Money, money, money, aways money
22 July 2007, 12:39 am. View comments. Filed under Personal.
At the beginning of the month, I started off with $200 cash on hand and around $300 in my bank cheque account. I had always been more of a saver than a spender but what with eating-out entirely too much this month and buying new books for the new semester, I went broke.
On Friday, I went to the school cafeteria and was swiping my bank card for a $5 breakfast and it came up with "DECLINED". I knew those eight letters put together really just means insufficient money in the account but I did not want to even consider the possibility that I could have less than $5 in my account. This had never happened before. Reluctantly, I handed over $5 coins. The original $6.50 coins was all I had left of my $200 cash and that was meant for the bus ride home. Confused, I stomped over to the ATM machine on campus and checked my account balance. When I saw the receipt, my face was a true O.O 
. 26 cents. I had to borrow $10 from my friend for the bus home. How embarrassing. 
Fortunately, I managed to knock $129 off dad for all the amount I spent on my new books. I wonder where all the rest went. Checking my statement, apart from books, it was just food. It feels heartbreaking to think that I swallowed and digested all that money, which meant it literally went down the (toilet) drain eventually.
I recently had that cliché debate with my friend on the topic of Money vs Love. Whoever still believes that love prevails completely over money needs to be stop being an impractical dreamer (i.e. my friend). In order for the so-called "true love" to win against money, the first condition that needs to be met is sufficient money. True, a woman in love could choose a poorer man over a rich man, but if the woman and the poorer man together could not even afford the basic living requirements for themselves, love necessarily becomes redundant.
So I asked my friend, if he does not have a job with sufficient income to feed his girl, what could he offer her in the end? And he replied, "my soul." Right. Another stubborn dreamer hopelessly stuck to his romantic impracticalities. I have my romantic dreams, but I need to live too. What is love without the life to love? In the end, money makes the world go 'round. I need food, and I need my bus rides home. But more importantly, I need to cut down on my consumption until I start working again or become a professional beggar. I need to swear too. Shit.
16 Comments »
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I disagree with your opinion about love and money. Just because a couple can't afford to make ends meet doesn't mean they shouldn't love each other. That's two separate issues and I don't know why you would put them together like that. Money can't buy love. I think you have it all twisted.
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@Breanne: I really just meant that if a couple could not earn enough to survive in the first place, problems arise e.g. debts. In a worse scenario, they die. If they die, they don't have the life to love anymore. In the worst scenario, one lives and one dies. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't anything about money buying love. Only practically, money is also important. Some say they can't live without love, true. But realistically, you can't live without money either.
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Rilla, I agree with you. Yes, I would choose a poorer man over a richer man if I loved him more, but he had better be able to help with the support issue. I don't expect the man to take care of me, but he better help with the bills and to put food on the table. Basically, you have to have both love & money & that is the horrible part.
What about packing food from home? Would that work? Maybe a budget? That what I had to do when I was in college. I made breakfast at home and brought lunch and then on Fridays or the last day of class I gave myself a treat and ate out one meal and once a month I had enough money left over that I could either go out with my friends or eat out at school for an entire week. Just thinking, I don't know how your money situation is right now. -
I was a bit surprised that your romantic dreamer friend is a guy. I've never met a disillusioned guy before, but plenty of disillusioned girls. Heheh.
Me, I'm just too cynical, or materialistic, or whatever. Yea, I believe in love and all. But I still think money is more important. For example, I wouldn't give up a high-paying job for someone I love. And if I do happen to fall in love with a poor guy, I'll make sure I have enough money to support the both of us. -
The world goes around $$
lol, that was what happened to be on the HK book fair, I had about $5 by the end of it all and was afraid I wouldn't have enough to take the ride home. Fortunately, money is stored on a transport card here, stops us spending so much O.O -
Oh, my gosh. I spent so much time arguing with my friends about love vs. money. My opinion, too, is that money (life, in essence) comes first. Sure, if your basic survival needs are already met, you have the option of choosing, but that is not everyone's case.
I'm broke too. =_=
Oh and thanks for your suggestion about my site. =] It's an awesome idea, I will most definitely take it up once I get a chance. -
Oh my, I'm sure if I have to go on with buying food to survive, I'll be just like you. You see, I can't stop eating.
I'm not broke since I've not been on outings lately and that I really prefer home food *phew*
Yeah, Money makes the world go round. Love without money seems impossible nowadays :p -
Aaaaa money *sigh*
I always wonder where money goes.. my mum got fed up of giving me money just to spend it on food when I'm work, so she took all the money out of my bank account and told me to spend my OWN on food, not hers
I agree with you about the money vs love thing.. Love is not everything after all.. -
i agree with your conclusion for your Money vs Love topic..haha..
love is important in a relationship..but without money..can their love survive?
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I had a similar experience with my money. I learned the hard way that I needed to keep serious track of where my money went. It happens to all of us, I think
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Like you read, my boyfriend and I have been together for five years. I still have a year of college, but he recently graduated. Most of our friends happen to be engaged, which is quite surprising. Some of them have only been together for a few months. My boyfriend will not ask me at this time though. He is adamant that he wants to save enough money for a down payment on a house, and be able to have enough money for a nice engagement ring. I have no problem with this.
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I know how it feels to have no money. Actually I had a negative amount in my account. Thankfully a friend owed me enough to cover that. But I'm like you...I usually save my money..untill a friend needs some help. If I have the money then it's hard for me to tell them that I can't help. :/
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Money doesn't necessarily come first, but I do agree that it's important. If you don't have money for a roof over your head and food and the other essentials, there will be problems in the relationship, guaranteed.
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Ugh, what a horrible situation to find yourself in. Money talks in this world - money is power. If you want anything, if you want to be anything, if you want to get anything, you've got to have the money. Money talks.
The whole love and relationship deal is tough to work out if there isn't enough money to handle the basics, but when that exists or is established, it's usually put in the backseat. Hope you feel better and that things turn up for you. -
By me money is important for live not for control your live, live must go on.... we all always think way to be like other people, sometimes we r really jelous with people that more rich then us and we will think about this for all time, actually why we must think like this. Just think for a moment and try to look other people that more poor then us, when we think like this of course we wiil thank to the GOD for averthing that he give us....is
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IF you have to swear, then by all means, swear right now! But food does seem to cost too much these days, no wonder there's so many starving people in the world. The only thing I really liked about communism was that you wouldn't need to worry about having not enough food if enough people farmed.
It's too bad that money does make the world go 'round. Such an evil thing. I guess that it is the root of all evil.