Most of my friends who have heard that I had already applied for an HDB were doubtful and questioned whether it was too much of an impulsive decision. After all, I have got only a job (not a work that I consider my career), I don't have substantial income and savings, I have no experience to life, I am still in exploration circumstance.
One year ago, when I just graduated with a decent Diploma, I had the same concerns and worries. I had been asking myself, I only have so much now, almost nothing at all, when will I get to start my own family?
So I began to have very logical plans. I'll go find a job and hopefully it will be good enough for me to call it a career. Save and have enough money. I presume it would take about 2 to 3 years for my job and income to stabilize. After which, we would apply for BTO and then get married in another 2 years time. By the time my new house is ready, it would take another 2 years for us to settle down and get comfy with the government debts that we will be in by then. Then it would be just about time for us to have a family of our own.
Let's not go on about children education and what's after. But looking at this logical plan that I have got, it does not sound logical at all now, does it not? How old would we be by the time I have kids, we would freaking be in our 30s!
So if I have to wait till I am stable economically and psychologically, it would have been too late for me.
When will we EVER be financially sufficient? The answer is NEVER! Here is why:
Why are you not settling down now?
Because I do not have stable income.
Why do you not have stable income?
Because I need to further my studies.
Why do you need to further your studies?
Because I want to get a better job?
Why do you want to get a better job?
Because good job equals to higher pay?
Why do you want to have higher pay?
Because then I can buy big house and settle down.
It is a vicious cycle. Nobody in this world will ever think that you have enough money and would not wish for more. But the more you study, you get yourself exposed to higher standard of living, and yearn for higher social status. The increase of your income from your better paying jobs due to higher education, results to you having larger buying power. With increasing expectation and buying power, you would always be planning for bigger dreams, which often means bigger house and branded cars.
Many people fear the stagnation of life. If I don't study now, I wouldn't have a shot to become successful. But in actual fact YOU DO! You still have a chance, or rather a better chance to be as successful as those who graduated straight from University. You probably will not be able to compete in qualification, but you have plenty of experience, which the fresh grads don't. Companies now are cutting costs like crazy, do you really think they want to put so much money into training new employees? Rarely.
Furthermore, if you are lucky, your company might even sponsor you to further your studies if you serve to be very useful to them. It would have been a perfect win-win situation. I really do not think that not being able to stay with the norm put you in any less of an advantage over those who have been. One good example is you would have probably already earned and saved a sufficient amount before those people even graduated. If they want to talk about getting a better job, save it. You already got one job, they are still by the wishing well. Wait till they start learning how to pay for income taxes, you would have already settle down by then. What is there for you to feel bad about?
So as for myself, I already know and have decided that this man is my future, my one and only. I think I am ready to settle down. And although many people hated the government, but if they really stop trying to chase after the impossible dreams, they should see the same picture as me.
The government is magic to my life.
CPF has already solved my problems to housing. And I believe that the cost of housing is definitely a HUGE issue to everybody. But tada! The government has it solved for you. As long as you are working, your housing loan is chicken feet! And with a Diploma, I believe just my salary alone is enough to cover for the loan entirely every month. If we want to talk about education, the government is here to save the day again!
Edusave and subsidies are more than enough. If you want to talk about no money for your children's education. Go slam yourself against the wall and start being responsible parents and raise bright kids, so that they can earn some bursaries too. If you are really financially crippled, you can also opt for financial aid. Yes, I agree that you would just be living on the line, with just enough to live the day.
But really, the government is there to help you to survive with the minimum. If you want a holiday and big cars, go figure that out yourself. The government is not your parents, they are your investors. If you only know how to sit in that corner of your blaming the government everyday, then I guess that explains why that is the furthest in life that you can go. And you are probably a bad stock going downhill. In addition, you are a depreciating asset for goodness sake.
Tertiary and University is also a piece of cake. Because the school fees can be paid with CPFs and they will be returned to you once your children starts working (with interest). Other than that, they also have got scholarships and sponsorship. What is there to be afraid of? By the time your children are at this stage, your job as a parent is not to just blindly pay for their education. Your job is to teach them to be smart people and probably telling the same old story about how you regretted not having furthered your studies, blah blah blah.
Scare the shit out of them, so that they will carry your dreams and study very hard to qualify for sponsorship and scholarships to lessen your burden. That is a short cut to settling their school fees, and even better, once they graduate they get a job offer immediately by the sponsoring company. It is only win win win situations. How hard can life be?
I can live like this because I know how to be contended. I know what I NEED. Holidays and adventure, or big cars and properties, it would be good to have them all, but I don't really need them to survive. All these would have been meaningless without my man and the bundle of joy in a few years time. Nothing can be as happy as building a family. Besides, we have our own way to entertainment. I couldn't ask for a simpler life than that.
So yes, with that in mind, I am ready.
