I saw this cool poster about paying tax being displayed a few weeks ago at Solo Paragon.
Just want to remind everybody to submit your tax report (SPT Tahunan) before the end of March.
Nobody likes to pay taxes, but it is the right thing to do. After we do our obligation, we can only hope that the government and officials receiving the tax money also do the right thing.
The parking ticket on the left: 2 hours 1 minute, on the right: 59 minutes
When I saw the parking ticket on the left, my mind was filled with thoughts such as:
I should have walked faster just now
I should not have gone to the toilet
I could have driven the car a bit faster to get to the locket
I wished the car in front of me paid for the parking just a bit faster
One extra minute costing Rp 3,000 and a lot of anguish!
When I got the parking ticket on the right, my mind was filled with thoughts such as:
I was so glad that I had walked faster and not stopping at any other stores
I was so glad I bought things quickly and efficiently
I was glad that we parked close to the door
One spare minute saved Rp 3,000 and a lot of gratitude!
Sometimes I wonder how one minute can create so much difference, so different feelings and reactions.
The amount of money involved here is the same, Rp 3,000 (USD 0.30), but we tend to be more concerned with the value instead of the amount. In the first instance, it was paying Rp 3,000 for 1 minute, instead of 60 minutes, and it felt so expensive. In the second instance, it was paying Rp 3,000 for 59 minutes, and it felt worthwhile.
Are you getting the best value for your money? What are you going to do in one minute to make a difference in your life?
Learn and Grow!
Inge Santoso, B. Com, CFP®
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
There are a lot of people in the recycling business the person in the picture, but not all of them do what he does. Yesterday I saw him sorting out what he had collected, big bottles, small bottles, cups, and so on.
For the bottle, he removed the label, then efficiently cutting the neck and the bottom. After that, cutting what’s left of the bottle from top to bottom, then wrap the plastic sheet together. For the plastic cup, he removed the lip of the cup and stacked them together.
The additional effort in sorting out, organizing adds value and he was getting more money by giving the extra effort.
What are you going to do today to add value? The money may not come straight away, but somewhere along the line, you will definitely get something in return!
Learn and Grow!
Inge Santoso, B. Com, CFP®
Last year, I shared about cash management and investing in mutual funds with two people. One of them took action straight away. Within a week, she opened a new investment account and started investing in some mutual funds. The other one did nothing.
Six months passed…
The first one who had taken action immediately got a return of more than 13% of total money invested. She invested in mutual fund using dollar-cost-averaging to simplify the process. She allocated a fixed amount of money and invested in mutual fund at a fixed date every month.
The one who did nothing only got a mere 0.1% return because he only put the money in savings account. Without him realizing it, his money was actually losing value because of inflation.
The two of them received the same lessons, the same advices, yet their action or inaction gave them vastly different results.
There is a risk in taking action or doing nothing. When you take action, you know you take a calculated risk. There is a risk of failure or loss in taking action, but there is also a possibility of success. When you do nothing, you may feel that you are not taking any risk, but when you do nothing, you have a risk of regret for not doing it. In finance, doing nothing will definitely cost you because you have time and inflation working against you.
Have you taken a calculated risk recently? How are you faring? Please share in the comments.
Learn and Grow!
Inge Santoso, B. Com, CFP®
The first or the last weekend of the month is when people often go for grocery shopping because they just receive their salary.
A few tips on doing grocery shopping that does not empty your wallet:
1. Do NOT go shopping just after you just receive your salary. When you feel that you have plenty of money in the bank, you tend to buy things that you want instead of what you need.
2. Take stock of what you already have at home so you know exactly what you have at home and create a grocery shopping list. Remember to bring the shopping list with you and buy only what’s on the list.
3. Limit the time you are inside the grocery store. Just shop for what’s in your shopping list and go straight to the cashier. Do not walk through all the aisles, do your walking exercise somewhere else.
4. Go shopping after you have eaten. Do not go shopping on empty stomach because you tend to buy more when you are feeling hungry. Those Doritos, chocolate cookies and cashew nuts are really inviting, aren’t they?
5. Cheaper products are often found above or below the eye-level shelves. Look up or look down to find similar products with cheaper prices.
6. Leave your children at home when you are doing grocery shopping because they often ask you to buy things not on your shopping list. You know sometimes you just can’t refuse them, especially when they see you with their cute, pleading eyes.
Is there anything else you may want to add to the list? Please share in the comments.
Learn and Grow,
Inge Santoso, B. Com, CFP®
I have three helpers cleaning my house every single day. I understand that it is a chore to do this day in and day out, so today I want to spice things up a little bit. I created a treasure hunt!
I got 10 pieces of Rp 2,000 bills and I put each piece at hard to reach places or where they seldom clean. For example, behind the sofa and night stand, above the pantry cupboard and rain shower head, under the vase and cable box.
I told them to find all the 10 pieces of money and if they found all of them, I would give them additional Rp 10,000 as a bonus.
They were really excited to do the job today. They searched and cleaned every crook and cranny to find the money. It took them some time to find all the pieces but they were really enjoying their work. I could see them smiling and laughing whenever they found a piece! The three of them were working together, reminding each other to search places where the money could have been hidden.
Did they manage to find them all? Yes, they did! They got a total of Rp 30,000 today! They were really happy! Not only for the money but for the fun too!
I was also very happy because I got the house to be extra clean today. I also had some fun watching them doing the treasure hunt.
Let’s gamify chore!
What other ideas do you have to gamify chores? Please share in the comments.
Inge Santoso, B. Com, CFP®
Today I went to the bank to redeem one of the mutual funds. I intended to redeem Mandiri Investa Pasar Uang, but when I filled out the form, somehow I wrote Mandiri Investa Dana Utama. I only realized the mistake when I got home to input the transaction in my computer. Although the mistake was not fatal this time, it could have been a disaster.
Lessons:
Have you ever made a mistake similar to this? Please share your story in the comments.
Learn and Grow,
Inge Santoso, B. Com, CFP®
