With the line between rich and poor becoming more and more pronounced in society, a fond catch phrase, my mother once used comes to mind, “what to do when you are not well to do?”.
This phrase meant nothing in my youth and was commonly dished out upon inquiring why our social status did not match up to others.
This line was always coupled with my dad’s grunt followed by, “why can you not have this when everyone else does is because you are Jade Moodley and not everyone else”.
But as I approached adulthood, and began earning my keep in life, this line has taken new dimensions.
Constantly I am reminded of this line when I rummage through my change, scraping up for Food Planet delicacies, or when I start a Hello Kitty piggy bank fund for my Golf.
But complaining about it will do nothing but pollute the air even more,so I decided to make changes to accommodate myself while I embark on the long grueling journey of from Rags to Riches.
There is however many people who do similar feats all because they are not well-to-do. What are these feats, adjustments, or even what some may call penny pinching you may ask?
Well mine goes as follows: The art of trending-up looks – I once knew a very innovative man who hand-dyed his jeans to keep up with the trend of the tye-and-dye, now I am far from that creative but I do buy bags from the dealers on the street, and paste on labels to it.
Now now, don’t be fooled, they look very original and don’t cost you an arm or leg, except of course if you look closely and see Guess is Cuess or Gucci is Cucci, but hey, should someone spot the fake, shrug your shoulders and be like its avant garde sister, get with it.
This is not only for bags and can be adapted to almost anything. Want a Lambo? Stick the logo on your bicycle and ride like there’s no tomorrow, because fake it till you make it.
Then there’s the art of discount shopping, though I must say even those who have arrived rush to the isles and take bundles and bundles of bargains, especially if Edgars or Truworths have a sale.
The trick is to see, stalk and wait for the jacket marked R360 to gradually come down. with each decrease in price you hide it further and further away from the front of the lot and then finally when it reaches the R100 mark you pounce.
Some are daring and wait for the R89 mark, but those are some hardcore gamblers, I personally would not risk it.
What about going to restaurants when you get two for the price of one? Wacky Wednesdays at Steers are the date hot spots for many.
Sending personalised ‘please call me’s’ to save on airtime and data costs is not uncommon, so if you receive a ‘please call me’ saying, please call home, ignore the first part and know the sender has arrived safely or please call mom here – no my mother is not texting you, she is simply at home and will shoot you if you come by.
Now the art of penny pinching varies from person to person but the principle remains the same – get as much as possible for as little as possible, until you can really afford the big league and all that comes with it.
