Getting rich is everybody's dream, at least, that can be general statement which applies to 50% of the population on this earth. I am not against anybody's dream and effort to become rich. What I am totally against is when people push me in their get-rich-quick-scheme-with-little-work. Yes, I am very skeptical of all these ideas and am totally uninterested in becoming members of anything like Amway, Oriflamme etc.
Last weekend, couple of my DH's friends were supposed to visit us. They brought some more 3 people along with them. My DH's friend decided to keep silent and one of the 3 strangers started talking to us. He took out an A4 sheet and pen from his bag and here was how our conversation went:
Stranger#1: What you all do?
DH: We both are engineers.
Stranger#1: Why do you work?
DH: To earn money.
Me: (Interrupted them to add) and to keep ourselves busy and do what I love a lot, programming.
Stranger#1: (looking towards me) Wow. That's unheard of. I myself work in same field for last 12 years and he (stranger#2) is in this field from last 18 years in XYZ Company (a very big company).
Me: Great. It's nice to meet you all.
Stranger#1: So, imagine what you will do if you are told to retire today.
Me: (looking little confused) and that means?
Stranger#1: If you get some 1-2 crore rupee today and you get some monthly income throughout your further life without your current job what will you do?
DH: Don't know.
Me: (DH is already looking at me, means ball is in my court) Will probably still go to my job because I love my work if nothing else there.
Stranger#1: (Little surprised) you have no dreams or goals in your life?
DH: We do have and we are already living our dream life kind of. (I was elated hearing this.)
Stranger#1: Would you still like to work.
DH: Yes, may be then I'll be doing more of farming, probably apple farming somewhere.
Stranger#1: Wow, I would also like to do farming after retirement. (Turning to me now) So, what will you do then?
Me: Nothing extra ordinary. Pretty much the same what I am doing now.
Stranger#1: (More surprised) so what do you do now with your money.
Me: Nothing. My DH's salary is sufficient for two of us. Mine is used for extravagant things. That's all.
Stranger#1: (Thinking that he is not going anywhere with me) won’t you like to go on shopping spree or jewellery collection if given lots of money?
Me: No. I am very much happy with what I have and what I can buy today.
Stranger#1: I am shocked. You are the first woman who is saying that she is not interested in jewellery and shopping. (Well please note that I never said that. All I said that I am content with what I have.)
Stranger#2: I am shocked too. My wife last month demanded Rs.40 Lakhs bangles from me.
Me: (Now I am shocked) Good. But I am not interested in them.
Stranger#1: (giving disgusting look to my house) is this your dream home?
Me: Yes very much.
Stranger#1: I am surprised. I have never seen a more content person then you in my life. All the credit goes to you (to my DH).
Me: (Just smiled)
Stranger#1: (To my DH now) so do you like travelling?
DH: Yes.
Stranger#1: Where will you go travelling when you will have money?
DH: We both love exploring India. We will visit rest of the places that we have still not visited.
Stranger#1: Why India. That's the problem. We all learn to dream small. You don't want to go anywhere outside India?
DH: Yes probably once to Vancouver again because I have studied there.
Stranger#1: See, and we have a scheme where this all will be possible in just
few years with little work.
Do I need to tell you that I hated him and his ideas! I absolutely love my house. I live in one of the posh most areas of my city. I drive the car that I love. I travel in India because we both are crazy to explore India and let me tell you visiting places like Kashmir, Sikkim, Kerala cost you more money then traveling is so called destinations like Malaysia, Thailand etc.
He approached us all wrong. He must have come across those people who think that their life sucks and that more money will make them happy. Not me at least. By demeaning the things that I absolutely love he is never going to get what he wanted. I am never going to join what ever quick-rich scheme he has.
I don't know but I can't stop thinking bad about that day and those people.
What do you feel. Am I too skeptical for these kind of people or were they actually so annoying?
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Wow, is all I can say. People really need to learn to be content with what they have, or a financial meltdown like we're going through now will be the future of India. You're ahead of the game, Pooji!
ReplyDeleteHi Pooja,
ReplyDeleteCame to your blog from your comment on my blog.
Lovely Post. I can almost identify such people from their first glance. They are always over eager to make friends in the malls and other public places, to exchange numbers and cards only to use it later to sell their so called dreams. They really suck and i always try my best to keep such people at bay.
And guess what? we have two common interests - Gardening and Finance :) Am sure I can learnt a lot from you on Finance. Will be glad to help you in any possible way on gardening.
I stay in Bangalore. What about you ?
Regards
Raja
http://rajsmusings.wordpress.com
You bet. This friend of my DH never called us in 2 years and then 10-12 calls in just 4 Days.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nice finance blog. I would like to know how you track your finances. How do you remember every rupee spent? For eg, bread or half a kg onions that you buy when you run out of stock. I dont use a credit card for my buys since the local kirana wala doesnt have a swipe machine and I too prefer not using one.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know how you do it. Thanks.
And bangles worth Rs 40L ??? :-O
Hi G. I actually don't do it anymore but have done it from 6-7 years in past. I used to maintain an excel sheet and enter my expenses at the end of day or sometimes multi times a day.
ReplyDeleteI also never used credit card in my life, not yet.
Ppl are greedy and way too much in showoff.
Hey thanks for dropping by.