SST hike: Youths get thrifty as they feel the pinch

PETALING JAYA: Young adults are learning to get thrifty in their spending as they begin to feel the pinch on their wallets a week into the sales and service tax (SST) hike earlier this month.

Business development consultant Timmothy Chan, 27, lamented that his monthly expenses had increased by almost 10% due to the increased prices of his various online subscription services.

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“I have already had to pay almost an extra RM100 in total for my many online services like Discord Nitro.

“Though I don’t feel it yet, I expect to really feel the pinch at the end of the month once all my increased delivery fee meals add up as I rely on delivery for most of my meals,” said Chan, who practices a hybrid workstyle.

Chan also said he was now looking at learning how to cook at home to save money on the increasing delivery fees.

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“Maybe not now since I just started my new job, but once I’m settled into my new work routine, I definitely plan to start learning to cook simple meals at home,” he added.

Being a full-time student, 27-year-old Wong Jing Siang said he had to cut back on spending on his hobbies and change his eating habits due to the increased price of eating outside.

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“The price for food at my usual favourite eateries has gone up by around RM1 to RM2 per meal ever since the SST hike, which hurts my wallet since being a student requires me to eat outside for some meals.

“Not only do I have to cut back on spending money on trading card games this month, but I’ve also started eating only at mamak restaurants, as their prices didn’t increase,” he said.

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A 27-year-old office worker who only wanted to be known as Adi said he was looking to earn additional income by becoming a part-time streamer to make up for his increased cost of expenses.

“I’m pretty good at playing video games, and I play them basically every night after work, so it fits my lifestyle quite well.

“Even though I might not become one of the big streamers, I hope it’ll be able to at least generate a bit of extra income for me on the side,” he said, adding that he’ll consider taking a part-time job if his streamer career doesn’t work out.

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Adi is in charge of paying his family’s electricity bill. He added that his expenses had increased by more than 10% due to the SST hike, and the hot weather is also causing his family to use the air conditioner more.

Meanwhile, engineer Lee Jiunn Aun, 26, described his plan to change his eating habits to make up for his new increased expenses.

“I usually get luxury drinks like boba tea and snacks at least once or twice a week, but starting this month, I’ll try my best to limit myself to once or twice a month.

“I’ve been overweight for a while now, so it’s the ideal time for me to lose weight while saving money,” said Lee, who lives with his family and covers the household’s electric and internet bills.

Lee said he paid around RM500 for both bills in previous months and expects to pay an extra RM100 monthly now that the SST hike has begun.