Goodbye for now, “Sylvia”
Today I bought my brother’s birthday gift, the first expensive birthday gift I got for him. Funny thing is, he knew what the gift is already since I wanted to make sure it’s something he liked so I called him before buying it. Meaning I destroyed the entire element of surprise. Of course, it’s still in the box, and I told him he could only open it on Saturday, which is his birthday. So now it’s sitting pretty in my room, waiting for his day. Oh, it’s a 12″ model of Leonidas from 300 with sound
So I paid it with my trusty card and I started cringing. Ah, how hard it is to start spending so much on my card just because I’m getting paid more now than before. Before I got my new job, I hardly used my card because I know I’m going to have a hard time paying for it. Now that I have a considerably higher salary, I find myself spending a lot more than I wanted to. Ooooh, look at that book! It’s P500? It’s okay, I have card! Ooooh, this top looks so cute! I want it! Swipe!
So my credit card bill comes in today and I cringe. It’s not really that high as the last recorded (but if you add this month and next month’s it’s pretty high -_- ) but it’s certainly more than I want to pay for. Not to mention my October bill is almost as high as this month’s. Hay. No I’m not regretting anything (although there was this one purchase where I could’ve saved P300 from this thing I bought…but let it gooooo) I bought — most of them are important (groceries and stuff) and if not, something I really wanted to buy (like my new Bible, my Chucks, my new work shoes and my brother’s gift), it’s just…ergh. You know what I mean. And not that I can’t pay for it either; I can, now that I just got paid for this other raket I just had. But of course, it’s hard to part with that much money like that, you know?
Of course, I get what I pay for. Or swipe for. Whatever.
Now it’s time to tighten my belt a little and stop using my trusty silver [insert bank name here] credit card that I now call Sylvia. Starting tomorrow, I will not bring it anymore until I have paid off all my debts (hopefully by October). I will not use it unless it’s a real emergency (see the emphasis on real).
The new tops can wait. The new books can definitely wait (I still haven’t made a dent on my reading list!). The other luxuries can wait for now. Sylvia, be safe in your box in my desk. I shall see you in a month or so. :)
I need more rakets! Keep on writing, Tina!
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Oooh, that’s a cool gift.
Ah, I know what you mean about spending more when you earn more… A few years ago, my earnings jumped up considerably… about US $10,000… Unfortunately, it put me in a higher tax bracket, so the government took a bigger chunk of my pay. Then I thought I had more, so I was spending more…
The irony was, I was supposedly earning more… and working MORE HOURS… for essentially, what seemed to amount to the same pay before my salary raise. It wasn’t really worth it — more responsibility, more hours, more stress at work, less play.
That’s why I left the 9-5 corporate office job 2 years ago.