Spending a Lifetime of Waste

NAME - TALISAY II

In a fast-paced world, everything can be accessed instantly, and money is one of the many
good things a person can use to get what they want — but a responsible person who sees
money as a gift bestowed to him, will use this money for the good of everyone around him.

Man has always been fascinated by getting things automatically and instantly. If he could get
something without any hard work, he would prefer to do it that way. But in a world like ours, no
matter how instant things might be, our actions affect our future and create a ripple of
consequences that affect other people. A responsible spender knows this. Thus, if one is to
become a responsible spender, he must first know three things: money is a gift to be spent, not
to be loved; saving money is important, and money helps us realize that this life is only
temporary, thus it is necessary to use it for good.

Back when I was young, I loved buying food and candies. Usually, whenever my mother would
give me at least five pesos, I would buy them for candies. But there came a time when I realized
that all the spending I wrought was in vain. Candies made me sick, and they made my teeth
hurt, that's why I decided to save every penny I had. Until I garnered at least 800 pesos for my
savings, and I had my first cellphone. It was a cheap one but I was still happy. My money wasn't
enough, but my mother happily paid for the rest.

Even so, it came to pass that my phone became unusable and it made me realize how vain it
was to spend my money like that. I remember one time, a friend of mine was not given the same
money as I was. I was glad for the money of course, and I kept them. I despised my friend for
not "keeping" her money like I was. She spent it with her friends, and even though I tried to talk
her out of it, she just smiled at me and told me that even though I got a bigger amount of money
than she had, she was happier than I was.

I realized that money is not a treasure to be loved and kept, but a gift to share and spend.
However, spending indeed has its own rightful terms. And when one thinks of spending his
money, he has to take into thought the people around him. For it is also the same friend that I
had mentioned, who made me realize that our greatest gifts are the people around us. If my
money can make another fellow happy, or benefit from it, I'd like to give it.

Right now I am still learning how to be a responsible spender. I also save money because I
know how crucial it is to have your mother not give you enough allowance for school one day.
So as much as I could, I saved my money for future purposes. This is not altogether a selfish
thing too. Because when my mother would give me my allowance and say, "I'm sorry, this is all I
could give." Then I could smile and reply to her, "It's okay, mama! I have saved some money to
get me through for some days."
All the food, toys, and candies I spent my money on, were temporary in my life. That's why,
being a responsible spender not only lies in how much money we can save, but also in how we
spend and how we save our money, and for what purposes they are being spent or saved.

Ultimately, I would clarify that a responsible spender knows the balance between giving and
spending. And both of these actions have their own principles, and what's most important are
the values and the purposes by which our money has been given or spent.

By this, hopefully, we will and can create a ripple of good things for those around us.