In the midst of a difficult life.
Hello.
I'm a junior high school graduate in my 20s and I'm unemployed with no qualifications.
I live with my mother in public housing.
My mother and I are mentally disabled and both receive disability pensions.
My grandmother passed away 3 years ago.
My grandmother has been bullied the whole time at my nephew's house, and my mother said, “Let's live together?” I've been snuggling up to my grandmother the whole time, but my grandmother kept refusing for reasons such as “there is a Buddhist altar.”
My grandmother eventually died of leukemia.
My grandmother left me about 4 million yen of money she had cut down on to my mother after she passed away.
My mother bought a Buddhist altar for 4 million yen.
(There is also a Buddhist altar at my nephew's house, but my mother bought it because she really wanted to buy it.)
I'm sorry for the long introduction, but this is where the main subject starts.
My mother and I have a monthly household income of about 230,000 yen.
If you subtract rent from there, it's 210,000 yen
I want to save about 20,000 yen every month for when something happens, so I'm thinking about living expenses at 190,000 yen.
Life is difficult due to a wave of rising prices, but my mother is a smoker and often buys incense sticks and flowers for Buddhist altars.
Honestly, it's expensive. (especially flowers)
Honestly, while my life is at the last minute and there are months in the red, I think it's strange to spend money every month around Buddhist altars.
When I talk to my mother about the Buddhist altar, I always get emotional and go crazy, so I gave up half of it.
Recently, I couldn't think of Buddhist altars or my deceased grandmother in a good way.
When I suggested using LED incense sticks, LED candles, and artificial flowers, I got angry and said, “My grandmother told me artificial flowers are bad!” “LEDs are no good!” I was so rejected.
To be honest, I want them to stop smoking too, but I'm probably someone who doesn't think about that, so I've given up.
I'm a junior high school graduate and it's difficult to work for people with disabilities without qualifications, so the only thing I can do is cook food or save money.
However, my mother says “save money,” but I feel that her motivation is weak compared to myself.
What I want to ask
Are LED candles, LED incense sticks, and artificial flowers bad...?
I think real flowers and incense sticks are necessary when visiting graves when talking at a Buddhist altar at home.