When the tsunami hit Japan, it not only affected the country's economy but also those of the surrounding countries. Australia wasn't spared either. It's currency rate went down, the lowest (against Singapore dollar) since I arrived in Australia last July. That was the best time to exchange for aussie dollars but guess what? For some reasons, my father didn't. (It was SGD1.26 for AUD1 then, now it has risen to SGD1.32. That comes up to an additional SGD600 for every 10k transferred.
Since then, the aussie dollar has been rising steadily while my bank account has been decreasing substantially. Unlike many of my friends who receive their allowances on a semester or yearly basis, I receive mine when I run outta cash. Basically, I call home and ask for more allowances each time my bank account is depleting. Sounds good? Not really.
Because I'm sensible enough to not squander unnecessarily, because I feel really bad having to ask for money (钱来伸手), because my parents aren't as rich as my friends', I only ask for money when I really need it. Depending on the currency exchange rates and how much they can afford, my parents will transfer a few thousand into my account. When I mean a few thousand, it's really a few thousand; as little as two thousand and at most, five thousand.
That sounds like a lot but it isn't. Really. My rent cost me $235 per week, groceries and other expenses cost $100 to $150 per week. That comes up to $1500++ per month. This excludes any other expenses such as medicine (pray hard that I won't fall sick this semester), supplements (yes, I'm a weakie), shopping (stationeries, clothes, sanitary pads, eating out etc), gym (yes, this is neccessary), transport (bus rides aren't cheap), phone bills (IDD cost a lot okay!) and printing (no, I do not own a printer or a copier machine).
This means that I have to request for fund transfer every month or two. In case you're mistaken, I'm not blaming my parents for not giving me sufficient money. I just feel bad that I have to keep asking them for it, especially when exchange rates are bad. My parents, on the other hand, are very understanding. They never questioned on how I spend the money or criticised me for spending too much of it. They trust me with the money and it is only fair that I spend it frugally, which I try to. I really do.
As compared to last semester, I spend lesser on groceries and shopping this semester, purchasing most items only when they're on sale. I eat out less frequently (it gets a little crazy when you cook 2 or 3 meals a day, 7 days a week) and cut down on dessert and coffee sessions (trust me, this is a huge sacrifice on my part because these are the only things you look forward to when you live in a boring state like Canberra).
After paying for rent (till mid April) and putting aside money for phone bills, I'm hoping the remaining $140 in my bank account can last me till then. Thankfully, I still have some staple food, such as rice, noodles and pasta. They'd better last me for the next 14 days or so. Hopefully, by then, the exhange rates would have dropped, so my father can transfer a sum of money to me. I still gotta purchase textbooks (half the semester has passed and I still haven't gotten all of my textbooks) and the textbooks cost more than what I have left in my bank account.
Since food is the main bulk of where I spend my money on (other than rent), I should go about solving the problem by cutting down on the amount I spend on food. Not only do I save more money, I can also seize this opportunity to slim down and get back my 'pre-australia figure and weight'.
Let this be a new challenge for me. I am confident that I will be able to survive this 'ordeal'. *fingers crossed*
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