'I'm saving bonus for my wedding'

'I'm saving bonus for my wedding'

As Idul Fitri approaches, many people have begun home improvement
projects and have started buying new clothes and presents for
family, friends and colleagues, relying on the annual holiday
bonus for the expenditures. The Jakarta Post asked some residents
how they were going to spend their Idul Fitri bonus.

Jana, 27, is a secretary at a private company in Tebet, South
Jakarta. She lives in Kebayoran Lama, also in South Jakarta:

Although I received double my salary this month, it doesn't
mean I can indulge myself the whole month. No new clothes, shoes,
going to parties or clubbing, and I've even decided to celebrate
Idul Fitri with my closest relatives here, not at my hometown in
West Java.

I have to be prudent, because I have to save most of my salary
and the holiday bonus for my wedding in February.

Wiwin, 19, is a live-in maid who works in Sukamantri,
Tangerang:

I already received my Idul Fitri bonus, which is equivalent to
my monthly salary. I also received a pair of gold earrings from
my employer.

I bought some new clothes for myself and my younger sisters. I
will give cash to my parents -- it's up to them how they use it.

I also withdrew some of my salary in Rp 1,000 (11 U.S. cents)
banknotes. It's a tradition in my village in Magelang, Central
Java, for those of us with our own money to share it with
children and the needy.

--The Jakarta Post