My father has been getting a pension which has suddenly been given a handsome raise -in fact,he remarks, that he is getting more pension than his salary.He could never have imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be drawing such a sum as this.
But his habits are as thrifty as ever.He travels by public transport though he is more open to travelling by autos & taxis on my mom's insistence now.He still goes to nearby places by walking or what he calls by bus number 11 that is by his own two legs ! He goes & buys his clothing at sales only - & that too only those pieces which are on maximum discounts.
Not only that,he makes it a point to quiz us on our mode of transport-public or private.If it is private,then,we are in for a long lecture on how he has failed to instil any spartan values in us despite the best of his efforts.Even if we have used public transport,he is ready with tips on alternate routes which will save time as also money.He has never accepted that we are grown up & have kids of our own !
He will give directions to the auto or taxi driver on the shortest route & if the driver ignores that then,we all are in for a big argument at the time of paying the fare.We have told my dad that this is embarrassing but he believes, that, such drivers are taking us for ride & with persons as gullible as ourselves,their tribe is on the rise.
My dad has taken up to fruits in a big way & insists that we should also partake of them.His persistence makes all this feel like nagging us but he continues.He opines that we should not neglect our health like he did.He also states that we are giving our kids all the wrong foods like bread,biscuits,burgers etal though this is all only once in a while.
He has got an expensive watch now at the age of seventy five & proudly shows it off.He is quite lean but is thankfully able to take the weight of the savvy wristwatch.
Like him,we also live frugally but cannot match up to him.I feel this may be due to the fact that we feel,we can spend as we are earning more than what my dad did & also because money is losing its value so rapidly.How much so ever,we may save today-it will have hardly any value tomorrow-so we would rather spend it today.My mom has another take - she feels, that parents should spend most of the money-if they leave fortunes for their offsprings-the offspring will just wste it away & never learn to earn!
1 comment:
Love ur style of writing..it was like reading my mind..I face most of these situations from my grandparents..Every time i go to my parent's place, I have to answer- which mode of transport I used , when am I going back to my inlaws place, which train, which bus, how much fare, why not the other cheaper option of travelling, why am i paying so high rent for just 2 people, why my inlaws are not staying with us (they feel more comfortable in the house they have spent more than 30 yrs), am I treating my inlaws with respect, and so on..I feel my parents are much more mature in this respect-maybe they learnt their lesson to not interfere in kids life once they are grown up..
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