Saving Will Benefit Us all the Time

It’s amazing to know that we are already at the second quarter of 2023. When we’re busy at work or at home, we noticed that time really flies so fast but if we’re idle, a day seems like forever. 

I can still vividly remember the year 2020 wherein the Pandemic crippled us in so many ways. Ahhh…I bet no one can ever forget that year. Every nation seemed frozen in time during lockdowns and it’s an awful sight and memory to even recall. On February 2020, I still managed to travel to UAE mainly to Dubai and Abu Dhabi with friends for a much-needed vacation while COVID-19 virus is creepingly spreading around the world. It was indeed a blessing for we’re still able to come back home safely before the lockdown begins in March. I can’t even imagine myself being stranded in a foreign land during those time so I’m very lucky and grateful.  

Our national and local government are so strict in implementing rules and guidelines at the onset of the lockdown to the point that we just need to stay home all the time. Buying food and other supplies where only assigned to my brother to lessen the chances of everyone being infected in our family. Those days are trying times for all of us; the news of widespread infection, thousands of deaths each day throughout the world, scarcity of food supplies are shocking and enough for us not to go out if not needed.  

Our business was forced to close along with other businesses worldwide. Many workers got laid off while some are asked to work on a schedule basis maybe just 2 days in a week or so. Ahhhh.. during those days, our finances are greatly affected and eventually the flow of income was non-existent that lasted for many months. The savings that we have at the bank served as a saving grace because it kept us survive the everyday living.  

Those that deeply affected are workers that left with no job and have little or no money to support their families. Local government tried their very best to somewhat fill the needs of the community by giving food and medical supplies for families that have no means to survive anymore. Lines on the distribution areas seemed like an endless link of hungry people waiting for their rations. However, one of the many things that the pandemic has positively brought to people is the community of people helping people in times of adversity. Many individuals and non-govt institutions set up various community pantries where anyone can donate and those that need food supplies can freely receive as long as social distancing is observed.  

The pandemic and the extensive multiple lock-downs made me realize that saving money is really vital and that we need to save if we can. Despite being so cautious, on August 2020, I still got infected and sadly infecting my 87-yr old mother with COVID-19 virus. It was indeed a tough time for us. With the hospitals all full in capacity, we were turned down by 3 hospitals. There’s a moment that we’ve almost given up but a miracle or a blessing happened. My mom and I survived and finally recovered from that nightmare if I can say. 

The pandemic taught me many realizations, from being thankful each day and knowing that waking up each morning is such a great blessing. Life is really short and we all can go anytime. Also, saving is essential and cutting down some unnecessary spending became a goal. In terms of buying or shopping, finding good deals or mark down on products is a must because every penny saved is valuable. The crisis also helped me to think new ways to generate extra income and fortunately I was able to put up a small online store. Aside from the revenue that I am getting from my graphic designing works that online store sure is a big help. I know I’m guilty of overspending specially on material things but I surely did slow down.  

 

These days, my frequent browsing online, reading and watching financial influencers and creators, I became more interested in saving more money and investing because of the lessons that pandemic taught me. We never know when will another intense crisis will arise so it’s better if we have something to pull out of our pockets.  It's not bad to splurge at times or treat ourselves once in a while but let's also make saving a habit.

 

There are actually lots of sites like https://www.savingscalculator.org/ that I was able to browse and it can actually help us learn more about inflation, saving and investing. I know it’s not easy to learn about them overnight but if we study more, we can actually accomplish that.  Passion and determination to succeed are also factors that can help attain our goals.

With the world already opened up, businesses rolling, traveling are back to normal, less people getting infected and workers back to work, I can say that we survived the pandemic and we are stronger than ever. We can also thank the Lord for saving us and giving us another opportunity to live and experience new things in life.