Instead of regular (heavy) money links, I was on a look out for some interesting stuff today - and fortunately found some.
First, an exception to the “interesting stories” - this blogger dude recommends drinking water instead of carbonated drinks. Head over and say hello. Hint: check the “About” link at the top of that page.
Now, back to the stories.
- Super Saver @ My Wealth Builder mentions about average salaried Japanese saving 27.5% of their income! He theorizes why the Japanese tend to save a lot, and shares a small story about 102 years old Japanese twins. Any ideas why people in certain countries might be saving more than people in other countries? Probably cultural difference matter a lot when it comes to how you view your money. I wonder if the Japanese people, who are now living in the US, subscribe to the same savings philosophy as followed by those living in mainland Japan.
- JLP @ All Financial Matters writes about a small incident in which he snubbed (for good) someone who littered (rather, encouraged littering) in front of him. Based on his story, some astute folks can easily figure out the state where JLP lives - hint: Don’t Mess With Texas.
- Flexo @ Consumerism Commentary laments about how he can’t stop spending on food. Talk about peer pressure for eating outside. If you have some motivational advice for people who can’t stop eating outside, please feel free to share it with us. My motivational piece of advice is here…(crap..did I say motivational?)
- Sharon @ The Frugal Duchess learned some lessons after being trapped in a fire incident in her apartment building. Apart from the valuable lessons, this is the first time I have heard of a microwave blowing up. I should probably stop staring at the objects that rotate on our microwave’s turntable - damn that little light in the microwave, that’s the only thing that makes me want to peer inside.
- SVB @ The Digerati Life gets 10 used chairs in *great condition* for $400 on Craiglist. I left a comment that must have unsettled her for a while - we got our brand-new dining set (table + 4 chairs) in $99. ..it’s small enough to fit in our small apartment. Btw, if you are on Freecycle you don’t even need $99… you could just get it for free.
Now, before I end this post, here is a not-very-amusing story about a family in Morocco who lived in a toilet for several years.
“When my son went to school, the other children would tease him and call him ‘the boy from the toilet”.
That’s tough life.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Your $99 dining set did unsettle me! Now I need to see it!
But something else unsettled me and that was the story of the family living in the public toilet. I mean, getting teased for living in the toilet is SOOOO the least of one’s worries! I thought I heard of everything but I guess I haven’t. The tragedy of true poverty has no limits.
Hey:
Thanks for the mention. I always enjoy my visits to your site.
We’re not sure why the neighbor’s microwave blew up and I heard that nothing weird like metal or foil (which will cause a fire or explosion) was put in the microwave.
I’ve seen the remmants of the microwave from the fire and it’s pretty scary looking.Thank Goodness noone was hurt.
Take care & thanks
I had the wonderful opportunity to live and work in Japan for a year a couple of years ago and I can tell you they are able to save 27.5% of their salary for two primary reasons. First, Japan is a cash-based society. There are no checks or debit cards and the few people who have the one or two credit cards available can’t really use them because very very few establishments accept them. Second, traditionally in Japan people continue to live with their parents until they are married, and often after. So if they don’t marry until their mid 30s they have had plenty of time to both save and spend their unsaved money on LV and Burberry status items.
Add to the above the fact that Japan has a system of socialized medicine and in most larger cities it is possible to go absolutely anywhere conveniently on public transportation (making car payments, gasoline, insurance and upkeep unnecessary) and you have a great recipe for saving a boatload of your income.
Whats wrong with fruit juice i ask, tastes better and all the benefits of water…good blog links btw.
I’m guessing that Japanese people in the US save more than the average American but not as much as people in Japan.
There is a definite cultural difference in Japan. They also experienced a housing bubble that Americans here have not really suffered (for example, my friend told me he bought a house 20 years ago worth roughly $400k and now it is still only worth $200k).
The mortgage rate is still like 2% there, which helps them save more money. But then again, Japanese people don’t try to buy a house at their earliest chance either so that might have helped with the savings rate.
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