10 things 2019 has taught me (Part 1 of 2)

1. Travel. The world is too big for you not to explore. The year 2019 is the second year that I was able to travel outside the country after 2016. It took me three years to go out as I was struggling financially but when the opportunity came, I grabbed it and went back to Singapore and Malaysia in June and went for the first time in Japan in November.
    
   Every travel opens one’s mind to the fact that the world has too many things to offer that only travelling to another country can explain. It widens one’s horizons and allows you to understand oneself and ones’ culture better by experiencing other culture. Good thing that budget airlines allow even ordinary folks to experience travel normally enjoyed by a few.
2. Spend only what you can afford (at least for the moment). Many of us earn from our employment and we know the feeling of spending one’s hard-earned money. Author Robert Kiyosaki in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad tells that instead of saying ‘I cannot afford it,’ people should change their mindset by asking ‘how can I afford it?’ when thinking about purchasing luxuries. Maybe some will get their big shot of earning big but many still rely on their pay checks. For now, just spend if you can. No need to bury yourself in credit card debt just to social climb.
3. Keeping only the stuff you need means less stress. Christmas is the season of gift-giving and sometimes the gifts we receive are things we really don’t need. Exchanging gifts stresses me out because I am not sure if the receiver will like or need the gift even if it’s on the wish list. Also, things we have only add clutter to our houses if we are not like Marie Kondo in our approach.
    
   I learned to only keep the stuff I need and hold onto it until I need to purchase one. I have not reached a minimalist lifestyle but I’m trying not to hoard in my purchases. It saves me from unnecessary stress.
4. Save money. There will always be a rainy day. The reason why I was not able to travel between 2016 and 2019 is that I was still paying for my credit card debt. I received my first credit card in 2015 with a huge credit limit. I didn’t apply for it but it was delivered at home days after I received a call from the bank. I maxed out my credit limit and as someone who just left his full-time job and only worked part-time, my income cannot suffice my mounting debt.
    
   Learning from that, I started saving in the bank in 2018 and continued until today. I remember that in the beginning of 2019, I did not receive my salary for four months and only relied on ‘Lingap’ or ‘pautang’ to get through every week. Good thing that I have kept a little for my expenses if I resigned or decided to apply for work in another agency.
5. Lend money according to how much you can afford to lose. Lending someone else your hard-earned money was an example my late mother has taught me. She said that it is a way of helping somebody who asked for your help through that amount lent. But per experience, there will be some people who borrow money without thinking of paying you back. Two of my best friends borrowed money and never talked to me after. My former trainer in my previous job borrowed money for her sick father and I can’t contact her through her number right thereafter. Those are also reasons why I was not able to do travel. I lost my hard-earned money to scammers. Yeah that’s the word.
    
   Since then, every time someone asks help from me, I always have a second thought of giving. Not because I am greedy or selfish but my previous experiences taught me to be careful. If I give or lend one my hard-earned money, I only give what I can afford to lose. I don’t want to starve because of poor judgment of character.

(to be continued)