Bahrain netizens debate pros and cons of receiving early salaries

TDT | Manama                                                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com    

Reported by Tofoof AlMansoor

It seems like a good idea to receive monthly salaries earlier than usual. However, social media discussions had brought out a different perspective here in Bahrain.

Netizens here claim that early salaries will derail monthly budgeting, as it also means that long waiting period for the next payment.

The online discussions are in light of the announcement that the government will pay subsidies prior to Eid Al-Fitr holiday.

The theory rests of the argument that when the government pays early, it means that next pay check will be delayed, and this can lead to financial strain. A recent government announcement had said that all employees and pensioners in the Kingdom will receive their monthly salaries, cost of living allowance as well as meat subsidies prior to Eid.

This is for helping people meet their expenses during the festive period, which marks the end of Ramadan. However, netizens disagree! They are concerned that early salary will disrupt their spending pattern.

People also fear that they might end up spending the money too early, leaving them financially strained by the end of the month. For example, if you receive your salary on the 20th of each month but the government decides to pay it on the 15th, you might feel like you have extra cash to spend.

However, this can create a false sense of security because you’ll have to stretch that money for a longer time until the next paycheck arrives. Netizens say that they will now have to wait almost around 40 days for the next salary, because of early payment, which is not good.

Nevertheless, many also claim that they already face financial constraints by the end of the month, which will be compounded this time.

“Our end-of-the-month dinner will consist of bread and peas,” a Bahraini wrote jokingly in an online chatroom. The arguments are that it can be difficult to keep track of finances and make sure that one has enough to cover bills and expenses throughout the month.