I can put a whole new meaning to being frugal, sometimes. And I’m proud of it. Unfortunately, the golden dust of stinginess can wear off so quickly because the next minute, I can be the worst spendthrift on the planet. Have you ever been bitten by these financial mood swings?
Here’s an example. I love my more than 10-year old Esprit wristwatch. I bought it with money I earned from my first award as a journalist back in 1997 (and I mention that here only to explain its sentimental value). In a moment of extreme klutzness, it fell from a super-high tower rack and it stopped working. The face was a mess of broken glass.
In a normal situation, I would have loved shopping for a replacement. This time, however, I was moping about in the mall, not excited to buy a new one. I kept telling myself that it’s more than 10 years old, for heaven’s sake. I deserve to buy one with a spiffy new design or a classic Omega-like look, you know?
I got it back for P500, including an P80 tip for the guy who fixed and cleaned it. The sturdy Swiss parts saved me P10,000, but that means I’m still wearing what I wore as a cub reporter.
Turn back the reels to the previous scene. Hubby and I decide to buy some beach shorts from Landmark department store. Most expensive pair of beach wear I ever saw at P4,500. Before we knew it, I had decided that he also “needed” two new shirts, I “needed” new clothes, the kids “needed” new shuttlecocks and Speedo goggles. Err… and this example is pretty tame.
One moment, extra stingy I could put Ilocanos to shame. Next, total spendthrift. Solution: self-awareness.
Mindless impulse spending starts when self-awareness ends. Who likes to feel deprived, after all? Who likes to be the country mouse in the big city? Who would choose to keep P30,000 untouched when it’s a bonus from a job well done? A little pandering to the latest fashion trends won’t hurt! I will pay that credit card bill next month, honest! (Yeah, right).
Ideally, every time we open our wallets we should be thinking, not feeling. But that’s easier said than done. That’s why consistency in frugality is difficult to achieve and we’re often caught between money mood swings that raid our bank accounts and our peace of mind.
Tempering money mood swings is a worthy goal, however. In the beginning, we might need tricks to bear down on feelings of deprivation, like taking one small bite of chocolate instead of mindlessly digging into a whole bag of Kisses chocolate.
If the mood swings are volatile, keep trying. Let’s use incentives and remember to give ourselves time in the hopes that soon, just the mere fact that we have been consistent is all that we need to feel satisfied.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:12 am
*trying to knock G to her senses*
Great bedsheets are supposed to make your old bed look new!!!
c’mon girl, resist the urge to splurge on a new bed…
on second thoughts, there must be a new furniture sale ongoing right now…
hahaha
July 4th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Salve, the store usually issues refunds for returned items in the same type of payment you issued them (in my case, they reversed the charge on my Amex-Amex is the great when it comes to charge disputes). I use the cell phone sparingly even after I chucked the landline which hardly gets used anyway, and keep it off because 1) relatives call at ungodly hours 2) it’s a hassle charging batteries 3) in true Ilocano fashion, I don’t want to go over my minutes. With a blackberry, my boss will be in my life 24/7. Last night, I managed to snag my techie friend’s latest phone cast-off (for free). It will give me time to wait for a sale, maybe a coupon (check dealcatcher.com, etc — you can also find coupon codes you can use online). As my nephew would say, I would have a heart attack if I had to pay anything at full price. For clothes and accessories, my cousins and I have annual swapping parties — since they shop higher end stores, do dry cleaning, and get fatter faster than me, I get the mother lode.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I’m also guilty of ordering things online. Considering the lax rules here, it’s so tempting. They don’t tax items up to $1000 per shipment. If you are lucky they still don’t tax you even if it is over $1000. Then there’s a cheap courier here (Aramex) which offers a forwarding address in New York and then they ship the goods here. Hay!….
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
yes. amazon ships free for every $25 purchase provided the seller is amazon and not another online seller.
I have bought bedsheets for less than $20 and nothing more than $30. Complete set — 2 pillowcases, fitted sheet, and flat sheet at 300 thread count, 100% cotton! in here a sheet set like that (and not 100% cotton) would be worth Php 2000, at least!
just browse the sale section of housewares. you’d find some really good bargains. I have two sets i bought last year, still unused. saving it to use on a new bed…. hahahaha!
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Ria, hahaha. not a hug — more like a kick on the rear end to bring me back to money-smart mode.