AK learns to embrace Y.O.L.O.

Caller:
"Sir, I would like to introduce a money saving card to you."

AK:
"Save money? I like. Tell me more."

Caller:
"You will get 50% discount when you dine at XXX, YYY and ZZZ!"

AK:
"Er...."

Caller:
"And the membership costs only $300 a year!"

AK:
"Thank you for calling but I am not interested."

Caller:
"Why? This card helps you save money. If your dining bills amount to $2,000 a year, you would save $1,000!"

Wow! This guy's math is up to scratch but AK is also not stupid. Since AK is not stupid, why AK never buy the money saving card?

AK must be stupid!

Friend:
"I going to Europe for vacation next week."

AK:
"For how long?"

Friend:
"Two weeks lor. Go to Europe must be at least two weeks or else not worth."

AK:
"Wah! Will spend a lot of money lor."

Friend:
"No lah, will save a lot of money."

AK:
"Really?"

Friend:
"Ya. I calculated already. I will save several thousand dollars buying my Prada, LV, Gucci and Tag over there!"

AK:
"......................................"

My friend's maths is better than mine. A1 for A Maths. I got only C5 for A Maths.

AK is definitely stupid!

Bro:
"I going to Japan for holiday again next month. You want to go with me?" 

AK:
"I love Japan. Maybe next year. Save money first."

Bro:
"You need to save money one meh? You so much money liao."

AK:
"Aiyah. Cannot anyhow spend mah. Must budget for it. A trip to Japan would still cost quite a bit of money."

Bro:
"Don't think like that lah. The savings would more than make up for what the trip would cost."

AK:
"Er... How so?"

Bro:
"The cameras there are cheaper. Buy one Nikon already save a lot of money liao. Buy more stuff that are cheaper than in Singapore lor."

AK:
"Wah! Like that also can. You win already lor!"

Bro:
"Ah bar den..."

Why AK didn't think like that?

Stupid AK, stupid AK!

Y.O.L.O. can be a good thing. It could help us to save money. So, we should embrace Y.O.L.O.

Don't be like stupid AK who doesn't know how to save money.
(For those who are even more dinosaur than AK, Y.O.L.O. stands for "You Only Live Once". It has a nice ring to it too. Er... Or is it "You Only Lived Once"? I blur.)
Related post:
A story about a lady in my life.

My passive income from 2015 all gone!

I always say that we have to be careful to avoid activities which lead to wealth destruction, especially if we want to achieve financial freedom at a faster clip. 

Even though I have never specifically said what I consider to be wealth destructive, I suspect that, intuitively, all of us know what they are or am I too optimistic?

I guess in today's world, many things can be wealth destructive and it would be quite difficult to list down every single wealth destructive activity. So, how do we know if something is wealth destructive? 





I might be putting my neck on the chopping block here but, in a nutshell:

As long as something does not create wealth directly or indirectly but consumes wealth to keep it going is wealth destructive.

If we want more of something, we don't want to do anything that will destroy it. So, if we want to be wealthier, we don't want to do anything that will destroy wealth. 

Simple logic, right? 

Simple logic this might be but it is not easy for many to adhere to.

Believe me, however, when I say that it might be difficult at first but, after a while, we will get used to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation. 

It will become easier. 

It will become a habit.

Remember that as we grow older, we become creatures of habit and it could be harder for us to change. Know some older folks with bad habits that they cannot kick? 

So, we should try to acquire good habits as soon as possible. The best time to start is always now.

In recent months, however, I wondered if a good habit could eventually become a bad one?

Everyone knows that AK is pretty frugal and is very careful with spending money but, actually, AK is quite happy to spend money on his family and is quite generous even with friends. It helps that that AK's family is small and friends few, maybe. 

However, AK was not as ready to spend money on himself.

Was?

AK has been learning to treat himself better. He bought new clothes, basically renewing his whole wardrobe. Well, he didn't have much of a choice, having lost quite a bit of weight. He also has healthier (and costlier) eating habits now.

AK sold his car and was without a car for 2 months but now has a new car, a car that costs almost as much as his passive income for the whole of last year!

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

OMG! 2015's passive income gone, all gone!

What happened?





AK has some friends and readers to thank for this transformation. Without their suggestions, nagging and, sometimes, scolding, AK would not have transformed. 

Why use the word "transformation" and not "improvement"? 

Well, is it an improvement?

I used to think that friends who keep encouraging us to spend money are 损友 which means "bad friends". I remember a Chinese movie in the 80s with this title too.

Could friends who keep encouraging us to spend money actually be good for us?

I am so confused now. 

How? 

I blur.

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