Address: 3 Pickering Street #01-36/37 Nankin Row, China Square Central, Singapore 048660
Tel: +65 6438 8040

A person I met a few days ago got me thinking on poverty. Was there a increasing number of people falling below the poverty line? Is there a social problem brewing within our midst?
Due to the insular nature of my life, I may probably not be able to get much insight into this.

I mean…just a few days I ago, I was contemplating getting a suit tailored for about S$850. There I was with a friend, looking at fabrics, discussing the kind of lapels suitable for our facial shapes..etc etc (it sounds a bit gay, but it was not in reality..I mean I was getting a suit for my own wedding…so…). Would the majority of my countryman balk at the price or are there more extravagent examples taking place?

Well…I am not going to expound on the dichotomy between the well-to-do class and the poverty/low income class in Singapore. Instead I will be penning down my divergent thinking - What if my girlfriend and I lived life more simply? No more fancy meals at restaurants. No holidays. No shopping for trendy clothes. Would I be able to retire earlier, extract ourselves from the rat race and remove the stress of constantly having to meet expectations and datelines at the work place?

A simple thought experiment is conducted. For example, I was at Ricciotti. It was a mid priced eatery serving quite good Italian food - part of the Garibaldi chain if I am not wrong. How much would not having a meal at Ricciotti translate into funds that could enable me and my girlfriend to achieve our early-retirement goal.

Our starters was the Calamari at S$11.50. To my peers, the amount is standard for appertisers at such a venue. But put in into the context of a hawker centre and the amount would look rather crazy for a few pieces of fried battered squid rings. $11.50 is equivalent to a lunch and dinner meal of $2.50 packet rice for 2 persons.

The Spaghetti Carbonara was priced at $15.90 - equivalent to around 5 plates of chicken rice. That is enough to feed us for around 3 meals (my girlfriend is a small eater).. Oh..I love the Carbonara by the way. It was not too wet. The texture of the noodles was firm. And the sauce was creamy and flavorful without being too heavy on the salt.

The Salsiccia (S$15.90) was Italian sausage with a side of mash potato. It was an upgraded version of the sausage rosti that can be found at Marche. In the spirit of the game, I could get a packet of sausages and hotdog buns from the neighbourhood supermarket that would make 10 hot dogs. By my conservative estimate, it could probably last 3 meals.

The Single Scoop Chocolate Ice Cream costs S$3. This money would most probably be diverted into funds for a few pieces of Pandan Cake for my girlfriend’s birthday.

Concluding, the Ricciotti meal is equivalent to 8 meals - translating into bringing forth our retirement by 4 days (breakfast would be skipped) . Hmm…