PETALING JAYA: At 5pm sharp every day, clerk Badrishah Bani, 43, rushes off from his office to start his second job – as a petrol station attendant.
Being the sole breadwinner of his family, Badrishah said he had no choice but to take up another job to make ends meet, following the increase in petrol prices.
Proper planning: Badrishah summing up his utility bills as he tries to match his household expenses to his monthly income.
The father of three said on average, the total household expenditure was RM100 or more per day.
“With RM3,000, how is it possible to pay for everything?” he said.
He said his previous RM500 expenditure on groceries per month had increased by at least 20%.
“Although essential items such as chicken and vegetables have gone up by only a couple of sen, it still accounts for a lot of money accumulatively,” said Badrishah.
However, he has refuses to cut down on his food bill, as he believed there should always be food on the table.
All entertainment and holidays for his family have been put on hold to ensure there was sufficient pocket money for his children, two of whom are studying.
On loan repayments for his car and house, Badrishah said this alone took up RM850, while another RM1,000 was spent on household utility bills.
Meanwhile, a single mother has resorted to setting up a stall selling breakfast near her house in Cheras since the fuel price increase.
The mother of three, who only wanted to be known as Mary, said she had to wake up at 4am to start preparing the food to be sold.
Her 25-year-old daughter, who earns RM800 a month working as a part-time waitress, helps her out at the stall.
Previously, Mary only relied on the RM680 from her husband’s pension.
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