Malaysians debate whether a 28-year-old earning RM4.3k salary in KL should be expected to financially support her extended family.
A 28-year-old Malaysian living alone in Kuala Lumpur has gone viral online after sharing her struggles to balance family obligations, debt, and saving — all on a salary of RM4,300 a month (RM3,700 after deductions).
In a heartfelt post on r/MalaysianPF, she explained that almost half her income already goes to rent, car payments, bills, and student loans, and RM300 goes to her mother.
She shared that nearly 50% of her take-home pay (RM3,700) goes to rent, car payments, bills and student loans.
Another 20–30% is spent on clearing past BNPL and credit card commitments — debts she accumulated while helping her family buy gadgets and covering big-ticket items she couldn’t afford upfront.
“I was a heavy user of BNPL over the years before i was earning this much. Mostly if big purchases for my family’s gadgets like phones, and sometimes personal purchases which i might not afford to buy in one go.”
But to make matters worst, she added that she would need to give her father, aunt as well as her grandmother money as they are not earning any.
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“I know it’s ambitious but next year I want to be consistent in providing for everyone even just a little,” she wrote, adding that she’s also trying to build an emergency fund.
Her honesty struck a chord — and sparked a wave of tough-love comments.
One user didn’t mince words: “You have too many people to look after. That’s your burden. You can’t save your way out of this — you can only earn more.”
Another pointed out how her past spending habits still affect her today:
“Why are all these other adults’ problems your problem? Your credit payments are enough to get a car or half a house. Put things into perspective before buying anything else.”
Others questioned why she had to support extended family: “Parents, OK — filial duty. But pak cik, mak cik? Why? Unless they have no one else. You have a lot of people depending on you, and that becomes a big burden. I can sense sooner or later you’d be forced to take a personal loan.”
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