Thank you guys for the recipes!!! I think beans, fish and tofu are great and also fairly inexpensive in Japan. A can of beans is roughly aroun a dollar, and i can usually buy a small slice of salmon (about the size of a standard deck of cards) for again a dollar or so.
In terms of sarah's suggestion, yes, $10 a day also includes transportation. I walk to work everyday except on sundays where I have to take the train. I do not have a car in Tokyo.
Clothing isn't included, but I probably should create a category for that under variable monthly expense or something. I rarely buy clothes, and if I do, I usually pick some work related clothes.
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$10 a day isnt a lot of money. I must say that I've lived on $15 a day before and I've found it do-able, but not extremely enjoyable.
I guess the balance between saving a lot of money and enjoying life is based on our perception of what is fun.
Yesterday, a co-worker of mine at work called me the Frugal Queen. She said, in front of another male coworker, that he should ask me for advice on how to save money.
I guess I took that as an insult rather than a compliment since the female co-worker proceeded to say how much of a spender she is and how she is enjoying life in Tokyo by living it up.
I felt offended mostly because they viewed me as being cheap. And being cheap roughly translates into a boring lifestyle and what not. However, this is totally false!!
I budget and I travel around Japan, and I look for relatively good hotel deals. I spend more time shopping and making sure that I get my money's worth. Is that being cheap or simply being effective with my cash?
Why are people driven by such diverse views when it comes to money!! The female co-worker in this story is unmarried, in her mid-40's, she rents instead of owning an apartment, and probably has little savings in her bank based on what I can observe. She eats out everyday and never cooks. In Tokyo, the cheapest meal you can buy at relatively low quality is around $5. A decent lunch is around $8.
Yet, why do I feel bad when she made that comment? Why do I care when I know that I'll be much better off in the long run than her? Is it because short-term fun and enjoyment is easier to see than long-term success?
I don't know...all I know is, I will reach my goal, and they can call me the Cheap Queen of Tokyo if that's what it takes to be financially free.
The End of my Rant.
A Balance btw being Frugal and enjoying Life
November 1st, 2006 at 12:51 am
November 1st, 2006 at 01:08 am 1162343307
November 1st, 2006 at 03:07 am 1162350472
November 1st, 2006 at 04:15 am 1162354532
i think the advice in the threads about not saying "I can't afford X" is also pretty helpful, because that choice of words does make one sound, well, poor. saying something like "i'm saving up for Y, so i don't really want to spend my money on X" makes the picture a little clearer.
November 1st, 2006 at 01:05 pm 1162386304
November 1st, 2006 at 05:08 pm 1162400891