“Rent $1,800, Food $1,000, School Fees $1,200, Grocery Bills $1000”- Nigerian Lady Based In Canada Shares How A $5,600 Salary Can Finish In One Month, Warns Nigerians Back Home To Appreciate Money Sent To Them

Nigerian Lady named The Ekeh’s on Facebook has sent an important message to Nigerians who assumes family or loved ones living abroad, are living in abundance, and so they expect them to send reasonable amount of money.

The lady took time to outline the bills that can take $5,600 monthly income, while adding that some people are still paying back loans, mortgages,. She pleaded with Nigerians To be appreciative of whatever is sent back home

In her words:

“Before you make assumptions about your family or loved ones abroad, take a moment to consider the bigger picture.

It’s very easy to look at someone living overseas and assume that they’re living in abundance, that they have more than enough to give, and that if they truly cared, they would be sending something home more regularly or in larger amounts. But the truth is sometimes far from what you see.

Let’s take a typical family living in Canada as an example.

Imagine a husband earning $20+ an hour and his wife earning $30 an hour. On paper, this sounds like a decent amount. If you do the math say they both work 40 hours a week the husband brings in roughly $2,240 a month, and the wife brings in around $3,360, totaling $5,600.

Now, this might seem like a lot back home, but that’s before reality hits.

First, they need to pay rent. In many places in Canada, rent alone can take $1,800 to $2,500 monthly, sometimes even more depending on the city and number of bedrooms. Then come the utility bills electricity, heating which is non-negotiable in Canada, internet, mobile phone bills, and so on. That’s another few hundred dollars gone.

Then there’s food. Feeding a family in Canada isn’t cheap. Grocery bills could range from $600 to $1,000 or more a month, especially if they have children. Speaking of kids, child care is another heavy burden some families pay between $800 to over $1,200 per child each month for daycare alone.

By the time these bills are paid, that $5,600 looks a lot smaller. And that’s not even considering things like transportation, car insurance, clothing, school supplies, emergency expenses, or personal care.

Some families are also trying to pay off loans or save up to buy a home, which adds another layer of pressure. For families paying off mortgages, expenses can be even higher than rent.

So, when people back home say things like, You should be able to send something,it might come from a place of expectation without understanding. Before you ask what they’ve sent or why the money isn’t enough,ask yourself how are they even managing to do what they’re doing?

Many of our people abroad are not living glamorous lives. They are working long hours, sometimes taking double shifts sometimes moving straight from one job to the next without getting proper rest just to meet all their responsibilities. Not because they want to, but because they know others are depending on them. Some are working under weather conditions they never imagined they could survive, sacrificing their mental and physical well being just to keep things going.

And despite all this, when they manage to send something home no matter how little what they need is encouragement and appreciation, not judgment.

Let us stop measuring the value of someone’s love and effort by how much money they send. If you have a family member abroad who still supports loved ones back home, even if it’s once in a while, you don’t know the magnitude of the blessing you’ve received.

They are carrying burdens you may never see or understand, yet they still make room to remember you. Be grateful. Pray for them. Encourage them. Speak words that uplift, not words that guilt.

Because if you truly knew what life is like out there the sacrifices, the exhaustion, the pressures you would understand that every dollar sent came at a cost. And that kind of love is priceless.”.

Source: The Ekeh’s| Facebook

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com