Literal Translation: Make it when [you’re] well and save it for when [you’re] suffering.
English equivalent: Save for a rainy day
As the saying goes, “Everyday is not Saturday.” Life goes through thick and thin, ups and downs, highs and lows. To have and not to have are just momentary. Nobody can predict their own future. That’s why we need to set up a plan to protect ourselves from uncertainties. When we are well and employed, we should try to save for somber rainy days when we are ill, or out of work. This is the meaning of “Save for a rainy day.” We should not stash away our entire earned sum, but we should save a bit for the future. These are the words of wisdom of frugality, which needs to be practiced daily.
Thriftiness is easily likened to parsimony. A thrifty lifestyle involves rational spending, self-moderation, simplified needs and strategic expenses incurred. In contrast, a parsimonious person plays ducks and drakes with himself to look posh and stylish, but pinches every little penny and somehow treat others with vulgarity. Taking a leftover from a meal out is thrifty, not parsimonious. Cooking at home instead of eating out is thrifty, not parsimonious. While a parsimonious person may count every penny of his electricity bill and dare not switch on the air conditioner, he may go full throttle with public, state paid electricity. A parsimonious person is obsessed with preserving and keeping his possessions safe, while acting reckless with common goods. A thrifty person is one who knows how to manage his finances rationally. This is a person who, in case of an emergency that requires big spending, is not put at a financial disadvantage. As our forefathers also said, “Saving generates money at our disposal/And cushions us from a miserable fall.” Thriftiness is something that all of us, particularly the young these days, should take note of and practice everyday.
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