Entertainment And Going Out Almost Daily is a Luxury Only for The Ultra Wealthy

The pitfall of losing intentionality is the cancerous mindset of having that cash monthly.

My wife and kids used to roam around this weekend in BGC, a recreational place here in the Philippines.

Asians love to visit the mall during weekends.

We can afford to stay the entire day outside because everything is situated in one place: the department store, grocery, salon, dog park, jogging and exercise area, cafes, and so on.

The mall is our happy place.

It may be a usual Saturday, but it is unique in some way.

My wife and I just previously talked about our lifestyle, including our wellness and how we spend our money daily.

As I walk past people spending $12 on breakfast and probably $15 for lunch at a cafe. I thought of how we lost our intentionality to being wise about spending when we go out on weekends.

Since my wife and I have been busy throughout the week, I have also been guilty of buying fast food and Starbucks almost every day in the office.

Gone were the days when we were intentional about the little things we spent every day compared to when we started.

It is not about the $3 worth of coffee I can save and depriving myself of the good things since I have worked so hard.

I wanted to be a good steward of resources by being healthy and, at the same time, cost-efficient on things where we can save money and re-allocate it to good things we can experience as a family (e.g., traveling).

I am thankful that I woke up from my lazy mentality, and most of all, my wife supports the transformation of how we deal with lifestyle and money starting today.

We agreed that our eating out and entertainment with the family would be twice a week (maximum), and we would spend reasonable money when we were out.

For breakfast, we spent around $15 for the four of us in McDonald’s while enjoying a new branch versus the usual store we visited.

I walked around the recreational place while enjoying the scenery and going into stores to get some fresh, cold air from their A/C (it’s hot right now, around 35 degrees Celcius).

Well, I spent $7 worth of art pens for my daughter. That is the cost for window shopping : )

Lunchtime, we decided to eat in a food court; it was not wrong to pay $18 for the four of us and have our tummies satisfied because we could also choose what restaurant to buy at (each member of my family has their preference).

Whether you have tons of money or merely have enough, you must revisit your lifestyle occasionally because, at some point, you will be lazy.

• Lazy to cook food
• Too lousy to bring your water bottle
• Dependent on stuff to get entertained and amused

When our income gets higher or better in time — we deserve the best in life and outsource everything outside.

As I went through my budget spreadsheet, I have not save that much and noticed my recent spending.

• Spending $3 coffee every day (take note, I live here in the Philippines)
• Lunch would cost me $7.50
• I would invite the whole gang when I get home and spend $30 to dine out (on top of weekend spending).
• And car parking rates would cost me $8 every time I report to the office (good thing, I have discovered cheaper spots nearby).

When I account for these expenses, I would close my eyes and say to myself — Man, that is a lot of money going down the drain monthly.

If only I could bring my coffee for less than $1 in the morning, prepare my breakfast (thanks to the overnight oats prepared by my wife), and reheat meals I intend to do soon. It would save me a lot.

The point of this article is to be intentional, stop being lazy, and be a role model to your kids.

It pays to be regardless of what you are earning.

If we choose to be wise in our finances and pass it on to our kids, the world would be better for you and me.

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