cheap

“Indians are cheap, it’s in our blood to be cheap” quipped Russell Peters in one of his many stand-up shows some time ago, and my friend was quick to reaffirm that fact, as she told me how her Indian shines through when the situation calls for her to be cheap.

I too realize I’m cheap… I’m so cheap that I’d argue for a better price even when the item was already offered at pennies on the ringgit. I’d make use some of manufacturer’s coupons (that is, when I actually purchased some brand name items and not store brands) and study the special savings ads for some deals. Heck, I’d even go online to hunt for money saving coupons! And when there is something I really want to get, I’d actually have a mini debate within myself to decide if I really need it or do I just want it. I love it when there’s free food on campus, even if it means it’s just pizza and I have had pizza for the past three meals; my motivation level to attend a lecturer is directly correlated to the amount and variety of food/snacks provided (and inversely proportional to the distance from lecturer theatre). I absolutely adore vendor shows because there is always some sort of freebies; I’d grab a pen even though I already have two cases of free pens in room, and there can never be too many notepads. That’s how cheap I have become, or have I always been so cheap?

Is it nature or nurture? Perhaps it’s a little bit of both. I think Asians in general are predisposed to be cheap and depending on the environment that we are in, the symptoms will either manifest or the person will remain symptom free. At this stage, the biggest factor is the line of work with which we are in; a successful investment banker, a doctor or a lawyer drawing in an obscene amount of income will probably remain asymptomatic. I think I represent the other extreme; the one with exacerbated symptoms. When some of my friends are already drawing a salary, putting a downpayment on their dream homes and cars, I am still drawing a stipend… Yes a STIPEND from library! I honestly think that as undergrad students we are not only trained to think critically and work independently; we also very quickly learn that we have to be cheap frugal. We come to this realization very quickly when we learn that the stipend that we get at the beginning of the week barely stretches out to the end of the week. So you see, the only solution is to learn very quickly how to live frugally. Now, tag on the fact that I’m an Asian and what does that make me? Doubly cheap! I honestly think I need to find a real job that pays real money soon before I’m diagnosed with terminal cheapness. Well that would be after my graduation!