Cutting The Plastic
I usually have a used but not too soiled plastic bag with me whenever I go to the market. On my emergency purchases, I just usually stuff the items in my bag (after paying it of course) so I turn down the plastic. Yes, we are stewards of our environment and from now till Christ's coming, we pay unconsciously for the mountain of trash we are accumulating in that still to be found "away." It's as if saying let's throw that "away" should make us feel less guilty.
But there's another kind of plastic that is sneaky, environmentally harmful, but is disarmingly good looking. It also comes in a small, rectangular shape that can be conveniently tucked away in your wallet and produced at any given time for impulse buying on a physical store, online, or even in "emergency" situations. How handy! It goes by the fancy name "credit card."
(MMM has a considerable influence in my writing style now... tapering off... slowly).
As part of my Mustaching: Becoming A Good Steward Project, I have vowed to pay off my outstanding credit card debts that have accumulated. It may not seem much but compared to my (ahem) salary, it is a considerable amount.
Let me hastily add that in itself, I don't think credit cards are evil. In fact, I would say they are a necessity! It has been such a helpful tool in my online purchases as well as in times when I don't have cash in a foreign country. (Where the ATM withdrawal charges are exorbitant).
Anyway, it was three years ago when I had my first shiny, plasticky, numbered, seemingly innocuous card. Although I was internally strict about using it for only:
1. Ticket purchases,
2. Emergencies (here and abroad),
3. Online Needs Shopping,
I found out, painfully, that I justified my impulses to Number 2 and that there was always a slew of stuff one can get on sale, transforming itself from wants to Number 3.
This led to a beyond the budget situation this 2015. These were just some of my unwise decisions:
1. Bought a laptop. From Amazon US. It's another story. (I justified this as a need. And maybe it is. )
2. Nine pairs of shoes from Zalora. Yes. Nine. (It was on sale! And I rarely buy shoes)
3. Paid the annual fee for my credit card. Again. Unwittingly. (Sneaky bank)
Due to a sale on airline tickets, I still am paying for interest for some who "rode" on my card and haven't paid it yet. Hence, as my current highest interest bearing debt within my control, my first mustaching act would be paying this off as soon as I can. Hopefully within two months. In fact, I shall impose a leisure travel ban on myself while it is not yet paid!
What's YOUR first mustaching act?
But there's another kind of plastic that is sneaky, environmentally harmful, but is disarmingly good looking. It also comes in a small, rectangular shape that can be conveniently tucked away in your wallet and produced at any given time for impulse buying on a physical store, online, or even in "emergency" situations. How handy! It goes by the fancy name "credit card."
(MMM has a considerable influence in my writing style now... tapering off... slowly).
As part of my Mustaching: Becoming A Good Steward Project, I have vowed to pay off my outstanding credit card debts that have accumulated. It may not seem much but compared to my (ahem) salary, it is a considerable amount.
Let me hastily add that in itself, I don't think credit cards are evil. In fact, I would say they are a necessity! It has been such a helpful tool in my online purchases as well as in times when I don't have cash in a foreign country. (Where the ATM withdrawal charges are exorbitant).
Anyway, it was three years ago when I had my first shiny, plasticky, numbered, seemingly innocuous card. Although I was internally strict about using it for only:
1. Ticket purchases,
2. Emergencies (here and abroad),
3. Online Needs Shopping,
I found out, painfully, that I justified my impulses to Number 2 and that there was always a slew of stuff one can get on sale, transforming itself from wants to Number 3.
This led to a beyond the budget situation this 2015. These were just some of my unwise decisions:
1. Bought a laptop. From Amazon US. It's another story. (I justified this as a need. And maybe it is. )
2. Nine pairs of shoes from Zalora. Yes. Nine. (It was on sale! And I rarely buy shoes)
3. Paid the annual fee for my credit card. Again. Unwittingly. (Sneaky bank)
Due to a sale on airline tickets, I still am paying for interest for some who "rode" on my card and haven't paid it yet. Hence, as my current highest interest bearing debt within my control, my first mustaching act would be paying this off as soon as I can. Hopefully within two months. In fact, I shall impose a leisure travel ban on myself while it is not yet paid!
What's YOUR first mustaching act?
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