LOW salaries, high living costs and difficulties trying to save are the top three reasons some urban middle-income families are struggling to get their children ready for the 2018 school year.

Some work overtime or wait for year-end bonuses for the extra cash to buy what their children need for the new schooling session which begins next month.

Siti Marlina Abdul Rashid said her family from Bukit Jalil will need close to RM1,000 for her three school-going children.

“My husband and I make a gross monthly income of RM5,000. You can imagine how hard we have to work for extra money because our monthly income is just enough for us to get by.

“But I am lucky because I get a year-end bonus based on my work performance,” said the 38-year-old Pos Malaysia employee, who has worked there for about 20 years.

“We have to set a budget because things are getting more expensive every day. Groceries are also getting more expensive. Everything has an impact on our lives,” she told The Malaysian Insight, adding that each child only gets one new set of school uniform.

Year-end spending for parents with school-going children comes as the latest consumer price index (CPI) for October went up 3.7% to 120, compared to 115.7 in the same month last year.

Among the major groups with large increases were transport (+12.1%) and household maintenance (+2.6%) and health (+2.4%).

The CPI for food & non-alcoholic beverages, which accounted for 30.2% in the CPI weight, also increased by 4.4% in October. 

The Malaysian Insight also surveyed large malls in the Klang Valley for back-to-school sales. 

The baju kurung uniform starts as low as RM30, while school shoes can be as cheap as RM10 a pair.

But despite of the seemingly low prices, mother-of-two V. Shantamary is also paying more for her children’s schooling needs. Part of it is the fact that some cheaper brands do not last the wear and tear.

Despite a combined income of about RM10,000 a month, the bank officer from Puchong said she and her husband also depend on her year-end bonus as well as overtime to buy back-to-school supplies.

To make sure the family have enough to spend on school necessities as prices of most goods have increased, the 40-year-old said they have slashed their Christmas celebration budget and scrapped their family holiday plans.

“The basics, like uniforms and shoes, already cost RM600. I bought each child four sets of uniforms and two pairs of shoes because they don’t last. We haven’t added the other things they will need. 

“Even with our household income, it is very difficult to save money. We’ve slashed our Christmas budget, so we can cut down on expenses.

“We also don’t go on holidays any more if we are to save money. Unless we can plan the family getaways early to make sure we can afford the expenses,” she said.

Shantamary’s family invest a lot on the children’s education. Last year, she spent RM4,000 on each child for uniforms, books, pocket money and transport to school in one year.

“This year, we budgeted about RM5,000 per child. I prefer to buy branded uniforms and shoes because they are of better quality and last longer.”

Single mother Irma Arissa Sharuddin said being forced to live apart from her children because of the high cost of providing for their education and living expenses was the price she had to pay to continue supporting them.

The 32-year-old said her children live in her hometown of Kampar, Perak, to save costs while she works at Selayang Hospital as a medical assistant.

“After my divorce, I had to send them back to the kampung because it would be too expensive to have them living in Kuala Lumpur with me. I can’t afford to send them to a sitter.

“So, I just work and work, while I live on my own. The hospital is like my first home,” she said.

Irma gets alimony of RM600 a month from her former husband. She also earns about RM500 a month as an Uber driver after work.

This year, it will be even harder to scrape out the RM1,000 she needs to spend on her three children’s school supplies.

“My hospital job earns me less than RM3,000. It is hardly enough,” she said.

“So, the Uber money helps to just make ends meet.” – December 12, 2017.