Cashcapades 2023

SAVE EQUALS LOVE

MISSY M. DEMASUAY - LA CASTELLANA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

He who buys what he does not need steals from himself. - Swedish Proverb

According to the saying, we should allot more of our resources to things we need than to
things we want. As a student, we face myriad challenges regarding our financial status, for
example, budgeting our allowance to make it through the week, buying cheaper foods and
beverages to save money, and many more. I believe everyone can be an entitled responsible
spender, we just need to focus and shift our perspective on things that matters the most, for
example, securing first our daily nutritional food rather than buying candies. Differentiating our
wants and needs also helps a lot. Lastly, we need to put ourselves in our parent's shoes so that
we can understand that finding money isn't as easy as we can see.

They said that you can learn a lot of lessons from an empty pocket, which seems hard to
swallow but that's the reality. As a student in today's era, we tend to get attracted to petty things
which lead us to waste our precious money. What I want is when I grow old and try to visit
memory lane I will remember how meticulous l am when it comes to spending money. I would
remember that when my mother gives me 50 pesos as an allowance during the day, I would
select the cheapest snack so that I can have more coins to insert in my piggy bank. I think one
of the best inventions is the piggy bank it teaches kids to be more goal-oriented and
perseverance in saving for something they want.

Before I would spend my money I always ask myself three questions. First, is it one of
my wants/needs? Addressing this issue is one of the boundaries between a thrifty person and
an extravagant spender. We should assess our financial situation before buying a thing be it
candy or a brand-new car, we humans tend to develop a habit to succumb to our wants before
our needs and this leads us to crisis. Second, will this thing give me nutrition and nourishment
or just cavities and fats? In our society today we should address the health of our fellow
students at an early age. We should avoid buying junk foods and just spend our money on
worthwhile foods in the canteen. Lastly, will this help me improve my talents and skills or do I
just want to brag something to my friends? One of the dilemmas in children today is the lack of
acknowledgment or attention they're getting from their parents and friends and this leads them
to indulge in buying unnecessary things to feel cool towards their peers.

As a Grade 4 student, there are many things that we want to experience and feel but if
you ask yourself the three questions above you will realize that life doesn't need to be
complicated. We just need to remember that it's our parent’s hard work that we can experience
to have money to spend. So to reciprocate their hard work we must also ensure to spend them
wisely for our development as a person. I also learned that if we develop a habit of being
resourceful in budgeting our money we tend to carry it along as we grow up. My insight to my
fellow grade 4 students is to follow the three questions that I ask myself before spending money.
Differentiating between the two factors is a big help in determining our actions and also
Cashcapades 2023

assessing our critical thinking. Before I end my essay let me leave you a saying, "Save money
and money will save you" seems a bit cliché but it's applicable in today's society, so my fellow
Grade 4 students learn to spend money wisely so that we can reciprocate our parents' sacrifice.