The Don't-do list when you're going broke
Money no enough! This can really stress anyone up, whether you’re Jack Neo looking for funds to shoot another movie or Jackie Neoh shopping in Orchard Road.
In this economic downturn when even banks don’t have enough money, you really need to manage stress (and prevent yourself becoming suicidal) by taking charge of your spending, and the way you handle financial obligations and debts.
My father used to say that without money, everything else is hypothetical. Hence, to manage stress and ease the harsh demands of life, you must first manage your money. (By the way, I remember a Danish proverb which says if you have no money, be polite. Sensible, civil people, the Danes.)
Some don’ts to help you cope, when you're going broke:
● Don’t indulge in “retail” therapy. You can’t shop and spend your way to happiness. And it’s stressful to buy on credit and having to fork out 20 percent interest payments because you can’t repay the full sum to the credit card bank.
If you have credit card debts, you MUST stop all needless spending and save every cent to pay off the debts. Once you have repaid, go to the bank and cut your card in front of the manager.
● Don’t kill time in the mall. It only makes you restless, depressed and even kleptomaniac when you look at all the glitter that you crave but unable to lay hands on.
● Don’t hang out with people who stress you. You can hear these idle (usually jobless) fellows in the kopitiam or the mall, complaining loudly about friends, relatives, the government and taxi drivers.
● Don’t ruin your health smoking, and drinking alcohol. All alcohol is bad for you, including wine. The American Heart Association points out that the statement, “wine is good for your health”, is rubbish. And for a “refreshing” pint of beer, it is pathetic to see pregnant old men sitting in kopitiams drinking several bottles night after night.
Beer does not refresh; it only makes the drinkers querulous, gouty and diabetic, and strip them of their savings, self-respect and health.
● Don’t buy lottery tickets. An informal survey by a local newspaper reveals that many Singaporeans spend $800-$2,000 each on lottery tickets and bets every month. Many of these individuals are jobless, so they have all the time in the world to queue at the lottery counter.
● Don’t push your kids too hard; let them have a chance to grow up. A senior manager in a telco manufacturing plant tells me she has to take a week off from work at the beginning of the year to accompany her son on his first few days in primary school. She felt stressed out because the teachers from Day 1 are already stressing the kid with homework, performance tests and ranking.
Each time you want to change the world or push your kid to take up ballet and play the cello, just chant this phrase: Let sleeping dogs lie . . . let sleeping dogs lie.
Of course not all stress can be avoided, and it is not healthy to avoid a situation or an issue that needs to be addressed, such as your kids not doing well in school, or you allowing your body to get flabby through over-eating and not exercising.
● Don’t make appointments or commitments that are difficult to keep. Take control. If you have an important appointment in Orchard Road, and you know the traffic there is hell, start your journey much earlier than you would normally do. Better still, don’t accept an appointment in Orchard Road.
● Don’t make appointments to have lunch or dinner in cafes or restaurants. All restaurants serve overpriced food, and all cafes served overpriced tea or coffee. There's nothing wrong dining out with friends in kopitiams.
● Don’t start a business. Whether it is to operate a food stall, open a shop or import electronic stuff from Shenzhen, China, don't! In six months of business, you are guaranteed to lose all your money (and your friends' and relatives' money that you borrowed), lose all self-confidence and self-respect, and even your own life (like jumping from a bridge to escape creditors and loan sharks).
Positive actions
Although the don'ts list is long, there are still some do's you can do (they're free):
● Browse, borrow and read a good book – in your neighbourhood library.
● Start a blog if you haven’t got one. Focus on one single theme that you are passionate over. Research and gather material on your subject and post regularly. Sooner or later, people who are interested in your theme will gather at your blog to read, add comments and even contact you to argue, discuss and share.
● Walk 10km in the park. Jog 10km in the park.
● Play with your cat (or dog).
● Work hard in your job; work longer hours to complete assignments on time, even if you're not paid overtime.
Go on, have a life, even if you're broke.
– Francis Chin, September 7, 2009
