Just god damn learned that my cousin gets 15000 dollars a month as her allowance. Granted, this is New Taiwan Dollar (currency used in Taiwan), and equates to about 400 dollars, US. But still, given the low cost of food/clothing/everything in Taiwan, it’s a HELL lot of money. A typical office secretary would earn maybe 30000 New Taiwan Dollars a month. Hell, 15000 is all that some people have to survive on every month (and comfortably, too). And dammit, this is allowance, the money she gets to play with after mommy pays for her college tuition/costs of living.
I guess that makes my daughter a spoiled bitch too, since we’re buying her a car and the payment is about $400/month. And that’s on top of letting her live in our house rent-free and feeding her and buying her shampoo and stuff.
Not that what I give my daughter is anyone’s business… <shrug>
But it’s a different country with a different economy system. In Taiwan, where the minimum wage is around 50NT (bit more than a buck), the 15000NT a month allowance is damned outrageous. BTW, the cousin and her mother both lives in Taiwan, not sure if it was stated in the OP. Another reason why I’m pissed is because the mom, a single parent, earns maybe 80000NT a month from her job as a stock analyst.
So - you’re saying a fair chunk of your aunt’s earning go towards the cousin’s allowance? If that’s the family’s only income, that seems a bit much. Clarify for us, gubernator - I’m unclear as to why you’re distressed about the allowance.
Yeah Blonde, the aunt’s salary is their family’s only source of income. I’m pissed because it is way too much allowance for a college aged kid who can very well earn her own money. The economy of Taiwan is different from the US’s, so maybe the 15000NT, equivalent of $400 dollars, don’t seem much to people from the US. But think about it, her mother, a senior stock analyst (which is a high level managerial job), earns 80000 NT a month.
The U.S equivalent of this situation would be like a senior manager of a big company, who earns say, 100,000 Dollars a year, giving his kid almost 20% (15/80) of his salary to his kid as allowance. Not to feed the kid or pay for the education, but just as allowance, money to toss around and play with.
It seems a bit odd, but why exactly are you so distressed?
I can see being a little concerned about your aunt’s child rearing techniques and the possible “spoiling” of this cousin, but other than that, I fail to see how it is anything to you.
Devil’s advocate: would YOU spend 20% of your income on one child, especially when you are the SOLE source of income in your household, and that money could be so much better spent making sure you and the REST of your family has a roof over their heads and food on their plates and clothes on their backs, AND you’re already paying their way through college?
Jeez, folks, how obvious could it be that he’s jealous?
Hell, I’m jealous. Not, you know, jealous enough to start a Pit thread or something, but sure, I’d like to get lots of money just for being my wonderful self.
No, but this isn’t about me. It isn’t my household, it isn’t my hard-earned money that is being pissed away on allowance. And, as far as I can tell, it isn’t the OP’s either.
I can understand the OP being concerned about the aunt spoiling this cousin. Because that’s a lot of money. But what, exactly, is being taken away from the OP? Would the OP get the money if the spoiled cousin wasn’t getting it? I am not understanding the extreme emotion. But then again, maybe the cousin is a spoiled bitch with an extreme sense of entitlement—something that would, I can imagine, start to grate on the nerves.
My point was that MAYBE (and this is pure speculation) the OP is concerned about the quality of life for the rest of his aunt’s family. It could be that OP is afraid that they’re going without, or not living as well as they could, or scrimping unnecessarily, because of what his/her cousin is getting.
Then again, the OP isn’t giving the aunt any of the culpability, which I’d expect (s)he would do if that were the case (unless the OP IS tacitly blaming the spoiling on the aunt). Could be jealousy, I dunno.
:shrug: But we don’t know that. We don’t know anything. I suspect that if the OP’s aunt’s entire family was wearing rags while the cousin was living it up, then the OP would have mentioned that fact right away. But I await the OP’s input on this matter.
This strikes me as someone who is perhaps too concerned about how another household spends their money. Now, to a point, this is understandable—it’s tough to see someone spoil their kid, especially if (a big “if” and guess on my part) if that kid is becoming really obnoxious. But as long as the rest of the family is not suffering, it really isn’t anyone else’s business.
She’s pretty unpleasant, even before receiving this sort of allowance.
I suppose I am concerned about the aunt’s money, since it is pretty wasteful. Interesting question on why I’m pissed, though, since the aunt tossing her money down the drain don’t affect me much. Now that I thought about it, I never did like that cousin of mine very much. Oh well.
You take care of yourself, Gubernator. What fucking business is it of yours what your aunt does with HER money. You come off as bitter and jealous. There are kids over here that get allowances greater than that. Some of them are spoiled brats. Some of them are appreciative, and go on to do quite well.
I fail to understand why you are even letting this bother you. Would your life be any different if your cousin did not get a parental stipend
Awww, bitter and jealous? So what? I’ll be god damn pissed about what I want to be pissed about.
It’s bothering me because it’s money wasted. A close relative wasting her money, or doing anything stupid, will be affecting other members of the family. If the say, grandfather, or one of the other old people gets sick (practically a monthly event), and will require large sums of cash for medication/surgery, guess who’ll not be able to fork out as much cash, eh?
Actually, something similar happened to me with my grandmother’s inheritance. My share was higher than all my other cousins. About $3800 compared to $1600. I told no one, figuring it was no one’s business. My Mom had to open her big mouth about it to my sister, when I was there! I gave her a dirty look. I don’t know how my sister feels. I hope there is no jealosy, but I am not too concerned if there is.
Still, what I get is my business. Hopefully, your cousin is not one to brag about her income. If she is really on the ball, she should be saving some of it. When I was that age, I sure did not.
Nah, pretty much all the money’s spent on clothing and “gifts” for her friends. Strange as hell, since my entire wardrobe is probably worth less than one month’s worth of her allowance.
I just love sitting in the caffeteria at college for breakfast in the morning, reading the paper, working on homework, and overhearing people bitch about other people’s allowance.
Especially when these people go on to describe how they have a weakness for a certain type of $250 handbag, and yes, mommy and daddy foot the bill. And then they talk about how spoiled their siblings and how parents are willing to pay for a siblings $2000 dollar summer camp which earns college credit by the way, “just because they work harder in school than I do.”
