is rob you of your money. literally.
i was just thinking about why money seems so scarce in recent years in my life. i never really had cash crunches when i was a student in school or uni, despite the fact that i was going out much more often with my friends. and the answer struck me like a demolition ball.
i am now a grown-up – a working one at that. and that spells disaster for finances.
somehow, once you are an adult, you are expected to do stuff that is more expensive. or more like, everything you do or buy just comes with a bigger price tag attached to it. take those once-in-a-while dinners with friends. invariably, everybody who is meeting up wants to go to a restaurant that has good food and a great ambience – all of which spells “e.x.p.e.n.s.i.v.e.” you can practically feel the notes rushing out of your wallet when you friend says, “so how about that Thai place at blah-mall. they have really good food.” and you can’t try to salvage your finances at that point and say,”how about the McDonalds in the same mall? didn’t we used to love it when we were in school?” might as well forget dinner or any sort of invite from your friends until you are 80. and while you may try and act smart by ordering the ‘set’ which is supposed to be cheaper, you will be bit hard when the taxes and service charges are added in. and did you forget that dinner is always followed by dessert or coffee? at the gourmet coffee place.
and the same principle applies to gifts. gone are the days when you could shop around for cute gifts, wrap it all up and put a card on top – all for a minimal budget. these days, the preferred medium of gifts are cash or gift cards, which is actually the best possible form (i mean, who wants ugly gifts that we have to re-gift to less friendly acquaintances?) and you cant just drop in a couple of crumpled $10 notes into an envelope and place it right at the bottom of the pile and turn away before anyone can place the connection between you and the envelope. yes, the time does come when you have to draw out those crisp $50 bills or buy those expensive vouchers and give them away with a smile.
these are just two examples. there are other everyday things that mount up as monstrous figures in our expense list -clothes and shoes (yes, we do need these – we cant get away with wearing ratty tees and flip-flops to work), communal birthday gifts, office party funds, lunches, groceries (mum doesnt stock up the fridge anymore), rent, home stuff…the list is endless.
in efffect, as grown ups, we are suddenly left with a huge responsibility of being a socially active, career-driven, well-dressed individual who appreciates the finer things in life. which is what we all probably wanted when we were back in school. what was never factored into those fantasies was the dollar quotient.
with rising cost of living and ever-increasing prices, all of us working adults come under intense financial pressures. but even if we all are longingly sneaking glances at that Burger King across the floor, none of us will voice it out. we will just smile and make our way into that expensive restaurant. and discuss about that surprise party we are going to throw next week for a friend – at a boutique hotel.
*groan*
the world in my eyes 