As the year-end is approaching, recently within the national scope, a white-collar financial management status investigation was carried out by human resources service provider "Wu You Qian Tu" (meaning "a bright future"). The survey showed that 31.81% of respondents said they could save up 3 to 6 months' (including 6 months) salary in one year. Only 7.91% of the respondents were still "moonlight clan" (people who spend all their earnings each month). The biggest motivation for white-collar workers to save money was buying a house and preparing for retirement. So how do white-collar workers in Kunming manage their finances? Are white-collar salaries really "white-collar"?
Representative figure: Sun Wenjie, working at a large telecommunications company in Kunming, with a monthly income of about 3000 yuan, has been working for 7 years. The number on her bank card has never exceeded 2000 yuan, and most of the time it is 0. Her philosophy towards money is "money is a bastard, spend it and then earn more."
Just after paying over 3000 yuan for rent and carrying an external debt of 1500 yuan, Sun Wenjie, who works at a large telecommunications company in Kunming, began planning how to spend her money again. Sun Wenjie's philosophy is "money is nonsense, spend it and then earn more." After working for 7 years, the number on Sun Wenjie's bank card has never exceeded 2000 yuan, and most of the time it is 0. She generously admitted that she was a "moonlighter," and did not feel that being a "moonlighter" was a big problem. "While I can still play and eat, I should play and eat more. When I am old, I won't be able to eat or play anymore. What's the point of saving so much money?" Sun Wenjie said that many of her friends around her agreed with her views, but everyone's spending bottom line was different. After deducting social security contributions, Sun Wenjie had about 3000 yuan left each month. She reserved 500 yuan for rent, and the remaining money was her liquid funds. Food and clothing usually accounted for three-quarters of her liquid funds. Every month, she couldn't help meeting up with friends two or three times. Each meal outside cost her more than 100 yuan under the AA system. If she also sang or went to a bar, 300 yuan would disappear in one night. Sun Wenjie believed that as a salaried worker, her speed of buying new clothes was relatively slow, and her self-control was relatively strong, at most buying one new piece of clothing per month. But the temptation of new clothes in the mall was something she could not resist. Sometimes she didn't originally intend to buy anything, but just tried on some clothes because they looked nice. After trying them on and seeing herself in the mirror, she spent several hundred yuan.
White-collar workers like Sun Wenjie, who have decent salaries but always fail to save money, are becoming fewer. According to the survey conducted by Wu You Qian Tu, 26.79% of the respondents' actual monthly income was around 2500 yuan, and 39.44% were between 2500-3500 yuan. The "moonlighters" who spent all their income were 7.91%, while those who spent recklessly were 30.6%. Moreover, 4.14% of the respondents not only failed to save money but were also "card slaves" (those heavily in debt due to credit cards).
Saving money requires "planned economy"
Representative figure: Yang Yang, 27 years old, working as an administrator in a real estate company in Kunming, with a monthly salary of over 2500 yuan, can regularly save 700 yuan each month. Currently, she has savings of about 20,000 yuan. Her philosophy towards money is "adopting a planned economy, saving money doesn't hinder enjoyment."
With the rise in prices and the change in young people's consumption patterns, more and more white-collar workers dare not be "moonlighters." The survey showed that 31.81% of the respondents said they could save 3-6 months' (including 6 months) salary within a year. The proportions of respondents who could save 1-3 months' (including 3 months) salary and less than 1 month's (including 1 month) salary were 27.49% and 7.72%, respectively. The proportions of respondents who could save 6-9 months' (including 9 months) salary and more than 9 months' salary were 15.2% and 6.6%, respectively. "Yang Yang," who loves beauty, has always been admired by her colleagues in the company because she not only dresses beautifully, eats well, and plays well, but also manages to save 700 yuan every month. "As long as you adopt a planned economy, you can save money without hindering enjoyment," Yang Yang feels that many people have misconceptions about saving money, thinking that if you want to save money, you must live frugally, not daring to eat, wear, or play. "But actually, as long as you allocate these things into your monthly expenses, you can achieve both."
Yang Yang is 27 years old. After graduating from university, she worked as an administrator in a real estate company in the city for 4 years, earning a monthly salary of over 2500 yuan. To keep up with the trends, Yang Yang also experienced a period of being a "half-month moonlighter." "Trends are what, they are where the money flows," Yang Yang said that in the past two years, she finally understood the essence of trends—where the money flows fastest and most, that direction is the trend. In the past few years, she could finish her monthly salary in half a month. Eye-catching clothes, hats, accessories, and various consumption venues tempted her wallet. Her most extravagant experience was buying two pairs of sandals and a skirt in one week, then living off the remaining 500 yuan for a whole month. "Fortunately, my home is in Kunming. When I run out of money, I can go home and mooch off meals or borrow some from my parents to tide me over."
After such a patchwork life for over a year, "One day, when I saw a friend changing to a new phone and I liked it, but I didn't have the money," Yang Yang said that moment she suddenly realized that maybe she should start saving money. At the beginning of saving money, Yang Yang was like many housewives, strictly calculating every expense. Breakfast cost 1 yuan for a steamed bun, lunch was within 10 yuan, and the money spent on clothes and pants each month did not exceed 300 yuan. After a few months, she had accumulated a considerable amount of surplus. "But saving money this way is too frustrating," Yang Yang, being young, couldn't help herself when she saw her friends changing their styles frequently. So she changed her saving plan. Every month when she received her salary, she first deposited 700 yuan, and the remaining money was freely allocated. If she didn't buy clothes that month, she could hang out with friends more often. If she went out to play that month and saw something she wanted to buy, she would put it in next month's consumption plan. This back-and-forth balance finally allowed Yang Yang to achieve both. Now, Yang Yang's savings are already around 20,000 yuan. She happily plans that next year when her salary increases, she will deposit an additional 200 yuan each month. After a few more years, she will mortgage herself a small apartment.
Mostly saving for buying a house and retirement
Representative figure: Liang Haitao, after drifting in Beijing for 3 years, decisively returned to Kunming. He currently works in sales at a large state-owned enterprise in Kunming, with an uncertain monthly income. "I just want to go home, save some money, buy a house, get married, and it's time to consider retirement issues."
Like Yang Yang, many white-collar workers save money primarily to buy a house. Fan Jiang, an interior designer at a decoration company near Nansheng Street, said he had been saving money for 3 years. Once he saves up 150,000 yuan, he will buy a house and get married to his girlfriend, planning for January 4, 2013.
According to the survey by Wu You Qian Tu, 34.37% of the respondents said they could save up 100,000 yuan within 3-5 years (including 5 years), 24.47% needed 5-10 years (including 10 years), and 18.79% needed 1-3 years (including 3 years). Only 1.3% of the respondents said they could save up this amount within one year or less (including one year). Regarding the purpose and motivation for saving money, 20.56% of the respondents said the biggest motivation was buying a house and renovating it, while 17.67% were saving for future life security (retirement and supporting parents). Another 11.72% and 11.25% were saving for investment management and marriage.
Liang Haitao, who just returned from Beijing to Kunming, stated that he came back home to reduce living costs in order to save money for buying a house. Liang Haitao graduated from university and worked as a salesperson in Kunming for one year. In 2008, he moved to Beijing and continued working in international sales at a joint venture company. During his three years in Beijing, his only feeling was that although his monthly salary was over 6000 yuan, his expenses were also high. He lived a tight life every month, barely saving about 1000 yuan. Relying on this small surplus to buy a house in Beijing was no different from a pipe dream. "You can drift around when you're young, but you can't drift forever," Liang Haitao thought carefully and finally decided to return home during the Spring Festival this year, "just to save some money at home, buy a house, get married, and it's time to consider retirement issues." Now, Liang Haitao works in sales at a large state-owned enterprise in the city and is negotiating a contract with companies from Thailand and other neighboring small countries. "If this deal goes through, I can at least save 10,000 to 20,000 yuan," maintaining this pace, in two or three years, he can achieve his goal of buying a house.
Li Jie, who works at an insurance company, has been married for a year. Although there is no pressure to buy a house, she and her husband still regularly deposit one person's salary into the bank each month. "On the one hand, it's for preparing for having a baby in the future, and on the other hand, it's for saving some retirement money for ourselves." Li Jie said that combined with her and her husband's monthly income of about 6000 yuan, although their company bought them pension insurance, considering the current skyrocketing price levels, relying solely on that pension in the future might not allow them to live comfortably. Therefore, they insisted on saving some money themselves as a precaution. For a 28-year-old person, many people think it is too early to consider retirement issues now, but Li Jie believes it is not early at all. "Money is saved bit by bit, starting early allows you to save more."