Times were extremely fun growing up in Jamaica. Friendly neighbors, family cookouts, adventurous trips, going to the country on holidays, and spending time with grandparents. Experiences that have been embedded in my mind since childhood. I vividly remember listening to old-time stories on how things used to be and learning from that tender age about practicing important habits. One such habit was saving. “Every mickle mek a muckle,” my mother use to say. She went on to explain that small amounts add up to a big amount. If you save little by little in the long run it will add up to something big one day. From then on, I knew that how saving worked. I remember getting a pink piggy bank for my Christmas gift. It reminded me of miss piggy on the muppets. Ha! My own miss piggy. Now I had my own personal savings bank. I was excited. At that time, I was in primary school and I made the decision to save $10-$20 out of my daily lunch money. Truth be told, I was inconsistent at times but nevertheless, I made the effort to put up something most days. Small or BIG, saving any amount is good practice. All you need to do is start. As I grew older saving became easier. And guess what? I was able to buy my first car and continue my education. I am happy I developed this thrifty habit as a child because it made me more responsible as an adult. I can say I am financially independent, I can plan for any unforeseen expenses, plan for retirement, and any vacation I would love to have. Saving gives me the ability to be Financially Secured.
