#வீட்டு_பட்ஜெட்

 #யானைபுக்கநிலம்

                      Growing up I have seen my parents literally count the pennies. Their priorities being a very good education for us four and healthy food. In all other areas they would follow the misers rules. 

                  Come marriage and here I was in a family with an old lady at the helm of affairs. Triple income . Both of us in banks and the old lady getting good rentals .

                  On  salary day , we both would hand over our full wages . She would keep it in the  pooja room . Later  keep it in the cash box. (Picture below )and the cash box in the iron safe, somewhat similar to the image from the net,  only ours was well painted and well maintained. Bala Krishna inside. A relic from the Timber merchant days of the family.

                  She would dole out something for our everyday expenses.

                   Pattu Sarees for all occasions, Gold ornaments for my birthday. 

                     No need to go the housing loan way as we have this huge house in TNagar standing on 5 grounds of land . Add to that my father in law’s modest independent house at Ayanavaram. Or that is what I was made to believe. Both husband and grandma staunchly against loans. 

                   T Nagar house converted into flats and then sold , Aynavaram house sold for a pittance. At the same time my colleagues and his have each taken 2 or more housing loans and built beautiful houses in the suburbs. 

                   Yes foolishness. My hands were tied . It is customary for the PF nominee to be the guarantor.  Okay I still do have a roof above my head😁 .So let me stop that whining here. 

        Even with all that easy flow of money,  with the children growing up and expenses piling up we had a lot of checks in place.

        Frugality was an in built quality with me.  While my lady friends were buying sarees by the dozen I was content  with just 30 to 35 sarees for office wear. ( true earlier my number of pattu sarees was huge) . The same for my children. As long as they were growing up they had the minimum number of dresses.

        Any costly electronic item to be bought and I would start budgeting for it by opening an RD account. 

         Yes we bought everything that others bought , only slightly late. 

          The less said about how we spend today the better. That old lady of my early marriage days would be turning and twisting in her grave.