I know what you mean lah...
I tell you a story, and since this is an Air Purifier thread and you are a mum yourself, there is actually an "air purifier" element in it.
I know a pal whose partner is an AM. Don't ask me how i know, the pay is 4k + 7k).
Her side has kids with the AM and the AM himself got 2 small kids from prev marriage. So total 4, and you know parental help is not there (AM is alone anyway). But still for lifestyle, locally the AM must die die drive conti car to the tune of ~ 200k. There is no savings on either side, both just clear their debts anyway.
So got unborned, 1 yr toddler and young kids. However there is nothing much that's left to spend on local retail, i don't know why for whatever personal reasons, they don't buy online stuff either. I recommend air purifiers, but a Sharp A40 costs S$429 which is too expensive.....and seriously you'd need 2 or 3 units for the whole family. For 2014 haze which was very extended in period, i guess you can't expect everyone to be holed up in the room. so what they did was to switch on aircon to beat the haze, and which i have mentioned before that doesn't exactly work for 2014 haze in which
70 days were above WHO levels and 48 days above USA EPA Unhealthy levels based on the 24-hr mean figure, due to unborned fetus and 1 x 12 months infant/toddler.
Note : good office buildings would take care a decent part of the PM2.5 with the filtration in the HVAC/AHUs, provided they do not cut cost on the filters.
Fisher price toys you see in Taka, $49-129. I got a S$129 mobile for just usd13.99, enough said.
Got money to spend on 200k conti, but no money for air purifiers. Of coz, it's not my life.
So there, that's the sad life here if you believe only in local retail and local childcare/infantcare, depending on family circumstances + earning power. And of coz, cars....