Uh oh…this is a topic that we’ve tried hard to avoid eventhough we do realize that sometimes, we need that slap in the face to get us back to reality and double check if we have lived within our means all along.
Ligwina Hananto is just the right person to talk about shopping budget and financial matters. She is the CEO of QMFinancial , she blogs regularly about anything that has to do with money spending and saving and..she loves shopping too, just like the rest of us, so she can understand us :D.
If you follow her twitter @mrshananto, you already know that she is very chatty, active and blunt. I had a chance to listen to her presentation at Ignite Jakarta night not too long ago, her confidence and enthusiasm captivated me and the rest of the audience.. She also made us think that maybe..maybe we’re not that secured financially as we once thought.
So here you ago, a quick chat with her:
What percentage of our income can go toward shopping and lifestyle budget?
Shopping dan lifestyle bukan prioritas jadi dilihat dari sisa yang ada. 10-30% dari penghasilan –> Investasi.
Maksimal 30% –> Cicilan hutang. Baru sisanya untuk pengeluaran rutin dan kalau masih ada sisanya bisa dipakai untuk shopping.
So who deserve to buy a Rp 10,000,000 Louis Vuitton bag?
You deserve Rp 10 million Louis Vuitton bag when you deserve it :D. Use common sense and let the number speak to you. Ada orang menabung 1 juta per bulan, dalam 10 bulan dia bisa beli LV bag nya, silahkan aja tapi gue pengen tau, selain nabung 1 juta per bulan demi sebuah tas, apakah dia investasi juga untuk dana pendidikan anaknya, untuk pensiunnya, untuk rumahnya?
Kalau 1 juta per bulan untuk tas aja, berarti untuk dana darurat, dana pendidikan, dana pensiun juga udah jalan juga dong ya, mungkin Rp 5 juta per bulan? Jadi total 6 juta per bulan? Artinya, gaji paling nggak udah 30 juta ya?
Base on that logic, I’m not easily impressed by those who earn less than Rp 30 million, been working for less than 5 years and carry an LV bag 🙂 , karena takutnya LV bag punya tapi tabungan gak punya boro-boro dana pensiun.
So for those who carry LV bag and are in good financial condition, well done!
Are you a shopaholic? 😀
Yes I am ;p
When it comes to shopping, do you prefer quality over quantity?
I’m a terrible shopper! I’m price insensitive! Kalo ada yang gue suka, beli aja gak lihat harganya lagi, gak bisa bandingin murah dengan mahal :). Tapi kalo gak ada duitnya gw gak akan beli, jadi walaupun gue shopaholic, gue hanya belanja kalo ada duitnya. Dan yang pasti gue gak pernah berani belanja sendirian hahahahahah pasti gue akan minta diantar suami gue, the most sensible man that he is
Tell us a little bit about the times you had to be frugal:
The longest period I had abstained for shopping was two months. Gue menyebutnya black period. Periode gak punya pengeluaran lifestyle. Ini seperti ‘detox’ untuk orang yang memang kondisi keuangannya nggak sehat karena hanya dengan cara ini kita bisa reset dulu kondisi keuangan yang sudah payah sekali. Periode ini artinya gak naik taxi, seminimal mungkin pake handphone, bawa bekal, langsung pulang gak kelayapan, gak belanja, gak beli majalah, nothing, zip! Nggak enak sekali, tapi jadi bisa bikin kita bisa hidup tanpa perlu jor-joran sama uang.
I dont ever want to go through that again. Every now and then I still recommend people to try ‘black period’
Do you agree that some fashion items can be considered as investment (Hermes Birkin, vintage items)?
No
Fashion changes all the time. Some fashion items have been included in our clients financial reports but only so very few. Hermes Birkin bag is one of them, also Patek Phillipe watch, Tiffany or Harry Winston jewelry.
Vintage items are not in the list yet, unless you know the sentimental value of the vintage item then it can be included as asset but this is highly subjective, eg. Marilyn Monroe dress VS Krisdayanti dress
What about allocation for bonus, THR, etc, do we use the same treatment as question number one?
Provided that your financial condition is healthy, you can determine your own reward. Seharusnya kita sudah tahu ada daftar pengeluaran panjang setiap tahun (asuransi, STNK, pajak, zakat, hari raya, dll), jadi seharusnya sudah bisa juga menentukan berapa untuk liburan + belanja yang seru-seru. Sebenernya gak pusing kok kalo teratur
What do you refuse to spend on?
Seriously, I’m a professional financial planner but I’m a terrible shopper. So I have a personal buyer + a travel consultant to help me shop and plan for holidays hahahahah. I can’t believe I cannot find you a list of things I refuse to spend on!
Ok that LV bag for now 🙂
I refused to buy one for myself, but I’m buying one for my mother instead. She deserves it more than I do and I think she’ll love the fact that her daughter can afford one for her. She always says to me: women should have their own income so they have the freedom to spend 🙂 Hilarious right 🙂
If you look through your clients money performance, what expense is usually the biggest?
Kebanyakan klien gue untuk makan-makan dan liburan. Kalo belanja barang sendiri, biasanya perempuan bekerja yang suaminya memang bisa fully support keluarga. Higher networth individuals have more pressure to spend on their fashion items, men and women
Taken from her blog:
So what do you do if you (still) have a shopping problem?
The STEPS to coping with shopping problem :
- STEP 1: Get to know the symptoms
Beli barang yang gak perlu, tabungan tipis, dll
- STEP 2: Admit it! You have an illness.
- STEP 3: Get a shopping buddy
Bukan yang bisa diajak belanja, tapi yang bisa saklek - STEP 4: The power of waiting.
Kalau naksir barang, tinggalin deh. Ajak shopping buddy untuk datang lagi dan kasih komentar. Ini untuk tes apakah cuma lapar mata atau emang barangnya keren. - STEP 5: Have a shopping account. You can spend as much as you want from this account, provided that you keep a good balance to it.
That’s it peeps. A new month is about to start, time to start fresh with our financial calculation. May we live comfortably within our means 🙂
Thank you for your time, Mbak Wina..:)
