I am STIN-GEE

When I refused to splurge on the latest model of Iphone … when I told my husband that the price of any car we buy should not exceed ten lakhs … when I decided to buy my things only when there is a “sale” … when I stood firm on not buying my daughter similar toys to what she already has … when I insisted on going to libraries instead of buying books all the time … when I stressed on giving inexpensive gifts but useful to the receiver … when I insisted on cooking and eating at home in order to avoid the risks of feeling sick from eating outside food … when I preferred to walk a certain distance instead of taking the car … I’ve been branded – STINGY (pronounced: stin-geeee)!

People who know me will agree.  People who are close to me will understand.

Growing up, we didn’t have much. As a child, I held on to my one and only plastic doll gifted by my Ninang Petz one Christmas. In school, I was happy with one Hello Kitty pencil when my friends had the entire gamut of Sanrio items. In high school – I used to walk to the main road where I took the jeepney for the 30-minute ride to school where I got by with only three sets of uniform and some “civilian” clothes bought from the palengke (local market). I sailed through college with jeans from Divisoria when my friends were strutting in their “Levis” and “Girbaud.”

I gave myself a break when I started working, thereby earning. I treated myself to branded items, an occasional “Benetton” shirt or “Our Tribe” sandals. I also went splurging on “Guess” jeans and some “Paperdoll” blouses. There was even a time when I would wear only “Naturalizer”. When I got married, my husband indulged me by buying only the most expensive, the latest, and the grandest.

But then, was I happy? Maybe for a couple of days displaying the brand and getting the “ahhhs” and “ohhhs” from friends and people around. But, then I realized early on that I was not one of those  clueless, shallow female (and some males) whose goal is to spend and show-off!

I have always been the practical one. For me, any brand of smart phone (yes, even those Chinese-made ones) can do anything that an Iphone does, any car can take us from point A to point B, clothes or shoes need not be expensive to look good on anyone. My daughter enjoyed the toys she had and still has vivid memories about each of them. Books from libraries help me instil the love of reading in my little one. And gifting, some may not agree with me, does not depend on the price of the gift but the thought poured in while choosing one.

To the people who did and still call me stingy, I am done with you. To me, you belong to the group of people who would rather drown in credit card bills and live from pay-check to pay-check just to impress other people. Those who do not look at the future for as long as their present is instagrammable or worth posting on Facebook! Those whose life is dictated by society’s artificial approach and whose every action is based on trying to fit in on circles where they are obviously an outcast. For if they truly belong to that circle, they need not exert any effort. Superficial and pa-sosyal ,.. these words aptly describe this group that am definitely not part of,  and will never be.

I may be stingy but I am a happy soul. I have a good phone that serves my purpose, a car that takes me wherever I want to go, and clothes that flatter me. I have a child who is beautiful and smart, but most importantly, someone whose feet is firmly grounded.  A husband who now thinks the same way I do and supports me in any decision I make. A circle of friends who do not look at what I have or what I am capable of  giving. And, a bank balance that allows me to splurge whenever I want to … all because I decided to be — stin-gee!

 

***All images are borrowed from the net.