“This Is Crazy”: SA Woman Reveals R5K Monthly Salary Expenses, Featuring Large Tithe and Black Tax

• A South African woman's handwritten monthly budget showing how she spends her R55,000 salary has gone viral online
• The breakdown shows expenses exceeding her earnings by R400, including significant allocations for black tax, car running costs, and church tithes
• Social media users were surprised by the absence of medical aid, alongside a strict refusal to cut back on religious contributions

Managing personal finances in South Africa's current economic climate can be a tightrope walk, even on a comfortable salary. A woman's handwritten monthly spending plan sparked intense debate on social media after she reached out to the online community for advice on cutting down her expenses.

The financial breakdown was reshared on X by user @oohsimmy on Monday, 9 November 2026, highlighting a TikTok creator's financial balancing act. According to the post, the creator sought guidance on how to trim her budget, but made it clear that her 10% tithe was non-negotiable and that she opted out of medical cover because her family "barely gets sick."

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The numbers behind the living costs

Against a net salary of R55,000, her listed commitments climb to R55,400 per month, leaving the household R400 in the red before considering any sudden emergencies. Housing and essential groceries claim R8,500 and R4,500 respectively, with an extra R2,000 set aside for fast food. Transport forms the heaviest operational drain on the account, requiring R8,000 for a car instalment, R4,000 in insurance across two vehicles, and R7,000 in monthly fuel costs.

Her family and personal allocations remain equally heavy, including R5,800 dedicated to black tax and a non-negotiable R5,500 tithe representing 10% of her earnings. On the protection front, she pays R1,000 for life cover and R400 for funeral cover, alongside R600 for hair and R3,000 in miscellaneous spending. Despite operating at an overall deficit, she consistently channels R7,000 straight into savings.

See the woman's R55k monthly salary breakdown in the X post below:

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Viewers debate the woman's financial priorities

Several users pointed out that spending R19,000 on transport (fuel, instalments, and insurance) across two vehicles while contributing R5,800 to family support left little room to manoeuvre if a health crisis strikes. The non-negotiable R5,500 tithe also divided opinion, with some respecting her faith commitments while others suggested that pragmatic budgeting should come first when books don't balance.

@TheKakaramba shared:

"She is prioritising tithe over medical aid, and her money goes to someone who is going to pay medical aid for themselves? Insane stuff, I tell you."

@lucky_thedon1_ advised:

"Cut black tax by 50%. Remove tithe, cut that fast food by 75%. That's a start."

@TheRealMotase added:

"She can downgrade to one car. And move to a lesser rental."

@OscarKM94 shared:

"Priorities are doing the most here. Tithe is non-negotiable; medical aid is apparently optional because sickness must book an appointment first."

@Melo_Malebo said:

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"Tithe is crazy."

@Thee_Kulani wrote:

"At least she is saving."

3 Briefly News articles about salaries

• Local content creator Boni Xaba reviewed a payslip of a Johannesburg Metro cleaner, showing R24,334.90 in monthly gross earnings with only a Grade 10 education qualification.
• Official SAPS pay data reveals how police salaries scale by rank, from a R4,500 monthly trainee stipend up to R1 million annually for senior colonels.
• A woman started a heated online debate on lifestyle inflation and high living costs after sharing a video detailing how her then R65,000 monthly salary went to taxes, debt, and personal expenses.

Source: Briefly News