Frugal

There are several sides of me when it comes to money.

When I first started working, my spend on a monthly basis would be far more than my income, far far more. I was constantly indebted to the banks. And my typical attitude to that was "Hey, I am young, I can work so long as I am breathing". I remember my mum used to be really upset with me and constantly nag me to save save and save.

Fast forward ... I was lucky at work. My initial years saw me through yearly promotions and so my income levels increased. Still, I was struggling to make sure my income could keep up with my spend. But still, I did not feel afraid or worried, I just carried on.

Then one day, I just woke up and found myself really really afraid of my financial standing. I'd also taken a fancy on Robert Kiyosaki and his Rich Dad Poor Dad book really changed my perspective towards my life and financial standing.

I took a proactive step towards making myself better, financially wise. I took up a CFP course. It is not something that I do not know, it's just the fact that I needed some directions, some guide.

Fast forward again, I have since completed my CFP. For each module, I have set out to do something that relates to it. As a result, I have bought an additional insurance policy, I have made some adjustments when paying my taxes, I have taken a more proactive stance with my investments and I have also done my estate planning. The ultimate is for me to have my retirement planning on track. This, I am still working on.

Nowadays, I have taken an additional step and make a note for each of my spend on a daily basis. It has helped me think twice, thrice about my spend before actually spending it. I am happy to say that I have more peace of mind where money is concern, but the occasional worry still creeps up.

Some people ask me why I am so obsessed with money. There was this night many many years ago where I had tried to sleep, but could not ... because I was worried how I was going to make the money to pay for my rental (+ my house mates's share, since she was always broke). I was so worried, that I was perspiring, really. And it was a horrible feeling. I had decided that I was not going to feel like that again.

Here I am then, counting and budgeting. Not easy, but definitely worth the effort.