A good friend’s back-bending efforts to track her monthly expenditure have left me a little breathless.
Honestly I admire her diligence in micromanaging her budget. It is exciting for me to see all the figures come together on the ledger she posts every few weeks on her blog. Not to mention, of course, a small degree of envy at the headway she’s making towards her future financial freedom.. It is a subject I spend a lot of time thinking about these days; among other things freedom-related, that is.
In our close circle of friends, I feel we have learned most from each other. That said, I have tried (though not nearly as earnestly) to manage my own salary in the hopes of bringing about positive change to my constantly erratic month-to-month spending pattern. I started with what I thought couldn’t go wrong; I relied on the same managing software, and the same simple approach to saving: stop buying things I don’t need, and stop needing things I can’t buy!
My enthusiasm however, yielded very different results. And my one true mistake – if I could call it that – lies in the fundamentals.
I came to this realization too late: my life is not my own to work with.
With the exception of some money set aside automatically every month in a separate account, I have very little savings to speak of. Looking at my own ledger for the last couple of months, I realized my cash flow went mostly in contribution to household duties: groceries, house phone and internet bills, small funding for brothers still in school, cars, cats.. They are all necessary things, and ones I cannot help but pay for.
Hey, all that on a student stipend of RM1200 a month.. I’m lucky I can still afford dinner with friends every few weeks!
See, independence is a relative thing. To a lot of people, it does mean being in control of our own lives; to finally break free of all holds and limitations previously imposed. By becoming self-sufficient we gain licence to adulthood and the carte blanche that comes with it. We begin crafting the future we’ve always wanted, and for most, it is one that is necessarily outside the direct influence of family and friends.
But to the select few – and yes, I’d like to think myself special in this way – it is just another way of saying, “hey, I’m financially ready to take over family headaches. What can I start paying for?”
What does not kill you will only make you stronger..
BRING IT ON.
3 comments:
Unnie!! I feel the same way! Sometimes I feel that my salary is a little dispensable. You know how it is when u r the breadwinner next to your parents. I really can't say no to my family, knowing that they have nobody else to turn to when it comes to money-related things. But I really don't mind. That's the least I can do. Then suddenly this money-freedom thing got me thinking. Haish. Better late than never, unnie. Hwaiting!
Ah, but Kak Sofie, don't you realise all that commitments I've spent my energy and money on are simply because I DON'T HAVE (or DON'T KNOW) what my commitments are.
And that is not necessarily a good thing too.
Because these days I find commitment can be liberating, for someone who is as lost as I am...
We are learning lots from each other indeed. Sometimes I just love how different we are individually but how similar we are essentially.
:)
Mun,
Family pains are something you can't escape, I guess.. Once you assume responsibility, you're accountable for the rest of your days! (-_-)
Ati,
Agreed! it's scary not know what our commitments are in life, because in a way, commitments are the things that give us a sense of purpose; a drive to march forward.
To me, my family is an automatic commitment. Until I make my own brood, that is.. ;p
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