In an era when cash transactions are quickly becoming a thing of the past, one expatriate has proved that a ‘penny saved is a penny earned’ and remains an art well worth preserving.
Startled employees of a mobile phone shop in Manama, however, were left stunned when a shopper showed up with more than a thousand 100 fils coins to purchase a brand new device.
Savvy 31-year-old Indian expatriate Surinder Reddy had saved up BD105 in 100 fils coins over two years, and decided to empty his jar to snap up a new Samsung A33 5G device.
Mr Reddy has lived in Bahrain for 11 years and originally hails from Hyderabad in India, where his wife Ritika, daughter, Chaitrika and parents live.
“Originally, my plan was to buy gold because the outer ring of the 100 fils coin looks like gold, but I changed my mind and decided to put it all towards a new phone,” added the Muharraq resident, who works as the personal driver for the CEO of a local advertising company.
“The shopkeeper was stunned when I turned up with my pile of coins! Small savings do add up over time and I encourage others to also save a bit every day ... it really pays off!”
Apparently saving coins in a jar can help with mental health issues too ... according to a celebrity online blogger.
Sharing a client’s advice, Erin Pavlina said: “Get yourself a jar. Every time you experience a moment that feels good to you, every time you have a thought that lifts your spirit or inspires you, even for just a moment, put a penny in the jar.
“Every penny in that jar will have a story. Every penny says to you that you are valuable, that your life has meaning. Every penny represents a moment of clarity, a moment of self-love.
“Keep filling the jar with pennies.
“One day you’re going to see that your jar is overflowing. You can’t fit another penny in that jar. That’s when you’re going to start giving pennies to others, to help them fill their jars too.”
Or you could always buy a phone to keep in touch with your family back home.
* Have you ever filled a jar with loose change? What did you use your coins to buy? Email: letters@gdnmedia.bh and you could win BD25 to top up your collection!
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