How my mum taught me to save money…

I was in primary one when my mother first taught me about money. I had twenty cents a day from Mondays to Fridays. Back in the ‘70s; twenty cents could buy a lot!. I could get a bowl of noodle soup and still have a lot left over for my tong-kong (coin box / money box).

Savings Habits

My mother had a savvy way of teaching me a few core values with just this little idea.

For every ninety cents I brought to her on a Friday afternoon after school, she would give me a dollar for my money box.

And if I did not spend anything and actually brought her a dollar in coins, I would get a bonus of two pieces of fifty cent coins. These were usually very new and shiny.

And I really looked forward to Friday afternoons when I would usually get the special bonus AND the dollar bill.

But it took sheer determination and will power of steel to not spend any money during the week. I really had to focus and keep my eye on the two shiny fifty cents. To help me overcome the temptation to spend, my mum would put the two shiny coins on my desk so that every time I do my homework, it is there to remind me. But more importantly when I left for school in the mornings, the coins would remind me not to spend my pocket money but enjoy whatever snacks my mum packed for my recess break.

And there are days, usually Fridays when I will reward myself with an extra special treat. I really liked this dish chai-tow-kuey (similar to a pancake made from white radish, fried with preserved turnips, garlic and egg). This costs fifteen cents.

Occasionally I would buy myself this on a friday afternoon, provided always that I have already saved quite a bit during the previous weeks. And I must say, now that I reminisce about it, that my saucer of chai-tow-kuey tasted very good and I can still see myself sitting under the tree opposite my school gate, enjoying this simple pleasure.

So what I really learnt thirty odd years down the road is that saving is a habit. And the earlier we start, the better it will be for us. I also learnt a lot about myself in terms of will power and focus, determination and more importantly I learnt to enjoy or more precisely I choose to enjoy life’s many simple pleasures.

I guess, being happy or finding joy or pleasure or contentment, is really a conscious choice that we make.

And as we grow older, I wonder if we grow up. Do we grow wiser, kinder, more loving and compassionate? Do we grow to make this world a better place to leave to our young ones? Or do the years just pass us by? Our bodies have grown but our minds and intellects got stuck somewhere between adolescence and adulthood?

Have we been so busy keeping up with the Joneses but have overlooked to feed the soul? Or are we like the life versions of Barbie and Ken; getting caught up with all the ‘plastics’ – from plastic surgery to plastic money; that our souls have slowly evolved to be plastic as well. (sigh)

When I see that little girl sitting under the tree eating the chai-tow-kuey, I ask myself, when did life get so complicated?

I hope you enjoy the sharing 

Copyright © Belinda Ong, March 2011. All rights reserved.

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