I'll admit. For the past 2 months, I've been a bit confused in Paris...
Why?
Well, you see, when I moved here, I thought that there would be some great change in my life. I mean, come on right? It's Paris, I've heard so much about it, people talk about it, it's a different lifestyle, it's blah blah blah... 
You'll get more independent, it will be more exciting, etc... I've heard and even felt/expected so many things. 
Like I was expecting it to be really life changing and WOW and that things would be different. 

Well... After my first 2 weeks and when things pretty much settled down, there wasn't any difference.
So I felt a bit... confused... 

How can my life in Paris be so similar to my life in SG?
And this befuddled me until a few days ago. It took me a lot of thinking and reflection. 

I came to a conclusion that... well... ERSG from SG is the same person as ERSG in Paris. 
Sounds pretty stupid right?
You see, when I came here, I thought things would suddenly change. 
That things would be exciting. Things would be different. 
BUT... I'm the same person! How can things be more exciting?
I like my stable life!
I like collecting free food. I don't like spending money. I don't really like going out cos it's really expensive here. I like staying in my apartment and watching shows and learning new recipes, etc...
Yes, we do go out sometimes on weekends, have a meal out for a change, but mostly, we enjoy a more peaceful lifestyle. 
We will be traveling a bit around Europe region but not too much and on budget.
Generally, we don't keep going out looking for the next thrill, next purchase, next... whatever!

Now, imagine if I had a lifestyle of ... many Singaporeans. Like my friends on FB. 
I see them post pictures of dinners, lunch, going out to many exotic locations in SG, the new playground, their evening drinks, new food locations, etc... 
So IF I had that kind of lifestyle in SG, then... I'm sure my experience in Paris would be significantly different. Cos... There would be so much more to explore, so much to do, so many new experiences. So many new things to buy and spend on. Then confirm they will tell you that there's so much to do, so much to see, so much to spend on and experience. 

So you see... you are who you are. It doesn't change overnight regardless of where you are. 
I'm comfortable with my lifestyle in SG, and of course I will want to try to replicate it in Paris. 
If I enjoy going out and playing and spending and new experiences in SG, then I will want to do the same in Paris. But, I'm not like that. 

Now, how does this relate to everyone else? 
Well... you know... every year, people HOPE that the next year will be a good year? People try to keep new year resolutions, etc etc... 
Same same... it's still the same person. 
We are all programmed in a certain way and we do things for ourselves to be "comfortable".
If we want to change, it takes effort, dedication, discipline, or a life changing event. Else there's little chance of change. 

For me, I'm happy with my lifestyle in SG and in Paris. I was just kinda confused cos I expected some mind-blowing new experience. 
But, for folks who aren't happy with life, aren't happy with certain things in life, then... there needs to be some active steps to improve their lives. Sitting around and hoping won't change anything. You're still the same person. Today, tomorrow, this year, next year... That 1 second between 31 Dec 2019 23:59:59 to 1 Jan 2020 00:00:00 isn't going to change much...

Hmmm... I'd liken this to how I removed sugar from my coffee. 
Long time ago, I drank sugared coffee. One day, I decided that I wanted to cut down sugars in my life, so I reduced my sugar intake for my coffee. So from one teaspoon sugar, I cut to half teaspoon. After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar... Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. 

Change is a step by step thing. 
Weight loss, financial wealth building, training for a marathon, etc... 
If you want to save more money, you'll need to proactively find ways to do it. Else it will be very natural for anyone to just slip back into their usual way of doing things and spending again. 

Ok I've dragged on long enough. 
Simply put, I expected a more exciting lifestyle in Paris but because I'm me, I built the same lifestyle in Paris exactly the same as the one in SG. 
I'm happy about that. 
Except for some strange reason, somehow, I expected things to be different. Although, I did things the same way. So there's almost no chance for things to turn out differently. 

Remember this, the next time you hope that something changes. Cos the most important change is in yourself. 


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Here is part 1

So I wrote previously about how my "work" is similar to normal work. 
And even though I have enough, I keep trying to get more so that I have excess and have more "security".

And so, I'd like to build upon what happened to me recently. 
So I managed to find a place where I can get quite good stuff... meat, prepacked food, cheeses, yogurts, etc.
WOW... so much better than the fresh fruits and vegetables that I've been eating. 
For almost 2 months, I have been eating 90% fruits and vegetables. Which is really good for health.

Suddenly, I now have stocks of a whole range of other produce. 
And of course meat and cheese has higher "value" right? I mean... if I have meat which is "worth more" why would I eat 90% vegetables? 
So recently my diet has changed to around... 50% meat, and I'm starting to feel unhealthier.
Furthermore, since I'm now getting meat... ON TOP of the fruits and vegetables, I also eat more cos I don't have much more space in the fridge, so I just consume more and then take more tomorrow.

Which is pretty strange right? Cos by right, my life and health and everything SHOULD be getting better, now that I have more resources. 

Think about this scenario in life... Normal life. 

We earn money, we live a normal life.
We save our first $10k... not too bad, do some simple investments. 
We save our first $100k... also not too bad, we can do some simple investments. Buy more shares, etc...
When we reach our first $1million... ok how are you going to manage that amount of money? 
When you reach $5million... how are you going to manage THAT amount of money? 
Will you feel more stressed? What if you invest wrongly and lose $1m? 

At a certain point of wealth, you'll need a system. You can't be picking individual stocks to invest $1m... well technically you can, but it's going to be tedious. So maybe you want to put a certain percentage into passive stocks and just leave it there, and maybe $100k-$300k you can do active investing, etc...

BUT WAIT! You still have your day job. So there is stress in your day job AND the stress of managing more money. 
Hey, richer people have richer people problems. That's not untrue. 
Of course it's better than having no money. 
But just saying that having more will have it's own issues. 
Which is why people have systems, and bankers to help manage larger sums of money. Cos... it's not efficient to handle large sums of money by micromanaging it, and the added stress will affect the day job AND make life more unpleasant. 

So currently, I have a similar issue. I keep getting more food. But I don't have a system to manage it. 
For example. In SG, I have a community to give the food to, so I can easily pass on my excess. However, over in Paris, I don't have that system in place... (yet).
Or maybe I could find a homeless shelter nearby and pass them the food... similarly, I don't have that in place... (yet)...

Anyway... the idea is the same. Having more has issues tied with it. And potentially, there is added stress and may disrupt the overall balance of things.
Cos these days, I also think... maybe if I didn't find the new place, I could just be eating a healthier diet and having less food to manage...

Some of you might say... "Oh then why don't you just take less food".
Then my response will be "You wouldn't tell a rich man who's stressed about how to manage his money to earn less money right?"
Rather, it should be HOW, should this issue be managed. Instead of just avoiding the issue altogether. 


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I got a comment by "temperament" on my last post. 

I think it's a worthy question which deserves a post on it's own.
Cos I have a number of friends who are struggling with mental issues, or have overcome it. 

I've never really had much mental issues. I think also due to my attitude in life. 
For me, I feel the problem and answer is very simple. 

Many people have desires, wants, aspirations, feelings, loneliness, security, recognition, etc etc.
It's part of life. 
People strive hard to attain these, but when they go unfulfilled, people get stressed and it builds up into mental issues. 

A lot of times, people look outward to settle these issues. But many times, the answer is inward. 
It's easy for me to say, cos... mentally I'm programmed in a certain way. 
But I really feel that the answer to these issues lie within ourselves. The problem is understanding it and recognizing it and managing it. 

Let's take financial security for example. 
The easy way to look for an answer is outward. Money. I must earn more money to be financially secure. 
But I also know that people who have $1 million might not feel financially secure. 
A sense of security is found on the inside. Not in a bank account. Sure, there is some need of money, but it's not as much as what people believe it to be. 

So let's deconstruct the problem... This is one way to look at things, maybe there are others...
When people talk about financial security, they usually mean lifestyle security. They want to maintain some form of lifestyle. So... typically, it's not really ALL about the money. IF you can maintain the same lifestyle WITHOUT money, that's also ok right? 
BUT we lived in a world where the Government says, "Ok, we'll take care of your food, lodging, medical expenses, if you earn more that's your bonus."
There will still be people who feel insecure, although, by right, that shouldn't make sense. 

And the thing is... financial security, is pretty much a state of mind. 
A point where you go... OK I have enough.

It's the same idea as children will always be children in their parent's eyes. 
Even at 40 years old, some adults are still being treated like kids by their parents. 
Simply put, the parents haven't "let go yet".
And financial security is similar.
It doesn't matter how much you have. If you don't let go, you will still feel financially insecure. 

That's why I say the answer lies inside. 
This mentality issue manifests in many places. 

Some people NEED a sense of recognition from others. So they strive to study hard, work hard, keep getting better, show off, buy stuff, etc... To show to others that they have succeeded. 
And whenever they hit one benchmark, they will look at the next benchmark, cos there's always someone else who needs to be impressed. There's always someone else to show off to. 

And once again, I know people like this. 
They strive to be the perfect son/daughter to their parents, the perfect father/mother to their children, the perfect staff to their bosses, the perfect friend to their friend, etc...
And by doing that, they lose themselves. Cos they are always trying to do things which pleases others. And they may beat themselves up for not fulfilling other people's expectations. 
And it's sad when I see them like that. And I just want to tell them "Let it go..."
Cos... it's not possible to be the perfect whatever in other people's eyes. 

You can only be the perfect you. And they need to accept that. It's not the other way around. 
So it's important to set the expectation right. I love my parents, I give them enough respect, I help them when they need help, etc... But I will not live the life they want me to live. Cos I want to live the life I want to live. 
Same for how parents and kids. Parent's lives don't revolve around the kids. I don't know how it became that way, but that's not right. Cos it teaches the kids the wrong thing. That they are the center of everything. Which also isn't right. 

Anyway, the idea here is also... the answer lies inside. 
I believe we are bombarded by society and the need to fulfill expectations. But the answer is found inside. We have to live our lives, with due respect to the people around us, but I'm not here to make my parents happy/proud by working in a job that they expect me to work in. I'll make them happy/proud by being a good son, living a good life, so that they don't need to worry about me. Parents bring up children so that the children can do well and survive and flourish in life so that they can in-turn teach their own children and so on so forth. The actual job/career that the child does... isn't really part of the package, and kids shouldn't be trying to live out parents expectations or fulfill their parents' unfulfilled dreams. 

This is similar with friends. If you don't feel like going out at night to bars, but your friends ONLY hang out in bars and they don't want to hang out with you anywhere else, then most likely... they aren't your friends. 

Of course I wasn't always like this... I used to be pretty normal... thinking about stuff, stressing about stuff, etc... then as life went on, I watched and I learnt. 
Instead of changing myself to different people and trying to make people happy, but I myself wasn't really happy, I decided to walk my own road, do things my way, accept myself for who I am... 
At first, it's a lonely road, cos people weren't happy with my changes, the not so close people left, the close people stayed behind, and new people came along and I got new friends. And I fill my life with the people who are willing to accept me the way I am. 
That doesn't mean to be an ass to people. It means, find people who are in-tune with your own values, interests and path in life instead of hanging out with all kinds of people and trying to be part of the crowd.

And I think... all these also stems from fear. Fear of being broke, fear of being ostracized, fear of being lonely, etc... 

And to overcome all these, takes disciple, confidence, mental resilience, and planning and probably a whole load of other personalities and habits. 
Even I struggled when I first left my job. Read about The Fear... 
And slowly I overcame it... the thing is... stress, pressure, expectations, need to be managed. 
It's like losing weight, you can't sit on your couch and think... "Oh I'm fat, I need to lose weight" and hope to lose weight. You need to do something to get results!

If you have fear of financial insecurity. Then, it needs to be addressed, the question isn't... "There isn't enough money." That's a statement. That doesn't help anything. 
The question should be "How much is enough for me to be financially secure?" and do mathematical calculations to derive it. BUT what if after you reached this amount, you still don't feel secure? 
Then... THE ANSWER LIES WITHIN
It's no longer a number problem. It's a mentality issue, it's probably fear of something.

How do you get over a fear of cockroaches? 
Some people never get over it. Some people start by having slow exposure to them. Other people have to overcome their fear due to need, like me, my family needed me to kill cockroaches in the house. So bobian, I have to step up and just do it. 

So... the point of this whole post is... well... how to take care of your mental health? 
You gotta do something about it. If you're afraid, insecure, stressed, depressed, etc? 
You can't just sit on the couch and remain stressed. 
You gotta recognize and admit the fear and insecurity. Then plan and take active steps to break away from it, same as social expectations and financial planning...

It's the same as many other problems. I gotta admit first, that I'm fat, then I need to research what I need to do to get thin, then I need to execute that plan, good eating and regular exercise. 
But even after I am 65kg, which is super thin for my height... IF I STILL FEEL FAT!
Then... the answer lies... WITHIN.

Then the problem isn't about me being fat, the REAL problem is actually, my mentality and self esteem, and then, it's the same process again. Admit it, research on it, plan and execute on how to be confident and be comfortable with my size, regardless of what my size is. 
(This is an example, I'm not 65kg, and I don't have weight issues.)

I'll leave something I copied from the internet... it's the idea of, the more you want, the more unhappy you will be. The  more you strive, the less satisfied you will feel. 
And when you're comfortable with your own skin, and contented with life...
​That's when life is really good.

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I think a lot of people are familiar with this...
Pretty everyone want's to upgrade... or at least remain the same. 
That's pretty much what life is about right?
If you have a 4 room HDB, you probably want to move to a condo, or at least remain the same in the 4 room HDB. Most people won't want to move to a 3 room HDB.
If you eat rice and some meat and vegetables today, you would probably want something similar tomorrow or better. You probably won't want to just eat plain rice. 

And ever since young... we learn... we need more money to do more things. 
Even the Government believes this... more money, they get better quality people... *ahem*.
More money, they get better services. 
The thing is... this has been ingrained in our minds so much that... we don't think much about this idea.

But is this true? 
Or is it just taken for granted? Cos it's an idea so ingrained in us, that we don't think to question it anymore.
So when people talk about lifestyle inflation, it typically means that they have upgraded their lifestyle using money. 

So  these 2 statement are pretty much true, or assumed to be true.
1) People want to upgrade their lifestyles IF they can afford it or at least remain the same. 
2) To do (1), you need more money.

So... it's such an easy equation that no one thinks about it. We just need to earn more money so that we can live a better life.
SO EASY! What a simple equation. Cause and effect.

Now... what if this isn't true? 
I'm sure we all know that more expensive people doesn't mean they do a better job. The right person does a better job. There's a good chance that an expensive person would be the right person but... that's not always the case... I'm sure we all know that.

Same as for quality products. Not all expensive products are good quality, but if something is good quality, it's likely to be expensive cos it requires more resources to produce. 

And for me, I have managed to upgrade my life by using LESS money. 
This actually means that my lifestyle in INDEPENDENT from how much money I have. Think about it. 
When you talk about financial independence, what are you looking for? 
Usually, it's to maintain a certain lifestyle and not be worried about money. But what if they aren't related much? How does that change things? 
Now, I recognize that there's somethings that require money, like insurance and mobile data and such. But after all this is settled... What if AFTER financial independence... Your lifestyle keeps INCREASING?
By right. This shouldn't make sense right? But yet, it's happening for me. 

It's so easy for us to keep looking at one direction, when everyone is looking at the same direction thinking that's the right way. Everyone is walking in this same direction... how bad can it be right? 
Then there are some strange folks who tell you... "oh you don't need much money to be happy, there are many free things to do, there is a lot of free stuff around."
And more often than not, no one will believe them, cos, it's easier to follow the crowd. Keep using money, keep working hard, keep working cos that's the way to a better life. 

I've found that lifestyle inflation is actually good. It's fun. It's challenging. AND IT'S FREE. For me at least.
Cos... like everyone else, I also want to upgrade. 
When I get free stuff, I also ask myself. HOW do I get even BETTER stuff? HOW do I  UPGRADE for FREE?
Now, I'm not here to teach you how to get free stuff. The idea is the same. If you keep doing a certain subject for a period of time, you start getting good at it. And it's the same for any skill set. And getting free stuff is also a skill set in itself. 

So today, my main point is... 
We don't really think much about other roads. Well, many people don't. Many people just follow whatever path everyone else walks. And I think that in itself is flawed. 
Money is NOT the answer. 
The relationship between money and lifestyle, money and happiness, or money and quality is flawed and the earlier people realize it, the less tied down by money they will be.


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I've been talking about climate change and carbon footprint and consumerism and such...
​So the question is... Is ERSG an environmentalist? 
Someone who really cares about climate change? Carbon footprint? Etc?

I think for me, the real answer isn't so simple as a yes or no... 
In truth, I don't think so much about climate change or carbon footprint. 
I think about this from 2 points of view.

1) Saving money.
2) Wastage of resources.

But somehow it results in a situation where it appears or sounds that I am very interested in climate change.
The actual end goal of reducing climate change, truthfully, I don't look so far. 
So what do I mean by my 2 points?

1) Saving money...
This is very simple. The less you consume, the more money you save. It's good for the pocket. It's good for retirement. But, why I consume less isn't cos I really want to save the environment. It's cos I want to save money. 

Example,
-Taking public transport instead of Uber is cheaper, but it also has a lower carbon footprint on the environment.
-Free food is free, better for the wallet. It also reduces food waste so that it doesn't go to the incinerator and landfill, ALSO, it doesn't contribute to demand. So producers hopefully will produce less which requite less resources, which is better for the environment.
-Not buying STUFF. Obviously, it's good for your pocket. Many people buy stuff and just leave it around the house. By NOT buying stuff, you also reduce demand, which... hopefully producers produce less and blah blah bah.
-Not buying much meat. Even though I don't get much free meat, I still choose not to buy meat from the supermarkets. This reduces demand and blah blah blah, and from my last post, demanding less meat and reducing production of meat has a large impact on the environment. 

And the list goes on. I consume less cos it's better for the wallet. Saving the environment is just a side effect. And that's how I rationalize it. It has to give me an immediate benefit. Cos to me, I don't think the world is going to change course any time soon. So personally, I'm not going to give up my conveniences since 95% of the world doesn't really care. 

2) Wastage of resources. 
This is somewhat similar to the above, but on a bigger scale. 
It's when I raise my eyebrows and go... HUHHHH???? Why would anyone want to do that? 
I grumble/mutter under my breath when I see wastage. Not cos I'm looking at it from an environmental point of view, but rather the thought that... why would anyone logically want to waste things?

Example,
-So even though I don't save money when I see clothes companies throw away clothes, hangers, etc... I raise my eyebrows and just grumble about it. Cos... it's just SO wasteful. 
-Or when I see people change their phones regularly... Huh? The old one still can use what?
-Or when I see buildings that's left vacant. I wonder why someone built it and just left it idle like that. 

Since young, I was taught not to waste, cos waste usually means wasted money as well. And maybe now, I look outward and see wastage all around me. And it's hard to understand it. Yes, it doesn't affect me financially, but the whole idea/concept of waste annoys me. 
I look at it, and I think... it's irrational, it's stupid. 
And so, I think, if/when I write about it, I may look as though as I'm looking at this from an environmental point of view... but it isn't really that way. 
Yes... eventually, it results in the same thing. Less wastage also helps the environment. But that's really not my underlying intent. 

But hey, the end justifies the means right? Environmental issues ARE a real concern. If not now, it will be in the future. And whatever way I look at it, if it helps me and the environment along with it, then why not? 
And even if you don't care too much about the environment, I'm sure you care about your pocket right? 
It's a nice win-win situation. 


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Okayyyyy...
So I wanted to write a bit about stuff we/you/I have heard about Paris and my experience here. 

1) Heard: There's dog poo on the streets.
Truth: Ok I have seen dog poo on the streets. But not significantly more than in Singapore. Maybe things are relative... Maybe the people who make this comment live in countries where there is NO dog poo on the streets. But for me, I feel there's little to no difference between Singapore and Paris. 
So to me, this is false. 

2) Heard: French people are proud/rude.
Truth: I've never had any real issues with proud French folks. They have been helpful when I ask for directions, they have been helpful in shops, nothing much. They DO have pride in their country and language though. But they aren't particularly proud or arrogant when interacting with me from my own experience. 

3) Heard: Service is terrible in Paris.
Truth: Once again... I've had no real issues here. Staff has been helpful. Maybe it's cos, I'm used to lousy service in Singapore. Really, service in Singapore sucks, so maybe I think the French are good enough. 
Ok sometimes, when I get to the counter, the staff is talking with their friend and they don't really acknowledge me/the customer until they finish what they are saying... But I'm pretty ok with that. I've lived through much worse in Singapore. 

4) Heard: The subways are old and breakdown all the time.
Truth: Ok the subways  are really old. They aren't like our MRT stations and trains which are clean and the station floors are nice and well maintained. 
But, I've never had any issues with the train services. If train services breakdown all the time, I would think maybe once a month is a lot, but nope... until now we haven't had any issues with train services. 

5) Heard: Paris is a beautiful city.
Truth: It is. The architecture is beautiful, there is a certain soul and culture in the city. Nice buildings, a romantic feel, cos of how the media has portrayed Paris. 
But there are also the shady sides of Paris, the not so nice parts. The rough areas within Paris, which no one knows, and not much media talks about. Tourists never see these areas. 
Similarly, in Singapore, we have rental flats and families that live in rough conditions, homeless people coming out at night, etc. 
So is it a beautify city? Yes and no... it depends on where you look.

6) Heard: French are racist
Truth: I've never had any issues with racism, maybe yet... or maybe cos I'm within Paris region where it's a city of tourists and other races are common. But one thing I know, is that I see more mixed race couples here than in other countries. It's not a lot, but I feel it IS more than other countries I've been to. 

7) Heard: The French don't work
Truth: The French are kind of slow in their work, they don't respond to emails as fast, or they don't even respond to emails. They ARE pretty chill about work, it's just another part of life. It's not LIFE. So they will work, a bit too relaxed I feel, but in truth, what's the rush. Everything is the company's money. End of the month they get paid. The thing is, most people here are like this. So there isn't the issue that someone else is trying to out do the other person. It only works when everyone's in it together. 
During the summer break (now), a large number of Parisians are out of town, they go for 2-3 week holidays. That's normal. 
So... if you think the French are sitting around all the time doing nothing, that's not true. They DO work, but kinda chill about it. And when it's time to rest, they rest.

​
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This girl basically said what I feel... at around 7:35 onwards.
​

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I've been getting free food in Paris... I think I've written about it before. Sometimes I get more, sometimes I get less within a 1 hour period. I don't go and collect food for the whole day. 
After I get food, I clean it up, cook, preserve, freeze, etc...

Then I realized... how "similar" my life is to everyone else...
You see, when I was working, or when most people work, they are somewhat financially insecure. People work for more years, save more, cos... they don't know how much they need in the future. They keep on working and saving more. Even though they may already have a few million in assets.

I realized... I also have this mindset here in Paris, if we look at my "work" as collecting food.  
I keep collecting it. Even though I don't need to. Every few days, the market opens and I can take enough for a few days. I can eat it and by then the market will reopen and I can get more food. 
But when I collect, I take enough for 3-4 days. More than enough. I already have stocks of salmon, vegetables for 2 weeks even if I don't go and collect more food. 
So I end up freezing an additional 1-2 days worth of food every time I go and collect food. 
Of course, this is not sustainable, cos I don't have unlimited fridge space. 

And I realize this is a similar insecurity as financial insecurity. 
Ok... I COULD... Just go and use money to buy food, so there's no real insecurity. 
But ever since I've started getting free food, I have no real drive to go to spend money on groceries. What for spend money when I can get food for free? The only convenience of the supermarket is that I can get EXACTLY what I want when I want. But for free food, I can get whatever is available, and I don't get to choose. But that's ok with me. 

Anyway, back to topic. 
The idea is, here in Paris, I don't really have food security as much as I have in Singapore. In Singapore, there is a whole community of food sharers and there are operations in place for regular food collection. Whereas in Paris, I don't get the same amount all the time, I don't get meat often, I may get a lot of carrots on one day, and little of other stuff, or I may get a lot of tomatoes on another day and little of other stuff. So, the mentality is that, I don't know what's going to happen in the next 2 months, I don't know what kinds of food I will get, etc... 

Similar insecurity to when I was working... I don't know what will happen when I leave my job, I don't know how much I need, what if I run out of money, etc etc...
Is it the same kind of insecurity? Not sure...
But it stems from the same place in my mind... 
A human fear of the unknown. The unknown future...

Furthermore, it's the summer holidays now, and 70% of the local market is closed. So I don't get as much food as one month ago. But I get different items cos the seasons change.

And when I thought about this, I found it really interesting. 
(If we remove the fact that actually I could just use money and buy the food from the supermarket...)
But the mindset that I do feel a sense of insecurity that I might not be able to have enough food for the future, or that *GASP* I may need to spend MONEY to buy food! The horror of that thought!
And so... I do what most people do... I hoard... well... actually, I just freeze food so that I can use the food for the other days when I have less food. 

And that's what savings are for. We save money so that when we need it in future, we can use it. 
There's some difference. Like there isn't any limit to saving money. We can keep saving cos the money can be kept in the bank. Whereas for food, I can't keep freezing, cos I'll run out of fridge space. 
Also, for food, I can only eat around 300gms per meal, so there is a limit to my total consumption in my whole lifetime. But for money, there really isn't a limit to how much someone can/would want to spend. 

So what are we saving for? Are we saving for food and living expenses? Or are we saving for lifestyle? 
Cos lifestyle is expensive to save for. Whereas if we are saving for food and a life of simple living... 
Then... the answer is quite simple... Cos... how much can we eat?


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Super short post...

My wife has to go USA sometime soon... so we wanted to get her some US dollars just in case she needs cash, but likely she's going to just use her credit cards. 

Anyway... we were walking around Champ Elysee area... yea it's a tourist trap... but... wait til you hear what's the exchange rate for USD...

So we asked around... We saw signs... "We sell USD..."

How much?

We sell USD @ 1.04...
Remember we are in EUROPE... which means...

We sell  US$1 = €1.04 !!!
USD is MORE EXPENSIVE than EUROS.

Note... the current exchange rate is around USD1 = €0.90
That's around 15.5% margin. 

Another shop... 
We sell USD @ 1.13...
Meaning US$1 = €1.13 !!!
That's a 25.5% margin.

That's pretty sick. Even for a touristy area like Champ Elysee. 
We were quite baffled cos... it's really not normal and it's quite ridiculous. In the end we didn't change any money... of course...
Looks like she'll just need to use the credit card in US when she goes over.


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