Lesson from a bowl of noodles

Laan van Meerdervoort
Den Haag, Nederland
50° F (10° C)

After paying 13.80 EUR (19.52 USD ~ 29.10 SGD ~ 22.19 AUD) for a bowl of noodles you could get in Seoul for 2,500 KRW (1.91 EUR ~ 2.71 USD ~ 4.05 SGD ~ 3.09 AUS), I realized I took a HUGE pay cut as soon as I set my foot in Amsterdam. I remember the good old days when a dollar carried more weight. I was able to spend a week in Vienna without worrying too much about my expenses... and now, I need to be penny pinching just to stay under my per diem allowance. Buying anything else but the bare necessities seem out of the question. The next couple of months will be quite an experience... a test of my frugality. This will be especially tough for me since I am known to rather enjoy finer things in life.

For one reason or another, money seemed immaterial to me... I have a habit of refusing to look at the price tag. I believe decision to purchase an item should be made base upon the quality of the product rather than price. Of course I think twice about buying anything exceedingly above my means... but I would rather save up to buy one quality item rather than to buy several remedial/poor quality products with which I know I won't be satisfied.

Regardless of my stance on price versus quality, my stay in Den Haag will force me into a spartan lifestyle... Perhaps this is what I needed... some financial discipline.