Budget control

The cost of living has been significantly increased within the last year.  On the other hand, this increase in one sense reflects the fact that the average income has declined further over the past decade.  

When I traveled and shopped abroad, the price tag of global fashion brands such as Mango actually did not differ much from the price we have to pay in Taiwan.  When this applies to both France and Taiwan and taken the income of the two countries into consideration, it means people in Taiwan are essentially paying much more for the same dress than those in France.  

Some references can be found on the internet, and the average salaries in France are still better.  One of them is International Average Salary Income Database.  (The data here are quite old and it must be different from today's numbers.)  Moreover, the average income for college graduates in Taiwan has not changed much from year 2005, according to Council of Labor Affairs Taiwan. 

All these occurred to me just because I was thinking about a pretty dress found in a small shop last night.  People cannot do without basic food, water or clothing. But anything further is a luxury.  With only limited budget I must set priority among those many expenses.  And I'd rather spend some money for time with friends or travelling than on pretty dresses which may only be put on once or twice a year, stocked in my wardrobe, and given away three years later.  An unnecessary expensive bag can as well pay for my flight ticket to Germany.  However, I can't deny that it is still nice to have them all.