Can You Budget With RM1,700? It’s Tough But Doable

TikTok user Aunie Zulkifli shares some super budgeting tips for those earning around RM1,700.

Credit: Malay Mail & Freepik

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The minimum wage has been raised to RM1,700 monthly from RM1,500 starting 1 February 2025.

While it’s still not a huge sum, TikTok user Aunie Zulkifli (@powerupcvs) shared some super budgeting tips to help you make the most of the money.

Here’s how you can make RM1,700 work for you:

1. Rent a room, not a house

First, she advised people earning the minimum wage to rent a room for less than RM400 per month, if possible, instead of renting a house to save costs. You can keep things affordable if you have housemates to share the cost.

Of course, the best option is to continue living in our parents’ home while you build up some savings.

Sharing groceries and cooking with your housemates can help you save money. Image: Freepik

2. Shave down transport cost

The second tip she shared is not to get a car yet so you won’t be saddled with a car loan and other costs related to car ownership.

If you still need a vehicle to get around, getting a motorcycle is better than owning a car. She explained that you can still travel quite a distance if you only pump RM50 fuel for the motorcycle.

To further save costs, she advised using public transport. This includes getting a rented place near the LRT or MRT if possible.

If you already have a car, she suggested making sure the monthly payment remains below RM300.

3. Be mindful of meal costs

The third tip is to be frugal with your meals but don’t starve yourself. As always, cooking at home will save more but with RM1,700, you can still spend around RM200 per month on eatouts. If you plan to eat out, she said try looking for meals that cost below RM7.

At this stage, it’s advisable to avoid extraneous costs by staying away from getting snacks and expensive drinks like Starbucks. She said it’s better to save up that money.

4. You can still live a little

Just because you have to save and cut costs where you can, it doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy the little things in life.

She suggested getting affordable phone plans that cost between RM30 to RM50 and not signing up for postpaid plans. You don’t need the flashiest phone either.

She also advised saving at least RM100 to RM200 monthly for emergency use only. For miscellaneous spending, she said you can get away with spending RM100 on things like a Netflix subscription and hangouts with friends.

5. Don’t take personal loans yet

For the last tip, she reminded those earning a minimum wage not to shackle themselves with a personal loan just yet because they may end up poorer in the long run.

Indeed, earning RM1,700 per month is not much and is unsustainable long term. The best way to increase savings is to have a larger salary.

Aunie advised sticking to the suggested budget for about a year or two before looking for a job with better pay.

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