"Gamifying Savings"

There's nothing more satisfying to see that YOLO culture is starting to get some shift. Finally, people my age are embracing frugality and actually thinking about savings. There are a lot of media coverage on it as well as shift in startup culture where they are now building savings apps and banking system. These apps are often SuperApps integrated with platform like Shoppee or Grab. They branched out creating a whole banking system with more competitive ROI than traditional finance and banking system.

Welcome to my brain dump, it's morning and when I can sit down, sipping a cup of coffee while contemplating life and emptying it out a little.

Trust me, I was skeptical at first but I ended up trying the Superbank which is owned by Grab. To actually open an account all I had to was just in comfort of my home. They offer competitive rates to save as well as flexible type of deposits that can be withdrawn anytime without having some type of penalty.

All these apps also come when the internet culture and trends shift to things like deinfluencing and where people are telling others to spend less. I mean, these days with the rising cost of everything, the labor market that are slowing down, it's only reasonable to be frugal and any extra profit or income earned should have gone to savings.

These apps come with extra vouchers and gamifying system that makes you want to save up more. They even let us save as little as around $0.500

This trend is getting more recognition worldwide and even where I am from. As a whole, it makes sense too because some Gen Z's are now parents and they can't rely on living the high life all the time. They are starting to have some responsibility whether it's a family or their parents. At the same time, they are starting to get sick of this toxic culture that encourages consumerism.

Then, there's also this problem that's currently rampant in the country where young people are hooked on online gambling which is illegal in the country. A lot of horror stories came from it so the society as a whole sort of promote rather than gambling, the youth should save up their money.

Eventhough our savings might not be able to afford us a house but it is better to live with savings rather than without any savings or any assets. These days, I tried my best to cut back on unnecessary spending while still being able to live as comfortably as possible.

Early of this year, when some of my close family members passed away, all of my savings were drained. Then, when my dad got into the hospital, that also took a major hit on my savings. Now, I got everything a little sorted and I keep being grateful about it. The event with my dad reminded me that I needed savings eventhough we're insured because there will be some additional expenses. Next year, my dad is going to have a surgery, so I am currently saving up some rainy day money in any case I needed extra cash for that.

While it's not rainbow and sunshine trying to take care of a household with a difficult sick person, I tried to practice something I've read lately, " Do everything without grumbling or arguing"- Philippians 2:4. When I reminded of that verse, I know that it's all going to be temporary. After all, some days aren't that bad and I actually have a place of my own with full privacy if I want to.

Has gamifying savings helped me? definitely. It puts a lot of control into my spending and I shop more consciously. It's probably wild to say but brands like H&M, Cotton On, Tommy Hilfiger etc are lasting longer than a cheaper version of what I could find in the market. I still have my H&M shirts that lasts for more than 5 years and that's the only top I had. So, I would rather spend more than actually buying a piece of clothing that would only last me not more than a year.

I think it's really nice that savings are now a thing and it's more encouraging to do it when others do it too. It's like extra motivation😊