I just came back from a Taiwan trip.
Some of my friends told me in-a-jokingly-envious tone – Good life, eh? Just went for a Europe trip and then now a Taiwan trip.
While I tried to play it down, but I have to admit, it was a pretty good life (at least while it lasted).
For those who really know me, I hardly spend my money on such “luxuries”.
Anyway, back to this Taiwan trip, it was originally intended to be a family trip. However, due to some factors, it became a trip with only my brother and me. And some time later, I understood that my brother intention in insisting that both of us carry on the trip ourselves was because he had me to enjoy and relax myself for all my hard work.
My original budget for this trip was about $1,000. But after the trip, my total bills added up to be about $2,000.
How did excessive spending happened??
The reason for the excess expenditure? I had bought some expensive green tea powder for own consumption as well as my favourite chocolates origin from US which accounted for the excess spending.
After we came back, between my brother and me, we had a funny conversation. I mentioned that I had overspent for this trip. My brother responded by saying that we must be really crazy to buy such expensive green tea powder to drink for our own health benefits.
For me, I was aware at the point when I was spending that the expenses were not planned for and would exceed my budget. If that is the case, why then did I still go ahead?
Was it a good thing that I under-budgeted or over-spend? Absolutely not!
However, given my ability, I was also aware that I could afford what I had decided to spend on, if I choose to. Which in the end, I chose to spend.
The point I’m trying to make is, when we have the financial ability, we have more choices. We can choose whether to buy or not to buy anything that catches our eye when money is not the issue.
The lack of money, the inadequacy in the lifestyle of my father’s is one very good example that I have no wish to follow. When we go on trips, he would complain that everything is expensive and he would not buy anything that catches his eye or his heart, simply his heart pains when he spends the money.
How many of us can relate to this ‘heart-pain’? I could, many many years back when I was still not so financial literate. It was really frustrating and disappointing not being able to fulfill my desire when I really wanted to get something.
So seriously, I have no wish to follow in my father’s footstep, to a life of simply scrimping (on all the wrong things!).
I don’t want to be in a state, living a life whereby I want to give my loved ones something better but ended up not being able to because I do not have the financial capability.
What I want is – I want to be able to afford the kind of lifestyle that I want, whether it’s for myself, for my family or loved ones.
In my case, drinking the green tea should improve my health. Not just mine, but my brother’s as well. As for the chocolates, being able to give my close friends some tokens from overseas gives me great joy. It makes me happy knowing that I have possibly brighten up their day. This is possible because I have the affordability.
And when I mentioned to my brother that he can choose the chocolates that he wanted and I’ll pay for it, seeing the joy in my brother’s body language, to me, it was already money worth spending. Being able to introduce to my brother and share with him my favourite chocolate as well as enabling him to taste the same goodness. That feeling was priceless!
But if I didn’t have this money, it would mean I couldn’t have done it; couldn’t do what I had wanted to do. I wouldn’t have been able to build a good health even though I know the health benefits associated with green tea. And I wouldn’t be able to be a Santa Claus and sense the joy on my brother’s or friends’ faces.
While money is not everything, it is an important thing. Otherwise, I would have to give up on my dreams, the things that matter to me and can give me joy, if I couldn’t afford it, financially.
So I am thankful for this affordability of mine. I am thankful to have the money to spend on building my health, not just for me but for the people I love as well.
Now that I have shared what financial freedom meant to me, what’s yours?
