Nobody can tell you how to live your life, this is true! Why? Because you know yourself best! In my ‘Survival Chic 101 (Tier 2)’, my recommendation is that you think about what it is that you require to keep your job in terms of:

FOOD AND WATER

1. How many meals do you need to eat to have energy? For example, do you feel peckish and need snacks in the afternoon to keep from falling asleep at your work desk?
2. What food do you need to eat so you have energy to do your job? Some people can survive on salads, but some people need a hearty plate of rice!
3. Is your body constitution weak? Are you constantly at the Doctors? Will supplements and tonics keep you from falling sick?
4. Are you one who can eat a quick meal at the hawkers and go, or are you the kind who needs to sit down in an air-conditioned place, and chew your food slowly before swallowing?

WORK CLOTHES AND SHOES

1. What is the nature of your job? Is it alright to have a few work clothes staple, or you need to dress up for your job? You need to dress as the job requires, right?
2. Look around at your work peers. Do you need to wear designer clothes for your job, just like them? Or is it alright to wear generic brand clothes, just like them? Do you feel too inferior if you don’t dress yourself in fancy labels? Look around, what is the norm in the department that you work in?
3. Taking into account your work hours, do you have time to hand-wash your expensive label clothes? Do your clothes need to be ironed? Do you need to factor in a laundry and drycleaning budget as well?

TRANSPORTATION

1. Do you feel very uncomfortable in a stuffy and packed train or bus? Do you think it is better to wake up earlier to miss the crowd?
2. Do you need to lug a ton of paperwork home? Do you need to carry your laptop all day to attend external meetings? Can you get a seat in the hours that you are travelling in, so you can rest the weight of these items on your lap? Why don’t you change your traveling hours?
3. Will you suffer from neck and shoulder ache if you keep holding these weights to and from work on a daily basis? Will such aches affect your work performance?

Remember – you are in the best position to decide what you need to ‘survive’ in your job. Realistically, you should be in a job that pays you enough to meet your basic needs stated above. Dear reader, we are now deciding on the minimum budget you need to continue doing the job that is important for your survival! Keeping the job is your priority! Forget about your dreams and ideals, focus on reality!

没有人能告诉你如何过你的生活，这是真的！为什么？因为你最了解你自己！在这段‘生存之道一零一 （层二）’，我建议你考虑关于：

食物和水

（一） 你需要吃多少食物才有力做你的工作？你下午需要吃零食吗？ 如果不吃零食，你会不会在办公桌上打瞌睡？

（二） 你需要吃什么种食物，才有力做你的工作？有些人可以吃沙拉，但有些人一定要吃米饭！

（三） 你的身体体质虚弱吗？你是不是经常看医生， 拿病假？补充剂和滋补品能让你强壮一点吗？ 你不能老是那病假呀！ 你要守护你的工作！

（四） 你可以在小贩中心快快吃一餐吗？ 或者你是那种需要坐在比较舒服的， 有冷气的食閣慢慢咀嚼食物的人？

工作服和鞋子

（一） 你的工作是什么？穿你衣橱里的那几件工作服足够吗？ 还是你的工作需要打扮？

（二） 跟你的同事相比，他们在穿名牌服装吗？ 你也需要买名牌吗？ 穿普通品牌的衣服行吗？如果你不穿着华丽的标签，你觉得自卑吗？ 你可以接受吗？ 四处看看你旁边的几个同事， 他们是什么穿法？ 你和他们穿得差不多吗？

（三） 考虑你的工作时间，你有没有时间用手洗你昂贵的名牌衣服？如果没有， 你需要衣服干洗预算吗？

搭车

（一） 在闷热的地铁或公共巴上，你感到非常不舒服吗？你可以考虑早上早点起床， 如果早时间搭车， 人群会少很多。

（二） 你需要每天把大量的工作文件抗回家吗？你是否需要整天携带笔记本电脑参加在公司外举办的会议？你坐公车有座位吗？ 这样你就可以将这些称重的物品放在你大腿上。 没有这么累！

（三） 你每天背着这些称重的物品上下班，你的颈部和肩膀会疼痛吗？ 为了守护你的工作， 你别逞强！

理论上，你‘单身汉’处于一个决定‘生存之道’的最佳位置，因为你只需要考虑你自己！在理想的情况下，你的工作足以满足你上述考虑的基本生存需要。请记住，我们现在正在决定你生存所需的最低预算！切记： 保持工作是你的首要任务！ 没有稳定的工作收入， 别谈什么理想梦想！ 实际吧！

In my opinion, once kids are involved, ‘Survival Chic 101 (Tier 2)’ gets really hard to implement. Correct? Look around us! 👀 Even people who are rich, who have stable and good-paying jobs, who have maids and who have grandparents’ help looking after the kids still argue over the care and welfare of the kids! But I don’t blame them. I know all the disagreements stem from wanting the best for the children! So I know for sure that Tier 2 is especially hard to implement, when a couple is broke and have no external source of help! 😰 Double whammy! 💥💥 The best advice that I can give you is that your family mix with ‘your kind’. What do I mean? You know in Singapore, there are many affluent families. You know those whose children grew up in condominiums and played in private playgrounds, and have their ‘own’ swimming pools (complete with water guns and water jets). 🏊🏄⛲🎠 Just curious, but I wonder if they have ever seen a public pool? 🤔 Anyway, don’t go and subject yourself to ‘competition’ when you and your spouse are still struggling over money. I’ve seen parents with children as young as 5 years old enrol their kids in private baking classes. These parents are doing well (obviously!),  and they can take leave from work to join their kids in ‘Mummy-Child’ baking workshops. They put on matching aprons and baking hats. 🍩🍪🎂🍰 Come on!  Ordinary mummies like us put our babies in infant care, we still need to bring office work home to do, then we need to do housework, and then we still have to teach schoolwork to our other children!! We are not that ‘caliber’, so please don’t stress you and your spouse out when the both of you are already struggling! 😓 So I say hang out with your ‘own kind’!

You will get there someday, but not now! Be realistic and practical!

在我看来，一旦有了孩子， ‘生存之道一零一 （层二）’真的很难实行。对吗？ 怎么说？ 看看我们的周围！ 👀 即使是有钱的人，有稳定和高薪的工作，有女佣和有祖父母的帮助照顾孩子，这些父母还是会为了孩子的关怀和福利争论！但我不责怪他们。我知道所有的争吵都是应为要孩子好！ 所以我更肯定当一对夫妇没有经济能力并且没有外来的帮助时，第二层特别难以实施！双重打击！ 💥💥 我最好的建议是你的家庭只跟你的‘同类’在一起。我是什么意思？你知道在新加坡，有许多富裕的家庭。你知道那些孩子在公寓里长大， 并在私人游乐场玩耍，还拥有‘自己的游泳池’ （配有水枪和喷水装置） 💦🏖🛥🏊🏄！ 我真的很好奇。。。 这些小孩有没有看过一个公共泳池？ 🤔 无论如何，当你和你的配偶仍在经济上挣扎时，不要去和这种人‘竞争’。我见过有钱父母和他们五岁的小孩一起参加私人烘培课程。这些家长显然混得很好！！！ 他们可以不用担心工作保不保， 放心的请假，参加‘妈咪 – 孩子’烘焙班 🎂🍰🍪🍩。他们穿上了匹配的围裙和烘烤帽。像我们这样普通妈妈必须把婴儿👶放在托儿所，还需要把工作带回家做，然后再做家务，然后还要给我们其他孩子补习！ 👧👧👧 事实上， 我们还没达到更高的‘社会阶乘’，所以我们不要给我们自己和我们的配偶更多压力。 跟我们的同类混在一起会比较切实， 比较轻松！

当然， 我们将来一定要升级到更高的‘社会阶乘’， 不过现在不行。 现实和实际吧！