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ah siao, spoken like a true accountant again..keke...

Frankly, I also dunno what's the fuss about such bags. After a while I'll get sian of the bag but I can't throw away cos too costly. Then try to resell also quite troublesome. Usually I go for design and quality of material.
 


Actually it is the same thing lah. You see a car is to move from A to B. Evo and lancer both can do the job. Maybe EVO is 5 mins faster but then 5 mins you can't do much. The engine is immaterial because lancer also has an engine that can move the car.

Let's say you have a EVO engine but now it is Ah Siao brand. You think you can sell the car? Probably only ah siao will buy.
 
haha, ah siao brand is just joking lar..,

its more like if a KIA can have the tech of a Honda but price still as a KIA, most pple will settle for KIA..
 
Hmmm.. I always think how can I use that few K I want to spend on a bag in a better way? I'm always inspired by Warren Buffett who had driven the same old car for over 10 yrs. He reason is that instead of upgrading his car, he could invest it and make many more times of the money he would have spent otherwise. I think that's a good philosophy to live by. BTW, Mr Buffett eventually auctioned off his car, a 2001 Lincoln Town car, for over USD73K on eBay. It is really an inspiration.
 
Well just as the "rule of thumb" to buy a car is 20% of take home salary, I think I won't be spending so much on a bag, or any luxury item for that matter, unless it's only a fraction(less than 5%) of my pay. So for now thousand dollar bags are out of my reach...I rather spend on travelling cos at least can widen my horizon
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I also love to see the world and experience different cultures. I especially love to look at architecture, so my plan for this year is to visit Moscow. Hb's a little concerned about safety there and suggested Italy (esp Rome/Florence) or Paris (since he is learning French now). I dun really mind, so long as I get to visit some historical/heritage sites. But I've always wanted to walk on the Red Square, take pictures of St Basil cathedral and take home a martryoshka doll...hehe..
 
cecilia, if evo under ah siao brand may blow up anytime lor..LOL

g gal, the 20% of take home pay rule dunno applies to loan payment or total cost incurred per mth on the car...
 
if its the case, this rule will only applies to minority liao..cosider u incur 1K/mth, as 20%..u have to take home 5K/mth....how many pple can earn so much?..n 1K per mth on a car is small..
 
I find it very difficult to work so hard to feed a car. Money earned shld be enjoyed by me eg spa, facials, fine dining, movies, shopping when I wish, etc... of coz to some pple, feeding the car is akin to enjoying themselves with those things I mentioned. Well... v hard for me to have my cake and eat it too then... I can't have the best of both worlds unless I drive a Picanto or QQ and buy clothes from This Fashion or pasar malam.. haha..
 
ya, its like a choice..if u spend more on this, u will have to cut back on that.so it really depend on wat u value more..diff kinda enjoyment lor..

for me, i dun mind spending on car as long as i can manage my fin well and i wont make myself eat grass after owning the car...n also i dun have anyone to spend on except my parents, so got more cash to play around..
 
haha!! ggal.. but with your hb and your combined income? should be actually ok right?

at least for me, we dun spend more than 1k for car, cos the car paid for by FIL...
 
Combined income can, but currently my hb is studying so got a loan to pay. Besides, I rather one person take care of the car payment in case one spouse stops working (like if I become a SAHM..haha). We're trying to minimize our debts la...fortunately the reno loan is nearly paid up. I am planning on making a lump payment to get it over with.
 
Ya lor... we not so lucky to have any help at all from parents. Everything is from our own pockets.. But seriously I really feel happier not having a car to worry about. Less one thing to take care of!
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There are also plenty of cabs where we live.
 
Actually getting of car of luxury bags - it just depends on individual.

For some a car is a necessity; for others it is an expense to be avoided; and yet for others it is just a toy. It really depends on how much you "value" the value of the car to you and how much and how willing are you to part with your money.

That is why I said from the outset it is different for different people.

For couples without children I guess it is still very much manageable without the car. Also note that once you have a car, you will tend to spend more on other things as well - like dining etc etc..

Actually if you look at the 20% rule that I had mentioned, most people actually cannot afford to have a car.
 
cecilia, you are so lucky to have help of FIL. Not everyone has such luck.

ggal, if you become SAHM then sell the car lah.. ha ha.. just joking but I agree with what you say - we make money to enjoy and not to feed a car unless feeding a car is your enjoyment.
 
Yup simpleman, that was the plan. If I am a SAHM, no need a car actually. Anything, call a cab or my dad. He's retired anyway. Else getting a car wld mean I still continue to work and use the car to bring the kids to my parents' place. Then again, I could still do that with a cab. Drop them off and go to the MRT station nearby.

It's the sad truth that many pple are putting most of their pay into their cars. I wldn't want to end up surviving on 1 $3 meal a day as my hb's colleague is doing. Esp when we have kids, savings become so much more important. Perhaps a car wld become a necessity if I'm in a sales line and need to constantly travel to meet clients.
 
simpleman the problem is hb ride a bike during our courtship days.. for less than a year.. his father was furious cos the bike was bought without him knowing... so he said he will buy a car to stop him from riding a bike... dangerous ma... then after that we have our own house and hb got to study so his father pay for the car.. only when we are better off than will take over..

ya ggal.. plenty of cabs... saves money too.. i used to take a lot of cabs before we had a car... the most you spend on cabs is two or three hundred... a car easily 1k
 
Hv been toying w the idea of getting a car...but no impetus to go to the showroom yet. to me, driving is an enjoyment but entering the cbd is challenging...haha
 
ggal, Warren buffet story about his car is inspirational but for him I guess it does not make a gram of difference. It is inspirational from the point of view of making your money work for you but not everyone is Warren Buffet. We have spare cash in the bank, if we don't spend it it may diminish in value or disappear in one way or another. Why not spend it on something we enjoy?

But I do like the idea of keeping and running a car for as long as possible. I intend to keep my car till I scrap it. Normally I keep my car > 5 years (which my sg standard) is very long already.
 
simpleman, Warren Buffett's story to me is not just inspirational but actually do-able. Of coz the few Ks he spent on a car (heck even if he buys the most expensive car in the world) wld hardly make a dent to his wealth. But it's the principle that every dollar can make more dollars that inspires me.

If I have spare cash, it will definitely not sit in the bank but used for investment. Of coz I wld also allow myself a few indulgences if I have so much spare cash la. I won't have THRIFTY on my carplate also.. hahaha... that's for my dad!
 
ggal, But seriously, investment is not a given. The are risks are proportional to the returns. That is why I said not everyone is like Warren Buffet in which the things he touched turned to gold.

Actually for me, every cent I put into the car, I put into investment (insurance-linked) as well.
 
HI estre, can test drive a car in cbd and see if it's really so challenging. I think the biggest challenge is finding parking only. At the building where I used to work, the car park is filled all the way to the 8th level...:P sian to go round and round looking for a space, man...

BTW, re Hermes bag vs LV, by the time my name comes up the waiting list, I may have earned enough to get the Hermes liao.. haha. OK not so good comparison. Maybe Chanel instead of LV. I like the classic quilted 2.5 in lambskin compared to LV monogram leh.
 
Hmm simpleman, care to explain how the money put in your car can be investment as well? As in your car insurance is investment linked? I've not heard of this...

True there are risks to investments, which is why diversification is important. Anyway, maybe I'm very much influenced by my dad la.. Even though he could afford a continental car when he was working, he chose to buy a much cheaper Japanese car so as not to outshine his boss. He took care of his car very well so it lasted over 5 yrs also. Now that he's retired, he still drives but bought a car that's cheaper to maintain. That's why I say Warren Buffett's carplate THRIFTY shld belong to my dad..haha.
 
ggal, Oh I don't buy money spent in my car is an investment. What I meant was that for every cent I spent on my car (say 1K a month) I would also spend 1K a month paying for investment-linked insurance product. I have been doing this for many years already - just a conscious effort so that the more ex car I want to have, the more money I have to put aside.

I also agree the type of car you buy will depend on your work - yes in relation to your boss and your customer (if you are customer facing). I do need to bring customer out at times and a better looking car is partly for that purpose. The other purpose is of course I enjoy driving.

Of course when I retire, I will sell my current car and drive a Taxi! In fact I intend to sell my house as well and live in HDB - so I would be cash rich in my retirement.
 
estrellalq, jam is that bad meh? which part the jam is bad. I don't drive to cbd everyday but I can't recall it is bad. You mean on the way to cbd jam or jam in cbd?
 
Not bad leh.. next time you retire I will take your taxi!
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BTW, what your view on investment linked products? Lots of pple in SB have been saying it's bad...I'm just curious.. I dun have one but my hb got one many yrs ago from AIA. Personally I prefer to keep investment separate from insurance...
 
ggal, chanel ar? gives me an ahlian impression..maybe alot of teens used to carry it...and moschino, armani...i seldom go to chanel boutique, perhaps the collection is better now.

think Jimmy Choo is an up-and-coming brand among the celebs.
 
ggal, investment-linked products are ok but need to be aware of the cost .... as you gets older it will get more expensive .. I intend to sell most of it as I need safer investment now..

All of them are making money the issue is how much more you want to make..
 
ah lian meh... LV seems more lian leh... somemore so frequently copied...kekeke.. oops... Well, I guess it's just personal preference la. I din know that teens can afford Chanel... maybe only the pirated logo jewellery. I've seen some pple copy the logo for their earrings/necklace...
 
simpleman, both - driving to cbd and in cbd. do u drive to cbd ard 8-9am?
ok this is a different situation. the other day, because of the heavy rain, my colleague was late for an hr..haha.
 
Simpleman, I thot that investment linked insurance starts with certain % allocation of premium for investment and insurance? Say 30% for investment, 70% for insurance? As you get older, does the allocation become smaller for investment and bigger for insurance? Does the premium change as you get older or stay the same as the day you signed up?
 
i tot chanel more tais tais carry... too auntie already la... more auntie than LV i feel... jimmy choo already very hot few years back... i used to have a pair of jimmy choo... very ex bought at sale so not that bad.. now i seldom buy ex shoes.. just not worth it cos i change them too frequent.. now i only buy cheapo shoes haha! wear 2 months can throw liao
 


ya ah siao the jam terrible these two days.. can't imagine i need half an hour to get from AMK to novena... normally can reach within 5 to 10 mins
 
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