Kaching Kaching

சிறு துளி பேரு வெள்ளம்

$mall droplet$ of water will cause big flood

One of the first proverbs I learnt in primary school swam through my mind. When I read an article in The Star about a mother trying to teach her children the importance of saving up money, I was reminded of my childhood. I was given my piggy bank when I went to kindergarten when I was six. Well, it was not exactly a piggy bank. I remembered my first money box was a cylinder wrapped with a picture of beachside. It was colourful and lasted for around seven years even though it was made of cardboard. I still remember the joy I felt whenever I put in some coins inside my money box. (Yippie!!!! Kaching Kaching!)

My mother would give me thirty cents per schooling day (later it increased to fifty cents in Year Three and RM1 in Year 6). I used to ‘ikat perut’ in my school just to put the money in my precious money box. I opened my first savings account in Year One with the help of my class teacher. Every three months, I would count the coins collected in my money box, exchange the coins
with my dad for note money and bring it to school to save up the money in my savings account. I always felt proud of myself on those days when I was able to bring quite a big amount of money to school.

Just like those kids in the article that I’ve read, I became such a ‘money custodian’. I would ask my mother to pack food for me to school and my dad to pick me up from the school so that I don’t have to open up my small school purse. Saving money was a big plus point for me, but I rarely spent them. I even refused to buy souvenirs for my sisters when I went on a school trip because I was scared to lose that RM50 bill.

Soon, I was called OC by my friends in high school. By the way, I’m not exactly sure how the word OC originated, but among the society I live in, it means something given for free. I was called that because I was so good at spotting complimentary items (and getting them, of course). I became so used to this habit that at one point, I was scared that I couldn’t shop at all. So, I decided to venture the world of shopping. I started small – I shopped in the night market for food, hair accessories and pirated CDs. I made the same mistakes over and over by going for price instead of quality. I still remember countless clothing items that I couldn’t wear more than twice or thrice because the cloth tore easily. I was about to give up on shopping by myself.

But, I realised that I have to face shopping by myself when I stayed away from family when I was eighteen. I didn’t know what to kind of prices to expect when I buy groceries and food outside. Being fed by my mother, I was a blank sheet of paper. For the first three months, that was my biggest struggle. I tried to limit my budget for lunch within RM1, but failed. I am proud (I think) to say that my daily expenditure for the first three months (when it is food only) is RM2.20 (RM1.20 for lunch and RM1 for dinner). That was a serious mistake. I think I started having symptoms for gastric after that. Ah well. Thanks to my friends, I was introduced to various options for food (and also other things such as clothes). I slowly learnt how to spend.

There came a point in my life when I started spending without limit. Everyday, I started to enjoy the new talent I’ve attained without thinking about the consequences. So, when the end of the month came, I had to rely on pieces of breads for my main meals. That was when I decided to put my accounting skills into work. I started to keep an accounting book to record, analyse and improve my daily expenditure.

Till today, I try to practise all the skills I’ve learnt although I become a big-time failure sometimes. =P Ah well. Practise makes perfect. No matter what, I still have to save up money. I still have to watch out on what and how I spend. It’s better to save up now rather than cry later because of bankruptcy. Oh yeah. A new practice that I want to start when the next semester starts: Keep a piggy bank and collect the loose change I get daily when I buy stuff. It’s time to realise that small coins can end up being big amount later on, just like how small droplets of water can cause big floods. Oh yea, that also means I can have fun by shaking the money box and listening to the rattling sound of coins. =D

Update

P.S Btw, this is the link to the article that I was talking about

http://parenthots.com/features/Piggy-bank-101.aspx

I realised it's not exactly from The Star, although I found the link in that website.