It's time for financial diet

I earned a miserable salary when 6/7/2012 I checked my Maybank account. I jumped to a conclusion that how can I survive for this month and I might go on a financial diet not only for this month but also the rest of the month. Before started working, I had a wish list that need to be obtained by money. Everything was changed with the little miserable salary. My colleagues were inviting me to go for shopping since we just receive the salary. They bought the clothes from here and there. *envy* Miraculously, I didn’t burn cash from my wallet to get myself anything.  I might not involve in the next time shopping outings due to the financial diet and also their selfishness deterred me from shopping with them. * my social life will shrink*.

I was come from the middle class family. My father was a civil servants while my mother is the Home Minister aka housewife. My parents raised five kids. I’m the eldest one. Forget to tell you, my mother not only became the Home Minister but also the Finance Minister. Father seemed liked an assistant to the Finance Minister since all the finance will be in my mother’s hand. My mother’s financial priorities were not "now" but "tomorrow". My mother saving for our education and the mother of all worries- dreaded diseases.

It meant the family live in frugality.  School holiday travelling confined to Cuti-cuti Sarawak via road trips to Sarikei and Sibu. Some of the cities like Kuching and Miri I never stepped at my foot there with my family. Flying to West Malaysia is never existed in my childhood memory. I thought if having the opportunity to fly to West Malaysia during the school holiday it was once in 10 years luxury. My poorer classmates in primary and secondary probably have to sell their kidney to afford to a trip to the country’s capital which they only had seen in the television. I am eager for travelling. *my cerebrum was calculating how many month’s salary that I need to save for travelling*

The reality life forced me almost possible to be frugal. Strong financial discipline must stick in my mind. The little food luxuries that I had currently were some of the mini food outlets in Prangin Mall which in the range of prices RM 5-RM 10.00 per meal.

I might embrace Chris Farell’s philosophy which he espouses in his book The New Frugality: Consume less, Save more, live better. “This New Frugality is not about being cheap; it’s about being smart,” Farell wrote.“…..it shows how putting core values at the centre of investment and fewer purchases, but more satisfying ones.”