How much can someone save if he earns RM1,000 per month? I think not a lot unless he is staying with his parents and he brings packed food from his home everyday. Well, what about a beggar? According to an earlier article published in NST, a beggar can ‘earn’ up to RM400 per day! Here’s the article in TheSunDaily: Beggar has RM8,000 cash, RM40,000 in bank and house in Georgetown. This particular beggar has much more cash in hand than most of us and his fixed deposit could provide him an annual return of RM1,600 per year. He owns even a home in Georgetown! Let’s not think it’s those hundreds of thousands ringgit type. How about just a low-cost flat of RM50,000? He is a beggar which meant that there’s no way that banks would lend him money. In other words, his property would have to be bought by cash or fully paid for. This particular beggar may potentially have a net-worth which is the envy of many!
What can we learn from this interesting piece of news? All are assumptions, since I do not know him personally. Well, this beggar must have saved a lot of what he ‘earns’ everyday. Perhaps he does not need to spend much which is why he has saved a lot but he needs to eat and drink water everyday, right. He has a home to go home too which meant that he may also need to pay for electricity and water? He has thus minimised his expenses. When I was young, two slices of bread with Planta and sugar is already an awesome food and today, I still find it delicious today and occasionally I ask my wife for it. Not everyone could eat this now. They may need a nice cafe, order a butter and kaya toast and a cup of coffee. Total cost for these two things? RM8 or more. Seriously, do we really need this, IF we still complain about the cost of living? We need not follow the beggar who must have totally eliminated most of his expenses. However, we can take a leaf from him and save more. Choose what we spend on and only spend when really necessary. Else, earn more.
Let’s be knowledgeable. Most of the time, as one earns higher, the expenses follow in-tandem too; up. You know the term of ‘keeping up with the Jonesses?’ In brief, peer pressure caused us to spend more so that we can be seen to be in the front instead of falling behind. Is this really needed? Here’s an earlier article: Overspending to ‘enhance’ image is very Sxxxxd.The beggar has taught us a key lesson. Beggars must save too. Else earnings, regardless of how high means nothing. I do not think their life is easy and this is why I do not think anyone would like to encourage everyone to be a beggar instead. By the way, beggars do not ‘earn’ good money only in Malaysia. This article shared that a female beggar in Singapore could earn SGD100 per hour! By the way, it’s illegal to beg in Singapore and Malaysia. Happy saving yeah.
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written on 30 May 2017
Next suggested article: It’s too expensive. Stop buying properties!
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