Getting Stingy at the Cost of Fire Safety?

March is fire prevention month, right? If there are people who are too extravagant then I'd like to talk again about stingy people (read the article here). I've tried growing up with the stingy vs. extravagant extremes. Some people become stingy even with the necessities. It's one thing to deny a child a children's party since it's a want. It's another thing to deny a child stuff they need all in the name of saving money. Even worse, some people may be more than stingy enough to ignore fire safety.

A stingy person just wants to save. It's almost like the story of the Miser and His Gold or The Rich Miser. I really find these stories entertaining at the same time, irritating. The first story has the miser who hid his gold under the ground. Some people today are too distrustful of banks and investments. The second story has a rich man who even dresses in rags, denies his son's shoes, had his wife cook some cake only for him, and was so greedy he had it coming. The stories may end up in the issue of fire safety as well.

I could think of absurd ways that a stingy person can ignore fire safety:

Not setting up proper fire safety measures set by the fire department.
Buying cheap appliances (while ignoring the safety measures) so they don't have to spend more money now.
Getting super cheap repair services at the cost of safety.
Not setting up a firewall because it's too expensive.
Not buying fire insurance because it's insurance is "useless" and a "scam".

What would be commonly ignored is that such would cause damage in the long run. Try to talk to stingy people about the damages and they may start hurling insults, saying that they've got more experience, that the fire department is just squeezing out their money, etc. I'm really amazed at how being a stingy person can deprive anybody of good logic. That's why I say that being stingy is just as misguided as being extravagant.

The damage caused by the fire will be greater. A lot of the events and expenses could've been avoided if these were done:

Proper fire equipment would've probably prevented the fire from causing more damage.
Buying quality appliances at a higher cost can help save electricity, repair bills, and be more useful for long term.
Having quality repairs means fewer chances of having to return to the repair shop. Chances are some people "promote it cheap" so they can scam the person into returning several times.
A firewall would've lessened the chances of a fire.
If worse comes to worst, fire insurance means having the money you need for repairs.

This fire prevention month, think about it, "Am I too stingy to ignore fire safety?" If so, you can expect to lose a lot of money as if you gambled them all in a casino, in a pyramid scam, or in cryptocurrency. Think it over that you may end up spending a lot more money if you're that stingy to ignore fire safety.

Wanting Wealth WITHOUT Financial Discipline

Many people want to be rich, but not so many people want the discipline on how to be rich. Isn't that the plain hard truth ? As I do this sideline blog , I contemplated whether I should write another post after writing several posts years back, or when I wrote about Venezuela as a cautionary tale . Back on topic, I thought about how financial discipline is something often overlooked. It's easy to talk about Christmas since that's probably the most wonderful time of the year to be spendthrift , only to find out that one's broke by the New Year . The cycle of reckless financial habits tends to restart in January, even when January becomes that time of reckoning between debtors and creditors! January 2026 will end, February 2026 comes, and then the cycle of financial recklessness continues. It's the same cycle over and over! Last Christmas, I remember how DTI Secretary Christina Roque spoke about the PHP 500.00 noche buena, for a family of four . I called it tactless b...

Venezuela as a Cautionary Tale on #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba, Nationalistic Pride, Welfare State Economics

The Sunday Guardian Years ago, I wrote about Venezuela's pride and protectionism , under a more "formal" style of writing compared to my latest posts. I decided to use an even "less formal" and "less academic" tone since I'm not writing a term paper. Instead, it's like how a professor and a student discuss the thesis using first person over third person, using contractions, etc., while the thesis doesn't use such tones. Back on track, I thought about the arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro can spark debate. Was it a violation of sovereignty? I'm no expert on international law. However, Venezuelans can be seen celebrating Maduro's arrest. Right now, I'm using Gemini AI and Google search to help me find some sources for this blog. It's because I don't want my blog to become another gossip central, but a place to discuss facts with my own personal opinions (making sure they don't derail the facts). I used Venezuela ...

The Philippines will NEVER Get Richer by Blaming Its Richer Asian Neighbors

Gemini AI Updated: September 27, 2025 It would be nice to talk about the typical blame game in the Philippines. I could remember that, as a child and a teenager, I had this habit of blaming people I disliked for my failing an exam. The reasons are mostly imagined. What I remembered in my later college years was when I met a couple of super irresponsible students. They had this attitude to say something like, "My parents don't care if it'll take me 20 years to finish my bachelor's degree." Some people even say something like, "It's the fault of the rich that we are poor." It was a backfire when I told such people, "Isn't it any wonder why your finances are down? It's because your parents don't even value the money when they don't care if it'll take up to 20 years to finish college!" Understanding the blame game and why it feels so good Psychology Today presents this on why some people will always blame others . These fin...

The Saying "The Customer is Always Right" isn't Right

I remember being chastised and said, "The customer is always right!" It became hypocritical because the same person who told me that later chastised me for yelling at the service provider in public . I'd admit that I screamed at the phone or even in person because things didn't go my way. My favorite excuse would be, "You said the customer is always right, right?" Going by the logic that the customer is always right, I'm right in doing the wrong that I did to service providers. It also reminds me of some rude manager lady (who I believe got fired sometime later, not going to mention her name or the company) who's heard to be highly unreasonable . She would scream in public louder than the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago. I'd like to give an illustration of the fault of that phrase. The news of a raging customer who threw hot soup at the manager can create debate . Was she in the right when she threw the hot soup at the manager instead of talking t...

The Late Charlie Munger's Quote on Envy May Help Explain the Failure of Filipino First Policy

It's sad that I only knew Charlie Munger died at 99 years old days after he died, late last month. I didn't know about him until the pandemic made me watch more business videos. It's a shame that business schools have become too theoretical than practical. I'm now going to discuss this Munger quote which I found while he was still living. His partner, Warren Buffett mentions that it's best to hang out with people who are better and smarter than one's self . I should've spent my life hanging out with people who are better than me back in high school, than keep getting mad. In fact, a lot of my high school quarrels were also rooted in me hating people who were better at mathematics than I was. This quote by Buffett makes me think again, "Could this be why the lousy Filipino First Policy exists?" I'd agree that counterproductive than envy. Why do you think some people join Communist or Socialist groups hating the rich? I blame envy for that. One ...

Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

Search This Blog