In the days leading up to Tet, while many families are busy shopping and preparing high feasts, for Ms. Do Lien Chi (Ninh Binh), Tet begins with a very familiar thing, sitting down, opening a small notebook and adding up each income and expenditure of the family.
For Ms. Chi, Tet this year has special meaning. This may be the last Tet that her family still has to worry about a large debt for buying land and building a house. After more than 13 years of living together, for the first time she truly feels looking forward to Tet.
According to Ms. Chi's hand calculation table, the total income of the couple in Tet month is 34.5 million VND. Of which, the wife's salary and bonus are about 20.5 million VND, and the husband's salary and bonus are about 14 million VND.
My husband and I are not well-educated, so we can only work as workers, the income is not high, but money must always be clear, we know how much we have, we don't spend it first and then worry later," Ms. Chi shared.
Every month, the salary of both husband and wife combined is 20 million VND, then the husband's salary is given to his wife for common expenses. For petty part-time jobs, from a few hundred thousand to one million VND, he sets aside for personal needs such as gasoline and phones.
In the Tet spending table, the total expenses of Ms. Chi's family are about 29 million VND. Most are essential expenses, repeated regularly for many years.
The family spent 19 million VND to pay off debts for buying land and building a house, this is the largest expense and also a pressure that has lasted for many years.
Tet expenses include giving grandparents and relatives money to buy pork; money for chicken, pork sausage, beef; money to visit neighbors for Tet, small fruits, each item 1 million VND; lucky money for grandparents on both sides 2 million VND.
Basic living expenses such as electricity, water, internet are about 1 million VND; extra classes for children are 1.5 million VND; gasoline, phone is about 500 thousand VND.
My family doesn't buy much. We mainly cook our own food. We take advantage of growing vegetables and raising a few more chickens. Not because of hardship, but because we are used to living like that," Ms. Chi said.
In particular, Ms. Chi's family almost doesn't eat out. Breakfast and dinner are both eaten at home. At noon, the couple eats at the company. Two children, a 13-year-old and an 8-year-old, ride their bicycles to their grandmother's house to eat.
The couple's work clothes are company uniforms. Children wear school uniforms according to school regulations both morning and afternoon, so the shopping costs are not much.
At the beginning of the school year, she set aside a full month's salary to take care of books, clothes, and tuition fees for her children, and then consider other expenses.
Knowing that my husband and I are still in debt, my grandmother loves us, so she takes care of lunch for the grandchildren. Occasionally, I buy more food, considering it sharing," Ms. Chi shared.
In Ms. Chi's family, money is not a taboo, but something that is put on the table to be clearly stated. She is the one who holds the key to the safe, but all expenses revolve around the common goal of raising children, paying debts, and keeping the roof stable.
Working as workers, my husband and I also have few parties and gatherings. Not because of stinginess, but because of the living environment and economic conditions that do not allow emotional spending. There is also no money in the house, only family money, thanks to that, the family is peaceful," she said.
