Frugal

 It is not always advisable to save money. What I realized today after I replaced my phone screen.

 I am not a person without money. I have a lot of it, but my spending needs are very low. I used to live in a village with an average income compared to the city. So, people are frugal. I am influenced by it.

 When I go to any coffee shop, I will buy the cheapest, and I don't care about how it tastes. When I go shopping with my friends, I won't buy anything even if I need it. When I'm thirsty, I won't buy water; I will go back to my home to drink water even if it takes me 1 hour. There are many things that I look back on that make me feel frugal. However, I can blame it on my own lack of needs.

 The last time I regretted buying an iPhone. I was hesitating between iphone 13 pro and 14 pro at that time. I chose iphone 13 pro because it was cheaper, although iphone 14 pro suits me better. I'm so stupid. The price difference between those two machines is only 3 million VND, not worth mentioning. It's nothing compared to the money I have. That small amount of money could have given me a much better experience.

 I only realized what I had been doing all along when my friend told me. I went to fix my phone, they said to replace the screen, I had to choose between the 5000$ screen and the 8000$ screen. My friend suggested me to choose the 8000$ because it was better and it would me a huge different experiment.

 I bought a $5000 screen, although I have enough money, just because I thought I wouldn't need the 8000$ screen. Even though the price difference isn't that significant, I still feel reluctant to spend the money.

 After a day of using my phone, I found my eyes were really sore. Luckily, the shop let me change to a $8000 screen. Otherwise, I would have had to spend much more money buying a new phone. At that moment, I realized that my friend was right. I also realized how stingy I had been all along.

 Interestingly, I played Ratopia (a city-building simulation game). All citizens in my Ratopia belonged to the poor class despite earning a lot of money. Later, I discovered that they were too frugal and unwilling to spend money on their needs. To enter the middle and upper classes, one needs to have material desires besides having money. I struggled to get my citizens to spend money on their needs. When people have material desires, it creates new jobs, promotes the trade of goods, and develops the economy.

 I see myself reflected in the citizens of Ratopia. Or perhaps it was because of my personality that I developed a city where people have money but no personal desires for themselves.

 Anyway, I don't blame the place where I used to live. On the contrary, I must be thankful because it taught me how to live frugally. Sometimes, when I need money urgently, like when I get sick or need to buy study materials, I always have money available. My savings up to now are enough for me to study abroad without depending on my parents' finances for one semester, reducing the burden on my family when my parents still need to raise my younger sister. Being frugal is good, but for our essential needs, we still have to spend money.