Wow, this setting up of a new life in Gordon’s Bay is costing me an arm and a leg. Last month was a heavy month to say the least, but I thought that we had finally got everything done and dusted and I could finally start restocking my finances just a little bit at last. But, and quite unfortunately of course, there are always those unforseens to deal with. Sometimes they are little, like replacing a fish tank, and sometimes they are large, like replacing a fridge (which was not on our original plan, but a change of plans in Andrea’s new life means we need to get a new fridge ASAP).
Of course, the way in which I handle my money means that I always have reserves and that this isn’t a problem per say, but unfortunately it does push back and delay other plans and luxuries that now unfortunately will just have to wait a little while longer. This isn’t a huge problem for me and the type of person that I am, but for others this is unbearable and almost unacceptable – which is probably why credit cards were invented in the first place.
A good example of this ‘suicidal spending’ as I like to call it came from my buddy Nur on Monday. His buddy just purchased a top of the range, humungous Samsung flatscreen TV over the weekend, the price of which came to well over R15 000. The screen itself is a piece of art, beautiful when on and gorgeous when off and so, so worth it. Unfortunately the new owner is not quite as happy as he should be though – he has just realized that he needs to sell his car because he cannot afford all his current repayments now!
And of course, with the rapidly rising cost of living, what with the huge jumps in the price of staple foods like rice and wheat and of course the ever rising price of fuel (finally my sister pays more than me, thanks to diesel surpassing petrol at last), it is no wonder that I am hearing more and more of these stories every day.
Of course, I do have sympathy for those barely surviving above the breadline, but for those fools who don’t know anything about buying only that which they can afford and when they can afford it, my heart bleeds only custard – thick lumpy custard at that. Don’t you know that you can only live the ‘high life’ if you actually earn the ‘big bucks’? Silly people.
Okay, so maybe I sometimes appear cheap to a lot of people, but my money matters are always solid and I never have to worry about running out of cash – even if I am required to buy a fridge every now and then! How many other people can say that? Spend what you have, nothing more and maybe just a little less.
Suicidal spending? I don’t even know how to get a credit card – or where my nearest physical bank branch at the moment is for that matter! :)