In the first 6 months of 2022, the impact of the pandemic and price storms affected young people’s consumption plans.
Many people said they no longer set a goal of material ownership, such as buying a house or buying a car. Instead, they seek experiences that bring spiritual and intellectual value, for this makes life more meaningful and complete.
sing spoke to 4 young people to hear everyone’s story about ‘worth the money’ spending in the first half of the past year.
Thuy Tien (23 years old, HCMC) – 6.5 million VND to take her mother on a trip
My mother works as a tailor and often gets products at home to process and then deliver to customers. Besides going to the market and eating out occasionally, my mother usually stays at home to support the family.
For a long time I always hoped to be able to take my mother on a trip with my own money. But that is the wish, which I can hardly fulfill because I get entangled in the circle of studying and working. My mother and I have never been far away from each other for many years.
At the beginning of this year I quit my job after 4 years of working. Mother’s orders are also declining. Both mother and daughter have more free time and the plan for a trip to Dalat starts here.
For the first time, Thuy Tien took care of all travel expenses for herself and her mother.
As a wish I “sponsor” everything for this trip every year.
The journey of 3 days and 2 nights of mother and daughter gave me indescribable happiness. Not only did I let go of all the pressure, but I also felt more connected to my mother.
The cool and fresh climate in Da Lat also helps to improve the mother’s health to some extent. I realized that my mother’s happiness is also my happiness. After the trip, I am more motivated to earn money so that I can take my mother to more places in the future.
Spending money on loved ones, especially after the severe epidemic period of the old year, makes me feel absolutely worth it.
Chu Linh (22 years old, Hanoi) – 2 million VND for courses
I am a graduate student majoring in languages, but have a passion and foray into marketing. In the first half of this year, I spent 2 million VND on courses in this field with the desire to develop myself and do my job.
Chu Linh keeps 30% of monthly income to invest in professional improvement courses.
That’s why I followed a number of courses on LinkedIn. I usually try the free version first. If I find myself suitable in terms of content and time, I opt for a long-term study.
The study costs amount to about 30% of my monthly income. This money is in the free spending fund I set up earlier, and it doesn’t affect my day-to-day life. In the future I will be taking more classes on business analytics.
In the past 6 months I have bought many expensive items over 2 million VND. But for me, spending on education is always the most valuable.
I have no regrets or regrets about investing in knowledge. These courses help me improve my professional capacity and develop some skills such as content writing, photo editing, etc.
I don’t have a lot of experience working in the marketing field, but I’m still very confident because I have a good grasp of the theory. I believe I can apply this knowledge in real work.
Minh Lan (26 years old, HCMC) – VND 8 million for vaccination
For me, the first half of this year is the ideal time to travel when the distance is no longer due to the epidemic. However, I don’t spend too much and only go to a few points in the country. Instead, I choose to invest in my health.
I used to not care much about health problems. I believe that when I have a disease I go for treatment, not much attention is paid to prevention.
But as I went through the recent Covid-19 epidemic, “groping” the feeling of being sick, I learned to value myself more.
Minh Lan believes that nothing is more valuable than investing in current health.
I started learning about dangerous diseases, with a high risk of death, there were preventive vaccines to visit doctors early and vaccinations.
At the end of March, on the advice of a doctor, I spent about 8 million VND to vaccinate the adult vaccine combination.
Essential injections include flu, pneumococcal, pertussis, diphtheria vaccines… to increase airway resistance and protect the lungs.
Among them, some injections may cause pain, should be injected separately according to the doctor’s prescription. The rest of the injections can be given at the same time, it won’t be long before I go to the hospital.
Vaccination is not only to protect yourself, but also to protect those around you. So this is definitely one of my most valuable expenses, not just for 6 months, but for the whole year.
Thuy Nga (30 years old, Hanoi) – almost 100 million VND for a trip to Europe
At the beginning of this year, I had just finished the house, so I don’t plan to spend on travel. But one day, when I was introduced to Europe by a colleague, I decided to apply for a visa and prepare to leave.
After 2 years of the epidemic, I can no longer “bury my feet” at home. I haven’t been to Europe either so was excited to explore this place.
With a passion for travel, the young girl is not afraid to invest in long journeys.
Indeed, after the trip, I confirm that this is the most valuable expense in the first 6 months of my year.
I used my savings for a 2 week trip to Italy and Switzerland. The total cost ranges from 90-100 million dong excluding shopping. This is also the largest amount I have ever paid for travel.
The journey has brought me many positive meanings. I met many people who shared the same passion for traveling, visiting beautiful architectures, beautiful natural landscapes and trying new foods.
I feel even better after the trip because I walk 10 km every day.
Most importantly, after my days in Europe, I feel that with only dreams and efforts, people can always turn dreams into reality. This will be the stepping stone for me to continue my journey to explore the world.
