Frugality Has Become a Transferable Skill
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!
While I worked with my boss, many times I wondered why we did certain things in certain ways. For instance:
My boss never believed in contracting cleaning services out. He used to say: If you make your mess; you clean your mess. So, in the 5-story office complex, we were one of the very few who took our trash to the basement. Also, during off-peak hours, we vacuumed the office.
When I say we, I am referring to staff who did not mind that culture. There were staff who would conveniently ignore that task in favor of others. This sometimes irked me. For crying out loud, we all generated the waste.
It wasn’t a difficult task for me cos I grew up in a home where my mum got rid of all the stewards and taught her kids to do stuff for themselves. So I easily settled into that role at the office. As long as I didn’t remember my crappy pay, I did my tasks happily.
Another thing was that anytime we placed an order for office supplies, my boss would never encourage us to overspend. Many times, he would state his budget. Second, he was a deal seeker. If you handed him an invoice, he would remind you that there were better deals elsewhere. He would encourage you to do a price match.
Third, we used a paper system. My boss wouldn’t have it otherwise. He kept saying stuff like: “I must feel it and then write on it.” He did not believe so much in digitization. So we constantly ordered paper and recycled paper. We also invested in top-notch printers, scanners, and toners.
I didn’t like the paper system. Our client base was huge, and many had been coming for years. So, we had several volumes of files stacked everywhere. We ran out of space a long time ago. Plus, having to sort out all that paperwork doubled the workload.
Now, let’s talk about my pay. When I accepted the offer to work, the offer was 20 CAD an hour. I embraced it cos I had been looking for work for quite a while. The only other offer I had received was to go work at a cosmetic warehouse for far less.
So being offered an administrative position in a medical office was an answer to fervent prayers. Except…
That money didn’t go far at all. At first, my hours were from 9 am to 2 pm. That’s 5 hours each day, and that’s 25 hours in a week. So before tax, I earned 500 dollars a week. Newsflash: my rent in the same city was 400 dollars each week. So I had nothing left for food, transport, clothing, debt payment, or miscellaneous.
I asked my boss to increase my pay. He responded: “Increase your hours.” I did. So my take-home pay after tax settled at 650 to 750 depending on how hard I worked each week. At that point, I could afford rent, food, transportation, debt payment, and nothing more.
Everything else became a luxury. I had to share Netflix accounts with my siblings. I became a deal seeker as well. Sometimes if I wanted to get a birthday gift for friends or family, I had to look through my stuff, and then recycle.
I couldn’t do any activity, trip, or purchase without thinking things through. I got used to a restrictive lifestyle. However, it also made me figure out quickly things that were important and things that weren’t.
It became awkward to have conversations with friends and family who lived a more luxurious lifestyle. They didn’t understand that level of frugality. They wondered why the hell I worked where I worked.
After working for two years, I quit without notice. My landlady and her husband have been sniffing around. I can tell they want to ask questions. Well, in my bank account is money for next month’s rent.
I had some crypto which I have liquidated. I considered doing a yard sale online but am not sure of an effective platform to use.
Three days ago, a friend sent me several bags of dry groceries to keep me going. If I need to go shopping at all, it would be to buy veggies, fruits, and animal protein.
I have entered another phase of my life. Frugality is a must. I also need to think on my feet, drawing from within and without. I am not sure about anything else. Only time will tell.