Be happy for dirt cheap

In December 2023, on some afternoons, I would walk with my mother, my 11-year-old sister, and our 1-year-old dachshund to a neighboring barangay.

The walks took 15 minutes or more if the dog got distracted by other dogs on the way.

In that barangay, there's a tiny spot for street food vendors.

From fried chicken

To barbecued hotdog, meats, liver, pork skin, & chicken intestines (local term "isaw")

To beef & pork siomai (Chinese dumpling)

And some dirty coffee and melon juice, too

We would take our picks.

Both I and my sister would go for the siomai.

Mama and I also enjoyed the barbecue while my sister relished her siomai and hotdog.

Schaniel (the dog) also gets her share.

We stuffed ourselves until satisfied.

All for a cost of 2-3 dollars.

And because it's late afternoon to early evening, what we ate will serve as dinner.

I can't help but reflect on those moments when I was a child. During the rare times we'd go for a barbecue, my mother often imposed a budget.

We can't order more than a dollar's worth of street food.

So, each of us siblings would often get between 1 to 2 sticks each of isaw.

And because isaw tastes so good, I remember always craving more.

Now, I can eat as many as I'd like.

And I can buy my mom and sister as many as they like.

Without ever having to compute how much each barbecue is causing a dent in our family budget

I earn and save money for simple joys like this.

Simple joys that come with a cost more expensive than the 2-3 dollar price

In exchange for five afternoons of being able to do these simple walks, I've already spent three years living and working abroad, plus the previous five years hustling my way in the corporate world.

Distant and missing out on time I can spend with my loved ones

Why did it take me so long to appreciate the good things in life?

And that's when I started asking myself.

For the reward of increasing my financial worth

For the reward of fulfilling some personal dreams

For every decision I made

Was it worth the price I paid?

Small actions to create big value

Daily, you make micro-decisions like me, such as what to wear or whether to send that email.

These decisions seem to have minimal impact.

But when you examine the outcome later, you'll feel surprised.

The value was not what you were expecting.

That's what those 15-minute walks meant for me.

It's a small thing that led to a huge realization.

I wanted to be able to do more of the simple joys of life.

Tell me I'm not alone in this desire.

Have you started thinking about it, too?

But isn’t it that the paradox of life is that the simple things are the most difficult to get?

And sometimes, you wouldn't even know where to start.

Start small. I often told myself.

And it's been a fixture of my life philosophy.

I have achieved many overwhelming goals by starting with the small stuff.

I hope you, too, will be able to do the same.

PS. I want to interview a few people about the hidden costs of living and working outside your home country. If you'd like to share some insights, please reply to this email with a simple YES. And I'll send you more details. Thanks for your help!

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Tin here! Welcome to Busy Season Journals, a newsletter made especially for you by a fellow accountant, adventurer, and coach-guide. I write about my adventures as an accountant and auditor and everything in between. You get deeper insights and personal stories on how to shape a happy, meaningful work.

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