Lyn Ching-Pascual: Cheap, cheap….

I am cheap. Some of my friends call me “kuripot or matipid”. But I’d rather just call myself practical with a capital P. You see I don’t joke about money. I do not waste it like it’s going out of style. In fact I have always prided myself in NOT being a spendthrift. Of course I have my occasional bouts of insanity with a credit card, particularly when I am out of the country. But everything that leaves my wallet is written down and accounted for. Growing up in a middle class family has obviously made a big impact on me. I didn’t have a lot of extra coins to spend and when I did, I would spend it on “samalamig” and fishballs after school. In college, I rode the LRT every day and would walk the few blocks to the station instead of taking the tricycle to save a few bucks. And with only P500 as my weekly allowance, I had to tighten the belt a bit. At one point I just bought myself a loaf of bread before entering my campus so I could eat that the whole day and keep the remaining amount. That diet didn’t last but still, I would conscientiously deposit money in the bank every few weeks so I wouldn’t spend needlessly.    I started working in GMA at the age of 20 and by age 21, I had already bought my 1st car and had taken the reins as the breadwinner in my family. It wasn’t easy, but knowing I had responsibilities helped in curtailing what could have been a very disastrous new habit: overspending.   My mother was a big help, not in what she said but with how she lived. She never lived in excess of what she had. The only time she actually spent a lot was for me and my brother. Keeping up with the Joneses was never her thing. Sometimes, though, particularly when she would bargain at stores, I would cringe from embarrassment. She had no shame in asking for huge discounts, something that I, fortunately or not, have gotten from her. But I clearly learned from her that being practical wasn’t a habit, it’s a lifestyle. So that is what I try to emulate every day. For example at work (in "Unang Hirit"), I bring my own breakfast and water from home so I wouldn’t have to spend P100 per day for a small rice meal that may or may not taste good (or have hair….ickkk!). I try to stay away from coffee shops where P150 is a mid size drink that would just give me extra 500 calories anyway (Except for Reward days…but that’s another story altogether). I use my credit card from groceries to gas stations to earn points which can get me free items that I can use or give as gifts. Little things and small amounts, yes, I know, but if multiplied by days and months, it’s money that could be used elsewhere–books, travels, things for my children and things that are important to us. Not to say that I never give anything to anyone. I would like to think that I can be generous to people who matter to me, whose cause I believe in, and to people who deserve to be helped. But I can also say NO to those who expect perpetual handouts, those who think they deserve money they don’t work for and those who don’t bother to work for themselves.   Buying what I need as opposed to just what I want is what I live by, and it is what I try to impart to my children young as they are. Life now is much more comfortable than what I was used to but it is still not an excuse to live beyond my means. I believe I will never be loose with money. Every peso will still be accounted for. But there is no shame in being practical. In fact, I am proud. Because to be practical is to be assured that no matter what happens, I will have something for rainy days that may or may not come. At the very least, I want to be ready. And that is always better than nothing.