The Theory of the Overdue Piggy Bank

I actually miss work.
I actually enjoy my work.
I actually can see myself going back to work 5 days a week for another good few years.

And why not?
Nice colleagues [ some, that is. The bitches and mean peeps will alwaz be there.]
Nice hours [ for now, cos i'm off the dreaded ghostly hours.]
Nice sector [ finance, which seriously piques my interest and i'm alwaz learning something new.]

So there.
Anyway, being in the thick of financial news... me and my colleagues got around to discussing our penny-pinching tips.
We are not big-time investors with cash to burn.
We are normal, average Singaporeans being thrifty.

And i thought to myself the ways i've changed.
AFTER UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF MONEY.
I understood that it's absolutely essential to save.
No, it's not something you do with extra cash & coins.
It's a mandatory portion of your salary that goes into a savings untouchable account.

I no longer buy clothes on full price.
95% of the things I buy, i get a discount for it.
It's really easy - i have privilege cards for all my favourite brands.
Those I don't have, i wait for a credit card promotion.
Or look for it at Tangs store, where i get 10% 365 days a year.
Or use my network to get someone working at the boutique to buy it at staff rates.

I can now wait for things - and understand not every item has to be mine immediately.
I can wait for the voucher to reach me, or their sale, or their members' days.

Failing which, i can always shop at Far East Plaza.
Where things are so painfully hip but blissfully affordable.
The point to note, however, is never to get fat.
Cos clothes at Far East only fit youthful, slim, nubile bods. Unfair.
Stay in shape -- your wallet will thank you for it.
If you are slim, you look good in anything.
You don't need to pay extra for 'great cuts' or 'flattering fabrics / shapes' etc.

For groceries, I shop at NTUC or Giant.
No more Cold Storage, which is exorbitant if you buy alot & cook everyday, as we do.

Also, I don't need to dine at fancy restaurants.
Cos 1, I don't eat a lot and 2, i'm not the foodie-type.
It's just a waste of money to eat bite-sized portions at fancy places.

I save my coins now, a habit Terence taught me.
Within 2-3 months, i pocket an extra $300 on average.

I've seriously changed a lot after working here.
And realised... the greatest folly my parents made, perhaps, was not to teach me [ or us] the value of money.
An absolutely essential life lesson.
I only learnt that in my mid-to-late 20s, and that is way too late in my book.
They never taught or encouraged us to save, or told us where money comes from and all that jazz.
In my younger eyes, money may as well grew on trees and fell from the sky.

I knew we were well-to-do cos our house was bigger than all my classmates'.
I knew the source of $$ [ ie: mum & dad].
What I never knew... were the important truly crucial stuff.
To me, there was little difference between $5 and $15.
What was $10? Nothing at all, just a red note you fish out for taxi rides.
I never understood VALUE, and i'm sorry for myself it came to me so late in life.
I never understood the hours and hard work my parents traded in return for the $$.

But then again, better late than never.

There are so much great stuff you can do with money.
And none of that needs to include shopping.
You can build a trust fund for your kids.
You can send your kids to great schools.
You can buy a nice house and live in a serene place.
You can buy space, tranquility, silence and peace.
You can send your child abroad in future.
You can look after your parents / grandparents and let them retire.
You can start a business.
You can travel or treat someone to a fab trip.
You can pursue the hobby you've always wanted to try.
You can go back to school.

The possibilities are endless.
In short, you may not be able to buy happiness, but you certainly can be a hell lot happier.

God Bless Me, and my piggy bank.