Spendthrift

The value of money is not actually in the denomination of what is printed at the top right hand corner of the notes, it is actually in its purchasing power, any economist can tell you that. For example if a deuter bag can be brought with a $100 note, while when tomorrow come, you need to pay for it with an extra 10cent,then the $100 purchasing power actually decrease.

However to me,the value of money is not in its purchasing power. It is of how i come to possess it. If all else doesn't seem to be benefited from serving NS, one thing for sure, is that i truly know what is the value of my money.

I have done my maths. During my recruit time, i earn a measly $240 per month. I woke up to the tune of Majulah Singapura at 5.30am and sleep at 10.30pm. That work out to be about 17 hrs per day. Multiply it by 30 days, you will get 510 hours per month. So 1 hour i actually earn $0.47. Can you imagine that?

So i have started to be a little bit more frugal when i go out with friends, when i go to school, etc. However frugal doesn't mean i am stingy. When needed, alittle bit more to be fork out, i will do it.

Being frugal is when your old bag is still useable, haven't go out of fashion, has a acceptable capacity and you do not go and acquire another bag, which has the function as your old one except that it has a new pricetag and that it decrease your purchasing power.

Something is worth only when you yourself go and earn it yourself, this is more than the truth. Looking back, i can't imagine how i could spend my parents hard earned money just like burning hell bank notes into the bin. Perhaps it is the maturity that i bring with me after collecting my Pink IC, i felt ashamed and guilty of my spending power.

So on one hand, i could understand why youngsters spend money as if the Singapore Mint endorse them to do it. However on the other hand, i can't but felt that, doesn't they feel their parents toil everyday, getting scoldings from their bosses, just like me getting it from my sergeant. Swallowing their pride, just to earn that paltry sum of money for the survival of the family. Parents love are unmeasurable, but does it give us the excuse to spend the money, to ask for more money, just on some consumer durables which only is a replica of what we have?

So it really ire me when i read in some blogs, which says:" oo i wanna get that shoes" " ooo i wanna get that accessories" " ooo blah blah get blah blah blah spend blah blah blah get blah blah blah spend" and the list is endless.

Yup, being vain is something quite natural, but, don't live like a princess when you just live in a HDB flat and not some castle and that your dad is just a plain kopitiam guy and not prince charles.