Photos of AK's home.

In my last blog post, some readers thought that the photos were of my home.

Nope. Too luxurious. 

Anyway, curiosity is only natural and since I took some photos of my place a couple of years ago, here they are:

Main entrance to my home on the right.

I gave away the TV console and LCD TV to my sister.

Kitchen with inexpensive washing machine and fridge.

The rather small guest room which was rented out to a friend.

Washroom.

My bedroom.

This is SPARTA!

Related post:
Moved in after 2 weeks and an $8,000 renovation.

Moved in after 2 weeks and an $8,000 renovation.

I shared in Facebook how I spent $8,000 doing up my apartment 6 or 7 years ago and moved in 2 weeks after I got my keys.

Someone asked me how did I do it and whether I could blog about it.

I did a quick summary in Facebook in the wee hours of this morning and I am doing a cut and paste here since the majority of you guys (and gals) don't follow me on Facebook.

"Terrence, it was so many years ago. There isn't much to write really... Lights >$1K... Curtains/Blinds >$1K ... 26" LCD TV, Medium size 2 door fridge, top loading fuzzy logic washing machine >$1K... Furniture from IKEA (Queen Size Bed/Single Bed/Mattresses, 2 Seater Sofa, Dining Table + 4 chairs, TV Console, Shelves, Side Tables) >$2K... Painted the place myself in one weekend... :) 

"It really depends on what we can accept. Many people told me IKEA furniture CMI but mine lasted >4 years and when I sold my place, the buyer asked to have all the furniture. Still good. Just imagine that the money I spent on all my furniture cannot even pay for a bed or a sofa for some people. -.-"







"I am not saying that I am right and they are wrong but there are choices. The same goes for electrical appliances. I spent less than 2K on washing machine ($299), fridge ($499) and LCD TV ($699). For some people, their TV already costs $2K (or more)!

"Very often, I see people trying to keep up with their friends and relatives. "They have, I must also have! If I don't have, I will lose face!" Big problem if they think like this especially if they cannot afford it. Even if they can afford it, should they spend that money?






"To me, it wasn't about affordability although I could afford better. I could put the money to better use. People laughed at my TV back then. It was CHIMEI brand. My Taiwanese friend told me it was Taiwan's 2nd biggest brand. Good enough for me. 26" LCD TV at $699 7 years ago was a very good price. I think SHARP would have cost 50% more.

"I don't think I was extreme in delaying gratification but I did delay within reason. Why use our hard earned money to buy a super high tech TV when we could get one "free" later on with passive income generated by our investments?"

We have choices in life.





We can choose to be 
"Under-accumulators of wealth (UAWs)"
or 
"Prodigious accumulators of wealth (PAWs)".
Source: The Millionaire Next Door.

"I have been labelled a person with a peasant mentality when it comes to wealth building... Unfortunately, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth... I can only do what I can with my limited resources to move upwards."
Source: To be a happy peasant.







As long as we are not severely disadvantaged in life, this is definitely something which all of us can do. 

If AK can do it, so can you!

Related posts:
1. A reader in his early 20s.
2. The secret to avoiding financial ruin.
3. From rich to broke.
4. If we are not rich, don't act rich.
5. Not enough money to be married.