Always have intention. Nawaitu itu penting. Lol.
Anyway, some of my friends have asked me how I’m not that broke in light of house payments. So I’ve noted them down and this serves as a reminder to myself to just in case I fall into the abyss of my spendthrift youth.
Okay, so I started having a money detox when I began officially working in August last year.
Prior to that, money was just paper, waiting to be exchanged for Starbucks, plane rides and eating out. The last few years in Uni, I could count the amount of home cooked meals I had with my fingers. It was a jab at the “I’m independent” notion I wanted to shove down my parents’ throats. Thank god they survived.
When I began to have a solid income, I decided that I would spend less than what I would make on the day through the side jobs, keeping the $2.4k ++ intact.
For example, I taught tuition after work every weekday, and depending on the classes, I would earn between $40-$75 daily. That meant that my expenses (including transport, food, hp bill of $100/30 days, gym membership of $99/30days) must all fall under the amount. If for some reason I had to call in sick for that day, I’d limit food and walk rather than train/bus. Weekends were harder because even though I would bring home slightly over $200 on a Saturday, the hangout with family and hey-let’s-ask-Angah-to-belanja evenings would put me in the Red zone at times. I learned after that it was ok to share the bill *glares at Along*. Sundays are my lowest earning days so it was easy to follow a strict budget when you go out because you know that you can’t spend more than you make (or at least your conditioned brain thinks you make).
With the salary, I would give 1k to my parents for tolerating the pain I’ve inflicted to them over the years and save the rest. I go crazy on birthdays and festivities.
I try to follow the same rule now too, but it gets tighter because for a couple of months recently, the entire $2.4k was diverted into house payments. I gave my parents $500 instead of $1k and was proud to say that I could still save around $50 a month! My highest was in April at $52.08 *beams* Alhamdulilah!
So my theory with money is this: If the duit is Halal and you are using your money for good, you give some to your parents for Berkat, Insyallah, duit mesti ada.
Importantly, these rose tinted glasses I’m wearing, well they always tell me that I have money. And feeling like you have money sure beats the gloom of not having any!
Gonna be mine and Fazal’s in 6 months Insyallah *squeals*
Well, and OCBC but whose looking at that.
thefirstmeow 