Chicharon & Japanese Mamon

A reward system is something I believe in. I used to implement this with my children when they were young. I also do this to myself to motivate me or to mark a special achievement.

Years ago, when I was struggling with my religious gifts business, money was really, really tight. Added to that was the fact that I was financially illiterate. There were times I had to borrow from my children’s savings to pay for their tuition. I was also borrowing from the following month’s budget to get by. When my partners agreed to give me a small salary because I was managing the store full time, the first thing I bought was a bag of chicharon. To others that was something they buy without thought. To me that’s extra expense I have to think twice before buying. So when I got my first salary, I celebrated with a bag of chicharon. It was a delight in simple pleasures that rich people do not have the privilege of enjoying.

In the mall where our store was then located was an upscale bakery, Bread Talk. They sold this Japanese mamon that cost around P300 at the time which my friend said was delicious. I vowed that I will only buy it when I have a steady income that is enough for me to afford this. When my mother learned about this, she told my father to buy it for me but I declined. I will buy it when I reach the right stage.

Fast forward to 2011 – I am now financially literate. I have learned through the years to budget and live within my means. In the beginning of my walk to financial literacy, I made a budget based on a historical record of past months. That put order in my finances but still did not leave enough for savings and tithes after I plugged in all my expenses. It was just a list of sources and uses of funds.

Then I made progress. After reading books and researching on the topic, I learned to prioritize tithes and savings before dividing the rest for my living expenses. Amazingly, I was able to balance my budget even with those two items at the top of the list. Of course, there were a lot of things I still had to do without. I still could not buy the Japanese mamon.

Yesterday, about 6 years from the time I made that vow, I was updating my financial record. I realized there was something new in my notebook. Aside from sources of funds, budget allocation and my daily expense record, I now have entries for my savings and investments. This new section I have added enables me to plan my investments. I have just given my friend/financial consultant a check for additional placement in their mutual fund. I have also just finished reading Bo Sanchez’s “My Maid Invests in the Stock Market” so I’m considering his suggestions too.

I guess it is now time for me to go to Bread Talk to see if they still make the Japanese mamon. And if it still costs P300 after all these years.