My First Pay Cheque

When I was studying and looking for a job, I had many ideals of how was I going to utilize my first pay cheque. I say utilize because the word spend sounds a tad negative. It sort of implies I’m going to spend the entire salary away in one go.

i always had the impression that when my first salary is in, I would be leaping for joy, jumping straight into the atm queue to get my hands on my moolah. And I would be off utitilizing it fully. Firstly, to give some to my parents and of course to take the family out for dinner. Treat my close friends. Give some to temple, that’s the least I can do because I’ve been really blessed and am very thankful. To get a new handphone, a really good, expensive, out of this world ridiculously fabulous handphone because I deserve one. Shopping! And the rest would be for savings.

The reality of the situation turned out so differently. When I heard that my pay was in, it felt like any ordinary day with the exception that my bank balance has increased somewhat. I did not rush to the atm to withdraw money to buy anything I had always thought I would. I did go to the atm machine 4 days later, but just to make sure the money was indeed banked in. And it was not till I inserted my card in that I realized I could do my banking online. I felt so silly!

The new handphone; I decided I didn’t need one. The current one functions just fine after a battery change. In fact, I think the idea of a new super duper canggih handphone where I would only use say 5 of its gazzilion features is nothing but an ego booster, a feel good material item so show off because the phone looks sophisticated when I take it out to answer a call or text message. But really, isn’t a phone’s main function is to make and receive calls and sms? My phone does that excellently. I won’t deny I would like a new phone but perhaps when the current one goes completely bonkers on me, then I know it would not be an impulse buy.

The shopping was minimized to the absolute essentials as I have almost everything I need. I’m really proud of myself to be able to hold so still with all the sales going on. The treats will proceed as I intended, so would all the rest. And instead of a handphone, I’m thinking of taking up a life insurance policy instead.

So what’s so exciting about my first pay cheque? The fact that I’m actually an independent person, that I’ve earned my dues, I’m a working adult, not a mere child anymore. It makes me feel more matured, like I’m grown up so much in just 2 months. That feeling is one of the best feelings I’ve had so far and no amount of shopping or a sophisticated phone can ever replace that.