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Markness
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 738
Location: Chengdu
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 Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| MisterButtkins wrote: |
I don't see how anyone who is even trying to save can spend over 3k a month. If you are really trying to save, you should be under 2k a month. Doesn't matter what city you are in, you can get by on 2k a month if you know what you are doing.
Not including rent, of course.
I spend 1500-2000 a month. I can see getting up to 3k in a bigger city, but more than that, I think you're not really trying very hard to save.
Most foreigners who spend all their money and then complain about how it's hard to save are blowing cash in one of the following ways:
(1)Buying foreign products
(2)Going to the bars all the time and not pre-gaming
(3)Eating out at nicer restaurants every night
(4)And this is a big one - buying stuff at the wrong places, for the wrong prices. Figure out where the working-class locals buy stuff and go there. Fancy shopping malls are where rich Chinese buy stuff. Also, farmer's markets are great. |
ding ding ding!
I lived in Harbin, was on a 5500RMB salary per month salary which included a free apartment/bills paid and free lunches/dinners. I definitely took advantage of this, but ill do some math for you all.
Food for the week was about 200RMB grocery shopping, plus about 50RMB for eating out misc. because I took advantage of the free lunches/dinners. That's about 1000RMB a month. 24 of beer = 36 RMB. So if I went out clubbin with the friends, we'd split the 24 and that would be about 9RMB each before we would actually go to the bar. We would end up there around 11 or midnight, and would maybe buy 1 or 2 drinks which would cost about 50RMB all together.
So 1000+1000 = 2000 from 5500 is about 3500 RMB which is about 600 dollars. This allows you to save about 7 grand in a year. This was an entry-level job that accepted anyone who breathed air. I budgeted hard, but I still went "full-retard" with drinking, and was able to save quite a bit.
Note: It is easy to save money, but this won't be done if you don't pregame at bars and you are a drinker, or if you shop at outlets instead of those small stores. I was looking at stores like Sears or w/e it's called and they were selling suit tops for like 5000RMB.... LOL. I nabbed one for 200RMB from a good tailor while I was with my GF (which probably was still too much), but the moral of the story here, is that you can save here easy, even at an entry-level job that I had that paid peanuts. |
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Markness
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 738
Location: Chengdu
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| Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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| In addition to my story, my boss was able to save about 8-10 grand a year, but he ran a pretty lean-operation back at home. He would cook all of his own food, and didn't even take advantage of the free food because he "thought it was disgusting". I think he made an extra 500rmb per month as a DOS for our company, so he was making 6000RMB a month, and was able to save about 50,000 dollars (Canadian), in about 6 years living there. He was a party animal when he first arrived, so he may not have saved as much initially, but it goes to show that saving potential is there. He also drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney, and was able to save that much. |
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