PLAN A TRIP, TEACH THE KIDS

When Mrs Mey Sam's three kids were younger, she encouraged them to earn their own pocket money to spend during a family holiday.

- Jane Ng

Her eldest child, Jazreel, now 18, was just 10 when she baked and sold cakes and macarons to family and friends.

At 14, the entrepreneurial girl designed and sold stickers for bullet journals, reaching clients globally with her creations through social media.

She also had a YouTube channel with more than 1,000 subscribers, which provided inspiration for those keen on making bullet journals.

Mrs Sam's younger children - Glenda, 16, and Marcus, 13 - would sell their hobby items they no longer wanted, such as PopMart figurines and Pokemon game cards, on Carousell.

She says getting her children to earn some pocket money for travel has helped them appreciate the value of money.

While the bake sales did not cover the sunk cost of equipment, it provided Jazreel an opportunity to calculate material costs and assess her profit, says Mrs Sam, 47, a senior deal structurer at energy company Shell.

Meanwhile, her two younger children learnt the concept of turning excess into value, she adds.

She and her husband Jason Sam, 49, a regional operations manager at Shell, have intentionally raised their children to use money wisely.

"We're fortunate to have the financial means to afford holidays, but we balance this with a strong emphasis on thriftiness," she says.

So, instead of taking holidays in far-flung locations, the family has been travelling mainly to neighbouring countries like Thailand and Vietnam to reduce costs.

In December, the family will fly to Italy, marking the first time they are taking a flight together for longer than seven hours.

"We plan, budget and save for all our holidays. We choose to cut back on smaller expenses, like bubble tea, and put that money towards our holiday fund," says Mrs Sam.

When planning a holiday, she makes it a point to openly share the costs with her children, breaking down expenses such as hotel stays, air tickets and daily expenses.