Do you remember what made you got serious about personal finance?

When I got made fun of for putting money in fixed deposit account

Realising i would have zero money even though i have to be responsible for myself

Hi David,

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I guess that moment when I graduated and started working, was a wake up call to me that I'm playing the 'game' of life for real now.

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I graduated with barely $3K in my bank, in the middle of the GFC. Landed my first job but when I realized I was underpaid relative to the market, I had to tighten my belt and get serious.

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Survived on one meal a day (gone are the days when economic rice was $3 and you could add rice and have 3 meats for just $3). Walked 20 minutes to save 10 cents on my bus fare (in hindsight this wore out my shoes faster). Hustled to get side income from tuition. Watched every single expense like a hawk. Keep pushing myself to upgrade, get a pay raise, and eventually, leave my current job for a better paying one.

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I'd say that those 15 months was really a wake up call to manage my finances better. It wasn't fun or pleasant, but looking back, it was necessary.

When you know inflation is killing of your saving slowly but surely.