Q8NRI.com

Why do people work? There may be many reasons, but for most one of the most important is saving money for emergencies or tough times. Salem, a young Kuwaiti man, said that it is easy for him to save money regularly because he doesn’t have to pay rent and his living expenses, such as bills and food, are all covered by his parents.

Salem, who works at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, is enthusiastic about saving, saying that it accounts for “basically a large chunk of my salary.

For many expatriates, however, there is less chance to save, although a few admit that they do choose to waste money on unnecessary expenditure, making saving more difficult. Rami, a Lebanese expat, complained that he had been unable to save anything during his time in Kuwait, saying that the country is extremely expensive while the salaries for expatriates are wholly inadequate.

Talking about his problems in attempting to save money, Rami cited a Lebanese song in which a girl addresses her fiancé’ who has been away working in the Gulf and visited many Gulf countries, but has returned home to Lebanon without saving a penny for his wedding.

He explained that in the song, the girl laments the fact that her fiancé has failed to furnish his home, which is still empty on their wedding day. Rami said that despite being in Kuwait for three years himself, it has not worked out for him, leading him to empathize with the man who is the subject of the song: “I totally relate to the character in the song; that’s what happened to me,” he told the Kuwait Times.

Salam, a Syrian expatriate, said that before the recent global economic crisis, which first hit Kuwait two years ago, he had managed to save some money. He added, however, that he is now unable to save anything except the small amount he sends to his family back home every month.

All his money goes to paying rent and repaying loans, Salam explained, protesting that Kuwait is excessively expensive even for the simplest basics of life. “It’s like people are just earning money to pay it straight out here and never to send it outside to save for their future,” he asserted.

Another expat, Ahmad, an Egyptian, voiced similar sentiments, saying that he had been unable to save anything due to the fact that his accommodation rent had increased, but admitting that he likes to travel abroad whenever he gets the chance. Ahmad explained that he travels outside the country at weekends for recreation whenever he can and thus spends most of his money on this.

Ahmad said that while “saving is out of the equation for me,” he had noted that those in Kuwait who are on good salaries and live with their parents can afford to save, adding that for those in this group, “boredom is less and their expenses will be less.

He added that he has put plans to return back to Egypt on hold because he is unsure how he will manage there without any savings. The expatriates who spoke to the Kuwait Times all agreed on one thing; Kuwait is getting more expensive, which in turns imposes a consumerist mindset on everyone’s life rather than encouraging saving.

Nisreen Zahreddine – Kuwait Times