Dina came to the office looking sour after discovering the bitter truth in her mobile-banking app the night before.
As soon as Sera set her bag down on her chair, Dina was already standing beside her desk, holding out her phone.
“Ser, please don’t laugh yet. I need a consultation.”
Sera took the phone and read the number on the screen. She didn’t comment right away. Instead, she swiped through the latest transactions, stopping at several payments that had appeared one after another.
“Are these all your expenses for the month?”
Dina nodded as she pulled over an empty chair. “Yeah. I counted everything twice last night. The result was still depressing.”
Sera handed the phone back. “How much do you have left until payday?”
Dina said the amount quietly, then added, “But that doesn’t include the bills that haven’t come in yet.”
Sera looked at her.
“Exactly. That’s why I couldn’t sleep.”
Dina rested her chin in her palm. The night before, she’d still been able to laugh at her dwindling balance. This morning, after looking at the calendar and counting the days until the next 25th, the problem felt a little more real.
Sera opened her laptop, but before starting work, she picked up a sheet of paper from beside the monitor.
“Let’s see what you can hold off on for now.”
Dina leaned closer. “I don’t want to live like a prisoner.”
“No. You just can’t shop because you’re bored.”
“What if I’m bored every day?”
“Then, according to me, you have a mental disorder.”
Dina laughed softly, even though her face was still scrunched up. They began listing the expenses that had to be paid and the ones that could be postponed. Before long, Sera found an app subscription Dina herself had forgotten she’d even signed up for.
“Do you still use this often?”
Dina read the name of the app. Her forehead immediately furrowed.
“Probably not.”
“Probably?”
“I downloaded it because I was curious.”
“Then cancel this subscription.”
Dina sighed as she opened the settings. “I just found out that being broke is actually complicated.”
Sera smiled. “You’re not broke yet. You’re just starting to realize your money has limits.”
From across the room, Miko, who had just arrived, set down his bag as he caught the last sentence.
“Getting a consultation? That means you’re making progress.”
Dina immediately turned around. “I don’t need your comments first thing in the morning.”
Miko pulled out his chair and turned on his computer. “I haven’t commented. I’m just drawing a conclusion.”
“Your conclusions always make people mad.”
“Then they’re accurate if you feel that way.”
Dina snorted and turned her attention back to her notes.
A few minutes later, Dina posted in the usual PENGABDI GAJI group chat, just to test the waters.
Dina: I’m learning to become a frugal person.
Adit replied just after entering the workroom.
Adit: Hope you make it until noon. At least.
Dina immediately started typing.
Dina: Why don’t you guys believe in me?
Adit sent a laughing emoji before adding:
Adit: Because we know you.
Miko followed up.
Miko: Don’t forget, yesterday you treated an entire table.
Dina stared at the screen, annoyed.
Dina: That was charity.
Gilang appeared a few moments later.
Gilang: If you want to make it safely to the 25th, don’t open any online shops. Especially don’t join livestreams for promo items, and definitely don’t go out just to look at sale items.
Dina read the message with a wrinkled nose.
Dina: Promos aren’t the enemy.
Gilang: For the state of your bank account right now, they are.
Sera, sitting beside Dina, read the message and laughed softly.
“He’s right,” she said, turning back to her laptop.
Dina sighed. “I feel like the whole office is against me.”
“Not the whole office,” Sera replied, still typing. “Just four people.”
That afternoon, Dina proved that the morning’s advice actually had a chance of failing.
They had just gone downstairs to get lunch when Dina stopped in front of a store. Behind the glass, a bag she’d been eyeing for weeks was displayed with a SALE sign right beneath it.
Dina stepped closer.
Sera, already a few steps ahead, immediately realized her friend had been left behind. She turned around and found Dina staring at the bag like she’d just discovered evidence.
“Oh, come on. You really are something.”
Dina turned around. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Your face is already saying everything.”
Dina looked at the bag again. “It’s thirty percent off, Ser. I’d be crazy to pass that up.”
Sera walked over and stood beside her. “Then you’re saving seventy percent by not buying it.”
Dina stared at Sera.
“That’s not how discounts work.”
“For your balance, it’s the safest way they work.”
Dina laughed, then opened her phone to check the price. Her thumb paused over the checkout button.
“It’s only this much,” she murmured.
Sera glanced at Dina’s phone screen, then looked at her face.
“That’s the sentence that got us here.”
Dina fell silent.
She looked at the bag one more time, then locked her phone.
“I hate it when you’re right.”
“I know.”
They finally started walking again. After only a few steps, Dina glanced back.
“If it’s still on sale tomorrow, can I look at it again?”
Sera laughed. “You can look. Don’t buy it.”
Dina nodded. “Deal.”
As evening approached, Gilang arrived carrying their project documents. He set them on Sera’s desk while watching Dina seriously cross items off her expense list.
“Doing better?” he asked.
Dina looked up. “I almost bought a bag earlier.”
Gilang nodded slowly. “And?”
“Yeah, I didn’t. My sale bodyguard was really stubborn about protecting me.”
“Good.”
Dina narrowed her eyes. “Why do all of you just say ‘good’? Doesn’t anyone want to give me an award?”
Gilang laughed as he pulled out the chair beside Sera’s desk. “If you’re still holding out tomorrow, I’ll think about getting you a reward.”
Sera held back a smile. Dina returned to her notes with an exaggeratedly offended expression.
By the time they were getting ready to leave, Dina felt pretty satisfied. She hadn’t bought anything she didn’t actually need that day. She’d even canceled one subscription and set a spending limit until the next payday.
Her phone chimed as she was putting her charger into her bag.
Dina looked at the screen.
AUTOPAYMENT SUCCESSFUL
Her smile vanished instantly.
She opened the notification and read the amount twice.
“No way.”
Sera, still cleaning up her desk, turned around. “What?”
Dina showed her the screen without saying a word.
Sera looked at the amount, then at Dina.
“You forgot to write this one down?”
Dina nodded slowly.
“I forgot.”
Miko, already standing near the elevator, came over too. “What is it now?”
Dina let out a long breath as she opened the calculator. “There’s a bill I didn’t include.”
Adit appeared from behind Miko and looked at the screen too. “How much?”
Dina told them the amount.
Miko immediately sighed.
Dina stared at the remaining balance, then opened the PENGABDI GAJI group chat.
Her fingers moved slowly.
Dina: Guys.
Gilang replied immediately.
Gilang: What now?
Dina stared at the screen for a few seconds before typing.
Dina: I think we need to revisit the definition of frugal.