It’s time to reward yourself again when you receive your salary every month but before that, it’s wise to “pay yourself” first by putting aside some of that money for your savings.
If you do that every time, great! But if you still running out of money at the end of every month, it’s probably due to your habit of dining out. According to the Minister of Economy, Rafizi Ramli, Malaysians’ “addiction” to dining out has shrunk their disposable income, which he said during a media interview.
Rafizi blamed this on the policies set by the previous government which has led to people surviving on takeouts, and said that compared to South Korea, Malaysians spend more on takeout and dining in.
“On average, local households spend about one-third of their disposable income on cooked or take-away food.”
The minister added that in other countries, eating out is seen as a luxury where people buy raw materials and cook them at home. However, Rafizi understands that it’s also about the time taken for Malaysians to travel home from work and the time people have left to prepare food.
“These are all the things that I think are the unintended consequences of many policies of the past.”
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Rafizi also said that more than half of the food ordered on the delivery app costs RM30 or less per order. Not only that but the spending for home use, including groceries, is also generally higher in Malaysia than in most economies in Asia.
“We’re not addicted, we’re forced to”
Rafizi’s statement about dining out did not sit well with many Malaysians, who believe it makes no difference given the rising price of raw materials. Some netizens also said they shouldn’t get the blame for having to dine out.
“We can cook ourselves but he knows about the prices of the raw materials too, right? It’s even tougher to cook at home today.”
“Why do we have such a minister who points his finger at us? Obviously, he’s running out of ideas!”
“He’s an expert in the U-turn formula.”
“This so-called addiction is what contributes to the economy. When we stop dining out, it’ll affect the businesses and by then, do we get blamed again? Phrase your words before you talk. We pay your salary and you blame us.”
Fellow Malaysians, do you think dining out shrinks disposable income? Has it affected you, and how much do you actually spend on eating out?
Also read: “Ew, is this even for human?” – M’sian Says She’s Disgusted by Hawker Food & Prefers to Eat in Cafes
