Live with contentment

The other day, my sister and I had a small discussion. We disagree on our spending attitudes and savings awareness. My sister, born in 2000 - a typical Generation Z - always knows how to live for herself. At 24 years old, the little girl who used to braid her hair, run around and grab her sister's shirt, and follow her everywhere, has now truly grown up, joining the "office worker" world with a monthly salary of over a thousand dollars.

In my opinion, life is short, money is made to spend, to serve yourself, so just spend it without hesitation. Buy whatever you like, eat whatever you want, wear whatever you want, when money runs out you can earn it back, but many times the fleeting joy that has been missed will be gone forever. Sounds liberal, right?

I am a typical 8X generation, although more modern than the previous generation, but in terms of spending, I still calculate items clearly and always have a backup plan for everything. I will save at least 2 dong for every 10 dong I earn. I will consider the market to invest effectively, avoiding "hibernating money". In daily life, many of my friends and I are always conscious of shopping practically, eating just enough, and reusing useful items. When we need to spend, we spend without hesitation, but we don't spend excessively, don't overdo it, and don't throw money around like trash.

My sister thinks that my spending attitude is stingy towards myself. “You are the one who makes money, not money makes you. You are the master of money, not its slave!” - my sister said.

I think this way: Saving and stinginess are two completely different concepts. If stinginess is being stingy, stingy to the point of being excessive, not being able to spend every penny, only feeling secure when the money is in your pocket; then saving is a noble virtue, the person who possesses this virtue will cherish the hard-earned money to consider spending it for the right purpose, not spending too much, not relying on money to show off to the world, not using money to give himself the illusion that "I am a rich person". Saving gives each person a safe life, and further, contributes to a healthy financial foundation for society.

I am often puzzled by the reckless spending habits of young people - like my sister. How can one run out of money before the end of the month, and every month? How can one quickly decide to change to a new phone, just because the updated version is “desert yellow”, while the phone one is using is just a few months old? How can one not hesitate to borrow money from friends to organize a lavish birthday party, with a restaurant, balloons, imported fresh flowers and a Western-style candlelit meal? How can one stand up and turn away without the slightest regret for the full tray of food as if it had never been touched, and consider it a shameful act to pack leftovers to take home?

I have met many young people who treat money as a way to cover up their deep-seated insecurities. They are willing to call a taxi to get around because riding a motorbike is hot, darkens their skin, and is inconvenient to wear fashionable clothes, making them look unsightly - despite their basic monthly salary of only a few million VND; they order milk tea and cakes every day - nearly a hundred thousand VND for drinks - while their parents in the countryside are still working hard in the fields to send money to the city for their children's education. Many young people are heavily in debt, and the credit card becomes an inseparable object, and it is also a knife to the neck with endless interest.

From wasting personal finances, leading to wastefulness and intemperance with common assets: going to a public restroom, pulling out dozens of tissues and throwing them haphazardly all over the floor; washing hands at the faucet in the park, just flushing hard and freely, regardless of exceeding the amount of water needed; pouring free filtered water in a coffee shop, pouring a big cup full to the brim, without considering whether one can drink it all… So, the promiscuity has not stopped at personal consumption, but has become an irresponsible and uncivilized attitude towards the community.

Many “foreign-loving” people often admire and aspire to the luxurious consumption of people in other countries. But in reality, many countries in the world are now suffering the painful consequences of uneconomical consumption. The latest statistics cited by VTV are that the world throws away 100 billion USD each year due to food waste; 250 billion m³The water used to produce that food is also wasted. The governments of the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, China… are all urgently coming up with solutions to solve the problem of food waste and the people’s excessive consumption habits.

In the end, I think saving is a kind of life value: living a decent life knowing enough, living a neat and tidy life, living a civilized and luxurious life, living proactively and independently. A person who knows how to save properly will live with dignity, not having to worry about hunger all his life and not having to rely on anyone.