It was pretty surreal seeing this happen! Remember sometime back I fiddled with the idea of being interviewed? #dreamsdocometrue
We were prepared for both sides of the coin of being in the papers. The positive and the negative. Here’s the thing, everyone has something to say. We could be fussed and fighting over every wrong assumption a person makes or we could just practice the art of not giving a second thought about it.
We were prepared for the latter but then I think it’s unfair to let some major ideas float around uncorrected because it might deter others from even going o this path. That’s the whole point of the blog from an external perspective, which is to inspire and show that it is possible!
I don’t particularly feel like putting screenshots of the comments I’ve seen, I truly dislike that kind of negativity so it’s not going to make our blog that way. You can see it for yourself on the Straits Times FB page, the good, the bad and the downright ugly 😀
Incorrect Assumption #1 : We have family inheritance
Yeah, no such luck. Our parents were your typical during & post war generation. They knew was scarcity was growing up and they worked hard and put away the little they could for savings. Ms.K’s dad worked for the national energy company of Malaysia as a Chief Clerk and her mum was a Staff Nurse at a government hospital and clinic. Mr.C’s dad was in the army and his mum was a master hustler, learning English by herself to work in Singapore, she tapped rubber and became a nurse at a clinic. Nay, there’s no family inheritance in the form of wealth, only in the form of love and good values.
Incorrect Assumption #2 : We struck the lottery
If only lahhhh! Everything we have, we worked for it. Every single penny. Which feels good to say for the cause we are fighting for, but sucks for our journey as it is a long journey to reach the stage we are at now. If only we did ‘kena nombor’.
Incorrect Assumption #3 : We have no emergency funds
This is an interesting comment. Very timely as well because this post is being written while Ms.K sits in a hospital in Penang and Mr.C is managing the children in Peru. You see, the day this article was published in the Straits Times, Ms.K had to board a flight back to Malaysia and her dad had an emergency triple bypass. Of course we have emergency funds. It’s called our travel money 😉
You see, you need to have a buffer and you need to find the balance that allows you to live your life without the need to constantly squirrel away money for the unexpected. Life has to have a balance between truly living and financial responsibility. If you have never made that assessment before and only assume you need to save endlessly then I urge you to make that assessment. Life is unpredictable and you want to make sure you have great times to think about if you’re on your death bed!
Not all comments were incorrect though but it needs to be balanced. Here’s some Accurate Assumptions!
Accurate Assumption #1 : We Had High Salaries
There was a comment that we both had high salaries. Well at one point (a very short time and after 13 years of working!), we both did considering the average household income of most Singaporeans. Well let’s not forget that it wasn’t always like that, we both started like most graduates. Ms.K stopped working twice as we choose to live on a tighter budget so one parent could be with the children. During the times Ms.K wasn’t working, it was hard! We just about had enough to live on and very little in savings. However in both situations, our choices made the difference. We choose a simpler life. We choose revenue generating assets, a $20 Lazada handbag, the same Casio watch from 10 years ago, and the list goes on. We were always conscious of lifestyle inflation and our savings rate.
Accurate Assumption #2 : We Were Lucky
Another comment that I thought was fair was that we’re lucky. We totally agree. We’re lucky to have chanced across this way of living and how structuring your finances in this way can afford a lifestyle we are happy with. We are lucky to have the ability to understand that and many nuances that come with it without simply dismissing the idea completely at it’s onset and therefore depriving ourselves of this life.
We sure hope you have an impetus to look at your life with fresh eyes and consider, what if?
I can assure you that many of them didn’t even attempt to click and read the article (disregarding the fact that it IS behind a paywall lol). It is far easier to dismiss the achievements of others (my personal favourite was the one on embezzling of funds) rather than to face the reality – that others are capable of achieving what they can’t. Is that envy? What you and your coconuts have done is leaps and bounds ahead of myself and that is simply amazing!
Oh yea that comment on embezzling of funds takes the cake! Congrats to you too Kevin for the feature, was so good to read about what we are doing and hopefully we do inspire more to examine their lives. For those who reject the idea at the very premise, oh well, too bad! It is easier to dismiss than to do what we are doing, which takes a lot of planning. Hopefully there would be a better suited path for them!
Came across this quote – “When people don’t know what’s going on in your life, they SPECULATE…When they think they know…they FABRICATE…and when they do know…they just HATE.” – unknown
Congrats and enjoy your retirement! 🙂
Two Happy Capricorns – retired at 37 and 42.
So true, so true! Thanks for popping by, cool blog you have!