Samantha Tan was retrenched from her tech job last November. An IT project manager there for two years, she is worried about how long her savings can last, especially with inflation and an increase in GST driving up the cost of living in Singapore.
“Seeing all the news of retrenchments, I can’t say that I’m not worried about my job prospects. There’s lots of competition and because of inflation, everyday items such as groceries have now become so expensive! I’ve definitely had to cut down my discretionary spending,” she says.
The 38-year-old says she has started cooking her own meals at home and opting for cheaper options when dining out, or just having a coffee instead of brunch when out with friends. She also hasn’t renewed her Virgin Active gym membership, and instead follows Youtube workouts at home since she now has “more time and less money”.
She counts herself lucky that she lives alone