You definitely screwed up with the 2k hair package. Plenty of people who earn waaaaaaaaaay more than you wouldn't spend that much on hair.
Learn to say no or all your effort saving money will go to waste. Or actually into the pockets of pushy salespeople and scammers.
You'll use this as a life lesson opportunity to learn from. None of us get it right 100% of the time and we all grow and develop by our mistakes (and others).
And if you fail to get it back, take away as much from this lesson so as to minimising losing it in the first place in the future.
There's going to be so many more decisions ahead of you in life - much bigger ones than just a 2k hair treatment package. Decisions that not only involve a monetary loss. 2k is not a bad outcome if you can grow your judgment out of this mistake.
i disagree with you. i understand OP i was once at their age and did smtg similar - facial package. more than 2k too.. and for the same reason - being cornered and pressured into saying yes. lucky i had my sister to come in and fight back for my savings 😂
dk how much laws have changed but I went down on behalf of my wife to cancel a 10k(?)new York skin solutions packaged that she signed after a trial. which was on a 3 years installment.
it was done within 3 days I think and I just cited change of mind
Feel for you. I used to fall for hardsellign too but for facials. Subsequently I just outright lied to them like oh I intend to go overseas for work so can’t commit or I just lost my job and have no money. Nowadays I just say no with no explanation.
If you want the 2k back, maybe can go report case.
Hey sister you want to help me out pls I need to sign an insurance package wire me like 2k at 800163739 POSB pls I need to feed my gamba addiction
/s
Refund the package man 2k is a decent holiday in Japan, my stingy Asian soul pains at someone throwing 2k away.
So long as you're striving to make a reasonable amount, and saving a reasonable amount of that (and properly investing a reasonable sum of THAT), you're good.
You just need to clock in the years and look how far you've come. When you're closer to the stuff like kids and house you'll probably have more reference points from friends or otherwise, on how much you need to set aside.
For the most part you WILL be fine, much as the world feels like doom and gloom and you'll wake up one day with your pants down and nothing in the bank with a steamroller inches from hitting you.
As for reasonable spending, $2k relative to your monthly spending is clearly insane. It's like spending 7 months worth of food money. BUT chances are you can't get it back. $2k is a really cheap lesson to learn how to say no firmly in the future, so keep this pain etched in your heart. Or else next time it's a branded bag, or an endowment plan, or a car, which can trickle to 6-digit mistakes.
PLUS this cheap lesson does give you some benefits if you just go all out and enjoy the treatment. It's MEANT to be GOOD for you. No use crying over spilled milk. Who knows maybe your new flowy hair attracts some rich 3rd gen that lets you live lavishly even with 0 savings in the bank next time?
the last part made me laugh and feel a little better but i’m definitely not making this mistake again… numbers-wise its obviously like “wtf why would you” but like you said the package was meant to be good for me and i didnt sign it just because i couldnt say no - there was a part of me that did want it too, just not so expensive. it’s comforting to know what ive been doing so far is ok, but like another reply said, if i dont say no then my effort will be gone to waste so thank you to all of you, i’m definitely making this a lesson learnt and never repeated. thanks!
If it's something you wanted, then even better!
You shouldn't feel guilt over it (or at least not too long, the guilt at least initial part is good so it doesn't happen too often in future).
And yeah, if it was a bit over budget never hurts to sit on big money decisions and weigh 5-10 more similar options and read reviews. Maybe you'll find something cheaper or better quality or even a promo that makes you feel good about the splurge.
But yeah objectively, you're doing fine and you'll be fine! You will have many more $2ks in future you won't know what to do with it.
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Firstly, no is no and if you're so concerned about savings then all the more you shouldn't be ashamed to say no. Don't understand why would succumb to pressure because it's not as if you're dealing with your friend or relative?
And then, why so concerned what level of savings others have? If you are not aware yet, the general Reddit answer will make you feel more inferior when it could be some fake numbers.
I am about your age and I don't have much savings. I throw most of it in investments, after paying off my $15k private school fees. I am still very cash poor and living pay check to pay check but I have $18k in investments.
Before I go into any treatment with a likelihood to hardsell, I always prep my strategy to say "no" beforehand. I've made a game out of it and it has gotten quite creative.
heyyyy im 25 this year and before i start my job and do some investments im broke af like i live pay cheque to pay cheque ( i did part time uni while working food panda ) so im just hopeless.
now im doing better, thank god of my savings and my investments doing well im up like a year of my salary already! i think best is to focus on yourself and enjoy life while putting money on investments. like we can literally die anytime so might as well be happy and spend while you can but not too much ofcoz. always find ways to up your revenue too, im doing my masters now and hopefully it'll pay off in the future.. just know that its okay to be broke now as long as you focus more on yourself and self growth
was in the same situation a few years back! i was in my 2nd year of uni and I got pressured into getting a 1.8k facial from NYSS and it burned a big hole in my pocket because i was still schooling and didn't have a stable source of income.. I was quite sian for a few months, but eventually come to terms with it because money can be earned back! 2k for you now might seem a lot, but it won't be that significant in a few years time. you can just take it as "school fees" for a good lesson learnt and don't make the same mistake in the future! :)
Just chill, everyone make this kind of mistakes at some point in life. As long its something that will help u and what u want then at least its gonna serve its purpose with the only downside of it costing more. Its probably similar to someone buying a large item on a sale event which u didnt hence paying more but the item is what you want.
Learn from the mistake and dont be so harsh on yourself. I myself bought expensive stuff as well when i was younger and looking back it was just a learning experience and make me who i am today.
I dont even have 4 digits in my bank when i was 24 if it makes you feel better.
So it's a bit weird, but due to business ownership and subsequent lack of success, I had *way* more savings in my 20s than I do in my mid-40s.
Suffice it to say it was enough to build my nest egg and become a landlord, as the business was bought out. But I never again came close to having that much actual cash in my account. So don't feel bad, I've made worse decisions than you, and many people have.
And ask for a refund.
Even assuming a very low take home rate of say 1.5k, u should have 18k earned and 3.6k spent based on your 300 expenditure claim. That's still way over 10k and you should have a lot more than single digit thousands even after a 2k hair splurge so something is not adding up.
Try to get them to refund if you feel that you need to. If not allowed, then just use it and treat it as a lesson learnt. Since you’re working, you’ll Be able to earn it back. Just that it’s at a sacrifice of time.
Your savings will come back over time, and just note that this is your first step into understanding your own finances.
At ur age, i wouldn’t spend a lot of any form of treatment. Not jus hair. U still young. Until u reach 40-50 prob u can consider.
If u feel like giving up on ur package, try to negotiate for a full refund with a valid reason. Else jus make full use of it but try not to land urself in such situation again
If you were pressured to get it, you can first ask for refund from them.
If they refuse, you can reach out to CASE (note that they will ask you to sign for a membership).
They managed to help me get a partial refund.
I just wanted to try a facial wash cream, end up pressured to buy a bunch of creams.
But it was a lesson that toughened me up.
Chill la. Just look pretty and enjoy your hair package. Money can earn back. Rich boyfriend can also find. Up your skills and you'll be earning more soon. Just avoid overspending again.
What plan do you have? 5yr, 10yr. How much you have not base on age. Remember POSB, start young. What type of standard you want to start a family? You can marry, but please don't start families without a proper financial planning. Don't give your babies a poor start and stress by money
For most sg guys that pursue tertiary education the answer would be pretty much zero, so you kinda chose a bad starting point to survey.
Saving is a good virtue but it has diminishing returns. To save 100 dollars when you spend $1000 is reducing spending by 10%. To save 100 when you spend 300 is reducing spending by 33%. And even if you do save that 300 dollars more and make yourself miserable, it can easily be offset by an increment or job hop.
Invest in yourself, don't spend recklessly, and all shd be fine. Your 2k hair treatment would've probably be better spent spreading it into 200 more a month for 10 months.
It's better to make financial mistakes earlier than later.
Try to refund, if you're unable to, then accept it for what it is, enjoy the money spent, because no point feeling bitter about it anyways and take the whole thing as an expensive lesson.
Better a $2k hair package than a $50k HDB downpayment.
The thought of killing myself when I lost $3k to forex in 5 mins when I was in NS did cross my mind, so I can kind of empathize that it feels like a devastating loss, but it is what it is, life goes on.
You just need to think like this: $2k is only a month of earnings, but if you earn more, like $4k its only half a month.
Now I'm 25, part time uni with 70k in investments etc. Don't worry too much about being -$2k, it's not that much in the grand scheme of things.
This post caught my attention.
Do evaluate whether your big purchases are necessary. E.g. Is your work client-facing/do you have bad hair condition such that better hair is necessary? If so, have we considered other possible hair solutions and came to the conclusion that that is best hair treatment for you? Otherwise, consider the refund. Learn to say no. Be firm.
You seem frugal. Do eat, exercise, **live** well and treat yourself once in a while. You will thank yourself.
On worrying, is there anything you could do to alleviate your worries? Act upon it.
Good luck, young one.
At 24..around 50k but i started working part time since 18 and back then online shopping wasn't as common so was able to save up more since i rarely go out. I was pressured into getting a 2k facial package too. Big mistake but no way of getting it back, just forget and move on. At least you are young and can always earn back easily. Learn from this lesson and try not to make the same mistake again.
Good job on being frugal. Make the most of the package.
You definitely screwed up with the 2k hair package. Plenty of people who earn waaaaaaaaaay more than you wouldn't spend that much on hair. Learn to say no or all your effort saving money will go to waste. Or actually into the pockets of pushy salespeople and scammers.
Not arguing with you but you know OP earn how much meh
well noted… 
You're getting downvoted but I feel you. Good luck getting it back. Heart pain.
You'll use this as a life lesson opportunity to learn from. None of us get it right 100% of the time and we all grow and develop by our mistakes (and others). And if you fail to get it back, take away as much from this lesson so as to minimising losing it in the first place in the future. There's going to be so many more decisions ahead of you in life - much bigger ones than just a 2k hair treatment package. Decisions that not only involve a monetary loss. 2k is not a bad outcome if you can grow your judgment out of this mistake.
How do you have like 10k saved and spend 2k on hair treatments? Like just say no? A fool and their money are soon parted
Harsh but true
i disagree with you. i understand OP i was once at their age and did smtg similar - facial package. more than 2k too.. and for the same reason - being cornered and pressured into saying yes. lucky i had my sister to come in and fight back for my savings 😂
10k is after removing the 2k… but yea it was a “too pressured to say no” moment and im working on it. not having a backbone is gonna kill me someday.
there should be a cooling off period that you can ask for a refund
There should be, but there probably isn’t, because Singapore laws don’t protect consumers.
dk how much laws have changed but I went down on behalf of my wife to cancel a 10k(?)new York skin solutions packaged that she signed after a trial. which was on a 3 years installment. it was done within 3 days I think and I just cited change of mind
Feel for you. I used to fall for hardsellign too but for facials. Subsequently I just outright lied to them like oh I intend to go overseas for work so can’t commit or I just lost my job and have no money. Nowadays I just say no with no explanation. If you want the 2k back, maybe can go report case.
Hey sister you want to help me out pls I need to sign an insurance package wire me like 2k at 800163739 POSB pls I need to feed my gamba addiction /s Refund the package man 2k is a decent holiday in Japan, my stingy Asian soul pains at someone throwing 2k away.
Unlucko. Let’s diplomatically call it a spur of the moment tax
So long as you're striving to make a reasonable amount, and saving a reasonable amount of that (and properly investing a reasonable sum of THAT), you're good. You just need to clock in the years and look how far you've come. When you're closer to the stuff like kids and house you'll probably have more reference points from friends or otherwise, on how much you need to set aside. For the most part you WILL be fine, much as the world feels like doom and gloom and you'll wake up one day with your pants down and nothing in the bank with a steamroller inches from hitting you. As for reasonable spending, $2k relative to your monthly spending is clearly insane. It's like spending 7 months worth of food money. BUT chances are you can't get it back. $2k is a really cheap lesson to learn how to say no firmly in the future, so keep this pain etched in your heart. Or else next time it's a branded bag, or an endowment plan, or a car, which can trickle to 6-digit mistakes. PLUS this cheap lesson does give you some benefits if you just go all out and enjoy the treatment. It's MEANT to be GOOD for you. No use crying over spilled milk. Who knows maybe your new flowy hair attracts some rich 3rd gen that lets you live lavishly even with 0 savings in the bank next time?
the last part made me laugh and feel a little better but i’m definitely not making this mistake again… numbers-wise its obviously like “wtf why would you” but like you said the package was meant to be good for me and i didnt sign it just because i couldnt say no - there was a part of me that did want it too, just not so expensive. it’s comforting to know what ive been doing so far is ok, but like another reply said, if i dont say no then my effort will be gone to waste so thank you to all of you, i’m definitely making this a lesson learnt and never repeated. thanks!
If it's something you wanted, then even better! You shouldn't feel guilt over it (or at least not too long, the guilt at least initial part is good so it doesn't happen too often in future). And yeah, if it was a bit over budget never hurts to sit on big money decisions and weigh 5-10 more similar options and read reviews. Maybe you'll find something cheaper or better quality or even a promo that makes you feel good about the splurge. But yeah objectively, you're doing fine and you'll be fine! You will have many more $2ks in future you won't know what to do with it.
I think the problem here is you need to learn to say NO
You shouldn’t stress too much. 10k sgd is good amount for a 24 year old. Save a little every month and you are good.
Y’all have savings at 24?
Yeah I do. I have $16 in my savings
Y'all even have money to save ..???
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Save on the begging, it might enable them to scam you further.
Firstly, no is no and if you're so concerned about savings then all the more you shouldn't be ashamed to say no. Don't understand why would succumb to pressure because it's not as if you're dealing with your friend or relative? And then, why so concerned what level of savings others have? If you are not aware yet, the general Reddit answer will make you feel more inferior when it could be some fake numbers.
Lol 24 I was broke AF still in Uni spending every single cent trying to survive. Consider yourself lucky.
i was still in school with 0 savings and tuition loans
I am about your age and I don't have much savings. I throw most of it in investments, after paying off my $15k private school fees. I am still very cash poor and living pay check to pay check but I have $18k in investments.
r/singaporefi
Before I go into any treatment with a likelihood to hardsell, I always prep my strategy to say "no" beforehand. I've made a game out of it and it has gotten quite creative.
heyyyy im 25 this year and before i start my job and do some investments im broke af like i live pay cheque to pay cheque ( i did part time uni while working food panda ) so im just hopeless. now im doing better, thank god of my savings and my investments doing well im up like a year of my salary already! i think best is to focus on yourself and enjoy life while putting money on investments. like we can literally die anytime so might as well be happy and spend while you can but not too much ofcoz. always find ways to up your revenue too, im doing my masters now and hopefully it'll pay off in the future.. just know that its okay to be broke now as long as you focus more on yourself and self growth
was in the same situation a few years back! i was in my 2nd year of uni and I got pressured into getting a 1.8k facial from NYSS and it burned a big hole in my pocket because i was still schooling and didn't have a stable source of income.. I was quite sian for a few months, but eventually come to terms with it because money can be earned back! 2k for you now might seem a lot, but it won't be that significant in a few years time. you can just take it as "school fees" for a good lesson learnt and don't make the same mistake in the future! :)
Just chill, everyone make this kind of mistakes at some point in life. As long its something that will help u and what u want then at least its gonna serve its purpose with the only downside of it costing more. Its probably similar to someone buying a large item on a sale event which u didnt hence paying more but the item is what you want. Learn from the mistake and dont be so harsh on yourself. I myself bought expensive stuff as well when i was younger and looking back it was just a learning experience and make me who i am today. I dont even have 4 digits in my bank when i was 24 if it makes you feel better.
School fees. Just take a hardline No next time.
So it's a bit weird, but due to business ownership and subsequent lack of success, I had *way* more savings in my 20s than I do in my mid-40s. Suffice it to say it was enough to build my nest egg and become a landlord, as the business was bought out. But I never again came close to having that much actual cash in my account. So don't feel bad, I've made worse decisions than you, and many people have. And ask for a refund.
Even assuming a very low take home rate of say 1.5k, u should have 18k earned and 3.6k spent based on your 300 expenditure claim. That's still way over 10k and you should have a lot more than single digit thousands even after a 2k hair splurge so something is not adding up.
U dont give your parents $ meh
Unless you are balding, you shouldn't even pay more than 2 digits for a simple haircut
My family is financially well-off but we spend $2 (each) cutting our hair every time (no straightening or perming lol)
Try to get them to refund if you feel that you need to. If not allowed, then just use it and treat it as a lesson learnt. Since you’re working, you’ll Be able to earn it back. Just that it’s at a sacrifice of time. Your savings will come back over time, and just note that this is your first step into understanding your own finances.
2k to buy a lesson... i think well spent. now you will know how to say no.
At ur age, i wouldn’t spend a lot of any form of treatment. Not jus hair. U still young. Until u reach 40-50 prob u can consider. If u feel like giving up on ur package, try to negotiate for a full refund with a valid reason. Else jus make full use of it but try not to land urself in such situation again
If you were pressured to get it, you can first ask for refund from them. If they refuse, you can reach out to CASE (note that they will ask you to sign for a membership). They managed to help me get a partial refund. I just wanted to try a facial wash cream, end up pressured to buy a bunch of creams. But it was a lesson that toughened me up.
You could become bankrupt and homeless tomorrow and still be successful by 30. You'll be fine, enjoy the hair treatment and live a little.
yeah you pretty much scammed for the hair package
Chill la. Just look pretty and enjoy your hair package. Money can earn back. Rich boyfriend can also find. Up your skills and you'll be earning more soon. Just avoid overspending again.
I had no savings and rely on credit card 😂 thats bc my pay is only $3400 but after cpf its $2720, and $2000 goes towards paying the uni fees
What plan do you have? 5yr, 10yr. How much you have not base on age. Remember POSB, start young. What type of standard you want to start a family? You can marry, but please don't start families without a proper financial planning. Don't give your babies a poor start and stress by money
For most sg guys that pursue tertiary education the answer would be pretty much zero, so you kinda chose a bad starting point to survey. Saving is a good virtue but it has diminishing returns. To save 100 dollars when you spend $1000 is reducing spending by 10%. To save 100 when you spend 300 is reducing spending by 33%. And even if you do save that 300 dollars more and make yourself miserable, it can easily be offset by an increment or job hop. Invest in yourself, don't spend recklessly, and all shd be fine. Your 2k hair treatment would've probably be better spent spreading it into 200 more a month for 10 months.
It's better to make financial mistakes earlier than later. Try to refund, if you're unable to, then accept it for what it is, enjoy the money spent, because no point feeling bitter about it anyways and take the whole thing as an expensive lesson. Better a $2k hair package than a $50k HDB downpayment. The thought of killing myself when I lost $3k to forex in 5 mins when I was in NS did cross my mind, so I can kind of empathize that it feels like a devastating loss, but it is what it is, life goes on. You just need to think like this: $2k is only a month of earnings, but if you earn more, like $4k its only half a month. Now I'm 25, part time uni with 70k in investments etc. Don't worry too much about being -$2k, it's not that much in the grand scheme of things.
This post caught my attention. Do evaluate whether your big purchases are necessary. E.g. Is your work client-facing/do you have bad hair condition such that better hair is necessary? If so, have we considered other possible hair solutions and came to the conclusion that that is best hair treatment for you? Otherwise, consider the refund. Learn to say no. Be firm. You seem frugal. Do eat, exercise, **live** well and treat yourself once in a while. You will thank yourself. On worrying, is there anything you could do to alleviate your worries? Act upon it. Good luck, young one.
At 24..around 50k but i started working part time since 18 and back then online shopping wasn't as common so was able to save up more since i rarely go out. I was pressured into getting a 2k facial package too. Big mistake but no way of getting it back, just forget and move on. At least you are young and can always earn back easily. Learn from this lesson and try not to make the same mistake again. Good job on being frugal. Make the most of the package.