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| picture source: DumbLittleMan.com |
I am always derided by friends sometimes because I am so frugal and so reluctant to spend money on stuffs they would otherwise splurge some cash on. But I really am a wise spender and ever since I was high school, when I have a very meager allowance, I would be very careful with spending my money because I cannot ask for anything more.
Growing up with my grandparents, I received P50 every day from 1st year to 4th year. And that was all. No extras for photocopying, projects, and knickknacks. I have to see to it that everything fits within my P50 for one day. But I was really amazed to look back on those days, how I managed to pull up all that I have and still not want for more. It must have been because I was raised in a household that values every cent.
My grandma was the ultimate penny pincher and anything that we didn’t need, she never bought. Even when cooking, her extreme penny pinching habits rivaled that of Hetty Green’s. She’d cook a meal for three using ¼ kg of pork and then divide that amount of pork into two. The first she’d used to cook adobo-- which was a serving for two or three, and the second she’d cooked with ¼ kg of cabbage, a piece of carrot, and sayote. Seasoned with salt and soy sauce and there she’d serve me and grandpa with a meal that, thank God, quite filled out tummy.
It’s not that I admire penny pinching habits. The reason why I love to save is because we can never tell when rainy days might come. Not all the time we have bountiful days and not all that we have will last a lifetime. Saving whatever we have and being mindful how we spend not just our money but also other resources we have to benefit us, as well as others is not just a way of living a satisfying lifestyle. It’s also a way of thanking God and appreciating every little gift He gives us.
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