Of why frugality values a lot


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. 







Thank God for the Every Day Miracles



Every day is a miracle. And this one is, certainly. Every day of our lives, God has something special in stored for us, something to remind us that He is there, that His hands are always with us, guiding us all through the ups and downs, thicks and thins, summers, and winters, and rains and shines of our lives. God is with us—Emmanuel, this assurance from the Scriptures will always abide with us, whether we think God hides at the height of our troubles in life, or talks to us at the most silent moments of our lives.

And now that I celebrate my 23rd birthday, I have felt God’s hands touching me in the heart. He has blessed me with so much the past 22 years and I know He will do the same, today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life. My faith in Him is now stronger more than ever, because I know, I feel that even when I do not see Him, He is there, guiding me, seeing me through despite the toughest trials that come my way.

And today, I awaken with hope and resilience. Another year, another chapter. Another reason to love and to thank God. Another reason to get inspired and kicking. Another reason to wake up and say to myself that life is indeed worth living. 

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