Young earners and First Paycheques: Spent with love, saved with heart or kept for oneself?

By Sandeep Goyal

I remember mine vividly. It was a cheque. Not a bank transfer. A little rectangular slip of paper — pale cream, with black ink. It was Rs 1780 but it felt like Rs 1 lakh. That was the magic of the first salary. I didn’t deposit it for three days. Just stared at it. Showed it to my father. He grinned. My mother? Teared up. My sister danced around with it. The joy and pride were palpable.

Cut to 2025.

The Bharat Lab, a joint venture set up by me between my agency Rediffusion and the Lucknow University, just released a fascinating study on what young earners in Tier 2 and Tier 3 India did with their first salary — and the results are not just surprising, they’re downright moving.

Let’s start with this: 38.8% spent it on gifts.

Yes, in an age of subscription models and impulse spending, nearly 4 out of 10 young Indians used their very first paycheque not on sneakers or smartphones — but on others. Siblings. Parents. Teachers. Temples. Some even bought ceiling fans for the home. Yes, a ceiling fan. A cool breeze of emotion, indeed.

That, my friends, is not consumption. It’s character.

Not Yours Alone

In Bharat, the first salary is rarely your own. It belongs to the family, the community, the story. And what a story it is. You’d think today’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha earners — armed with hashtags, Reels and digital wallets — might be more about me than we. But 61.7% said their spending was guided by family expectations. Mum needed to be gifted a new saree. Dad needed new glasses. Didi deserved AirPods. Beta delivered. Even the emotional call log reveals the pecking order of the heart. 44.6% told their mothers first. Not HR. Not their partner. Not even their best friend. Mothers still win. Every time.

Gold, Ghar, and Gyan

What about the women? Now here’s a golden nugget (pun intended): 1 in 3 women bought gold with their first salary. Not a Birkin, not Bali tickets — but gold. Why? Because in Bharat, gold is not just jewellery, it’s security. It’s sentiment. And it’s suhaag-safe. In fact, the gender lens on this report is revealing: women saved more (50% vs 32.3% for men), and donated more (41.6% vs 27.7%). Perhaps the patriarchs should stop writing articles on “money and men,” and let the women lead the SIP seminars. Also, women were far more likely to associate their first salary with independence (88.5%) than just “responsibility.” That subtle shift in narrative — from sacrifice to sovereignty — may be the most promising data point of all.

But Is It Enough?

All this emotion aside, here’s a reality check: 11.7% said their first salary wasn’t enough to cover their basic needs. And that’s where the fairy tale wobbles a bit. Inflation is real. Entry-level pay hasn’t kept up. And for many, especially in semi-urban India, rent, commute, and “contributions” to family still bite deep. So while the first salary is a milestone, it isn’t always a launchpad. In some cases, it’s a mirror — reflecting how far we’ve come… and how far we still have to go.

A Few Rupees. A Lot of Values.

Some salary stories from the report hit hard. “I handed it to my mother-in-law. She distributed it to the family.” “I gave my father-in-law the envelope — as a sign of respect.” “I bought my mother a sari. She still hasn’t worn it. It’s in her puja cupboard.”

These aren’t lines from a Hindi film. They’re real. Spoken not in hushed pride, but in candid, cultural confidence. And they tell us something: that while salaries have grown — from Rs 1,800 in 1984 whe I started working to Rs 32,500 or Rs 82,500 0r even Rs 1,32,500 for those from more hallowed educational institutions in 2025 — our values have evolved more subtly. We still hold on to rituals. Gratitude. Gold. Ghar. God.

The First Salary Bought a Wallet. My Son Bought Me One.

That’s the full circle of emotion, isn’t it? A young married girl’s first earnings went into a mangalsutra. A boy’s into a washing machine. One gifted his tuition teacher a book. Another went to a Hanuman temple. And a few just treated themselves to a movie and momos — rightly so. Whether it was Rs 1,200 or Rs 12,000 — the sentiment remains unchanged. The first salary is never about the money. It’s about the moment. It’s about becoming a provider — even if it’s just for a day. It’s about saying “thank you” — without needing to say it. It’s about becoming, not just earning. So, what did you do with your first salary? And more importantly, who did you call first? If the answer is “Ma,” don’t worry. You’re still doing just fine.

Sandeep Goyal is the Co-Chairman of The Bharat Lab and Chairman of Rediffusion. Views expressed are personal.