Thursday, 17 July 2008

LITTLE BY LITTLE, ADDS UP TO BE ALOT



While I do not consider myself stingy, I am not exactly a spendthrift either. Taking cabs is often not an option, but a desperate last resort. Purchasing a blouse which costs more than SGD$30 causes me to think more than twice. Spending more than SGD$20 on one single meal for myself makes my heart bleed heavily. I'm still a student, afterall. On the other hand, I have no qualms about picking up the tab and buying a friend a meal occasionally, treating my younger brother to lunches or movies, throwing almost half of my total allowance into savings and investment-linked policies, or spending money on food ingredients just for the pleasure of cooking.

In order to cultivate and inculcate the habit of self-disciplined saving and wise spending, I set up a few rules and came up with a new "game". It's just a silly little "game" I play with myself. Rule #1: Withdraw, from the ATM machine, only a maximum of SGD$50 at one go, and stretch it for as long as I can. Rule #2: Spend
only the notes, NEVER the coins. Rule #3: Save up all coins in a coinbox at the end of each day.

Thus far, it has certainly helped in financial matters. It deters the possibility of spending on unnecessary things, because each time I reach out for a fresh note from my wallet (which, unfortunately, is growing heavier by the minute as the day progresses on due to the accumulating coins), the siren in my mind screams shrilly, "OH NO!!! You stupid girl! At this rate you're going, your cash notes will be used up pretty soon and you will have to keep going to the ATM once every few weeks and the balance in your bank account will dawdle and spiral downwards BUT the stupid coin box will be so full of stupid coins, I TELL YOU!!!"

Thus, it takes some time for my pile of coin collection to grow. After about 6 months, the coinbox was FINALLY filling up to its brim. Coincidently, while I was in the canteen this Monday afternoon, this particular stall vendor auntie was asking whether do I have any collection of coins to exchange with her, as she was running low on supply. Talk about being at the right place at the right time! OF COURSE I do; she's approached the right person.




Can you believe that the 7 columns of rolled-up coins actually add up to SGD$111???

They're so heavy! It's such a weight carrying them to school!


Now, it's time to get a BIGGER coinbox. The current one is presently too small. I want a HUMONGOUS one. One that is so gargantuan that I can barely lift it.

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