“Minimum RM20 lah” Gen Z Msians tell us how much they want in their angpaos.

Going back to the 90s, the older ones among us at CILISOS remember being cool with getting RM2 or RM5 in our angpaos and yelling ‘HUAT AHHHH’ in our hearts whenever we got RM10 in our red packets. That ten-ringgit note was massive. It went a long way toward snacks, PS1 CDs or hours at the cybercafe. Y’all millennials finna relate.

Now that we’re in our 30s and not really receiving angpaos anymore, we’re left looking at Gen Z kids and wondering: how much they are expecting from angpao nowadays? What’s the bare minimum they’d be satisfied with? After all, RM10 in 2023 is tiny compared to its value 25 years ago. Well, we asked a couple of them, and…

Gen Zs think that RM10 should be the minimum for angpaos

Of the 5 Gen Z people (ages 17-22) we talked to, 3 of them said that they’d be bummed out if they got less than RM10 in any of their angpaos. One of them, Lucy (not her real name) even said the minimum acceptable amount for an angpao was RM20:

“…Anything less than that and I’d feel like I could barely buy myself a meal. Inflation is real my guy.” – Lucy, local university student

Similarly, Jason (again, not real name), a fresh grad looking for work said that while RM5 angpaos are okay, he always hopes to get more. Don’t we all, Jason, don’t we all.

What about the millennials? The ones we asked weren’t really fussed about the angpaos they got, which makes sense, since most of them are already working folk. Most of them said something along the lines of ‘even RM2 or RM5 is fine’. Our Ciliboss, Chak, had a super wholesome answer when we asked him how much angpao he used to expect when he was single:

“To be honest, I don’t look at most of the angpaos I receive at this age (late 30s to early 40s). I collect them in the car and give them to the less fortunate I see around.” – Chak: former playboy

Some of the millenials couldn’t get any angpaos cuz they’re already married, so we asked them how much they would give instead.

Married folk give different amounts to different people

One of our acquaintances, Tony (yet another pseudonym), said that he has a system on deciding how much angpao to give to someone or their kids. Here’s how it goes:

• RM5 for someone he’s unfamiliar with
• RM10 for an acquaintance
• RM20 for friends
• RM50 for close friends and the recipient isn’t doing well financially

This shouldn’t be surprisng to y’all in the least – you or your parents probably do the same thing. R.I.P. to newlywed Chinese couples, though, cuz apparently, they have to give double angpaos to signify double prosperity both on the part of the newlyweds and the receivers. And they can’t skimp out by splitting the usual amount into two either, since that’s supposedly bad juju.

But okaylah, whether you get RM5 or RM50 angpaos, it really doesn’t matter; it’s really just a tradition that’s been passed down since ancient times. It’s the thought that counts, right? Besides, between you and me, money’s still money. Heh heh.