Living the “good life” is not about spending more money. This is not a personal opinion, by the way. But an article entitled, “Millennials most likely to post deceptive vacation photos to make social media followers jealous,” sums it up rather nicely as it does reflect the current situation with most millennials.
Many of them think nothing about vacationing overseas every year but will never bother to visit Sabah or Sarawak, or other states in Malaysia. Their reason? Nothing interesting to see and it’s expensive.
Actually, it’s more likely this: “If I visit places in Malaysia, it is STILL Malaysia. If I visit an overseas destination, I can take nice photos and tell the world that I am OVERSEAS.”
Before going any further, this must be said – if we are truthful about what makes us comfortable, we should just go ahead and do it. Just do not spend all your savings on it and later complain that everything is expensive.
As for spending within our means, here’s someone who’s worth more than most on this planet.
Chow Yun Fat is an international star worth HK$5.6 bil (RM3 bil) but he spends just roughly HK$800 (RM424) a month, the Oriental Daily reported.
His wife Jasmine Tan revealed Chow enjoys eating street food and used her old handphone for 17 years. (Wow, 17 years… did it mean he did not have internet access or even a Facebook account). She said Chow only changed to a new smartphone after the old phone stopped working.
However, Chow still sees himself as an average man, who finds joy in living the simple life. Often seen commuting on public transport dressed in old clothes, Chow once told Aisaone.com, “Clothing was not something to show off and anything is good as long as he feels comfortable in it”.
Okay, that RM424 per month most likely refers to food alone and is not inclusive of his rental or mortgage.
However, even spending only RM424 per month on food alone is pretty impressive. Divided by 30 days, that’s RM14 per day. Divide that figure into three meals per day, and that’s roughly RM5 per meal.
Definitely still doable even in Malaysia IF one really wants to. Economy Bee Hoon plus an egg and a kopi-O is definitely cheaper than RM5 unless we eat it in an air-conditioned restaurant.
Economy rice with one vegetable and a small portion of meat is not just economical but healthy too. If we are hungry and need a coffee break, a 2-in-1 coffee is merely 40 cents per pack and we can dip a few pieces of cream crackers into it as well. Dinner is best because we can eat at home.
One day in the future, this amount may no longer be feasible but for now, it’s a CHOICE.
Should we feel inferior to others just because we do not spend a lot of money? That’s something everyone has to answer for themselves.
This article first appeared in kopiandproperty.com
Charles Tan blogs at property investment site kopiandproperty. He dislikes property speculators and disagrees that renting is better than buying. He thinks it’s either property or poverty. He is presently the CEO of an auction house auctioning assets beyond just properties.