestly, how much is enough? just have to 'choi kor kin sam kan kor fook poh' lor.
see fei,
ya, agree with you. have to be realistic and sensible.
honestly, how much is enough? just have to 'choi kor kin sam kan kor fook poh' lor.
see fei,
ya, agree with you. have to be realistic and sensible.
savante,
there is one in SS 2, Petaling Jaya. my friend enquired and apparently they charge an arm and a leg.
so, you open one and maybe let me help you manage. ;)
there is one in SS 2, Petaling Jaya. my friend enquired and apparently they charge an arm and a leg.
so, you open one and maybe let me help you manage. ;)
And people think that marriage is a bed of roses! When they remove the rose-tinted glasses, they find it's a long road of challenges, disappointments and frustrations...but if you are strong enough to endure all that, you'll sail through and despite the trials and tribulations, it IS rewarding, so worthwhile that u won't give it up for anything else in the whole wide world!
suituapui,
you are so right!
after being in cloud-nine and then have to come down to earth to face the harsh realities.
you are so right!
after being in cloud-nine and then have to come down to earth to face the harsh realities.
Having kids are expensive when you go to private hospitals. I do symphatize with them as I can understand them for wanting to deliver at the best hospitals but big wedding reception and all, I dunno lah.
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I never know what to get & I don't like the idea of them having double or triple of the same items.
As for your friend, I sympathise with her current financial situation of being broke to their underpants. However, they should be glad that they still have some underpants left for now.
My apologies for such a long comment. But that's another of my 2 sens.