Write-up 4 -- Use it, use it, use it! (2/4/12)


I still remember when I was a child, I would often look under and around my parent's bed and find a few coins here and there. I probably squandered the money on candy at the grocery store across the street from my elementary school.

As a child, I never really figured out the idea of how to earn money. Some kids are probably quicker at this than others.

Probably when I was six, I asked my father whether the money in the fare-box next to the bus driver  was his salary. My father thought that was amusing and teased me later about it.

And then, when I was a small child my sister tried to swindle me by giving me three pennies for a nickel. My mother told me this story later when I was an adult.

These are my earliest memories of money.

The first few jobs that I had were lame. I was a dishwasher at a couple of Japanese restaurants when I was 15. It was my first time to earn money so I remember blowing it on clothes. Well, at least I looked somewhat fashionable at school. What was I thinking? My wage was around $6.50. What could you possibly buy with that money now? A sandwich... maybe.

Then there was my job at the driving range. Every morning I would get there at 7 am every morning. The usual routine was cutting grass, picking up balls and picking up the baskets that the customers would leave behind. My wage was something like $8 an hour and I remember getting a small bonus once which was a nice feeling. I would hit a few balls after work and I started getting into golf so why not buy some golf clubs for over a thousand dollars. What was I thinking?

Probably the highest paid job that I had in my younger days was as a laborer at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition). I have no idea why I got the job. The guy in charge probably just phoned a whole bunch of people randomly and I was one of them. The hourly wage was something like $18 an hour. The work was tough and I had to work the graveyard shift a few times but I still remember the freedom of going to A&B Sound, the local CD shop, and just buy whatever the hell I wanted. I can't say this was a waste of money... it was enlightening for me to stimulate my ears to the world of jazz.

Since coming to Japan and working at an English conversation school, I've been good and bad with money. The “good” is that I've been able to save a tiny bit... I'm sure it'll come in handy someday. The “bad” is that I've wasted a lot of money on... food and booze.

It's interesting to see how you blow money over your lifetime. Who knows what I'll be spending my money on in the upcoming years.

© Quigley Mark 2013