CHAPTER 10
The 25th Again
The twenty-fifth always had a slightly different atmosphere at the office. There were no announcements, and no one officially celebrated, but from morning onward, several people seemed to check mobile banking more often than usual. Even conversations in the break room, usually about meetings and clients, occasionally shifted into complaints about bills.
Dina was one of the quickest to check her account.
As soon as the paycheck's in notification appeared, she opened her banking app while still waiting for the presentation file to finish sending. The number on the screen made her smile for a moment, until she remembered this month's credit card bill.
She opened the next app and checked the payment amount.
Still safe.
Enough to pay it in full, even after factoring in all her needs for the month. It was just that the balance that had looked so pleasant a moment ago immediately became ordinary.
“It disappears so fast,” she muttered.
Sera, who had just returned from a meeting, heard her and set her laptop on the desk.
“Your paycheck just came in, Din. Where’d it go?”
Dina tilted her phone screen slightly.
“It’s not gone. I just paid my credit card bill, then I saw the remaining balance and immediately got sad.”
Sera glanced at the number on the screen before returning to her desk.
“If you can still pay it in full and your needs for the month are covered, then it’s not really a problem.”
“I know. I just don’t like seeing my account balance drop that much in one day.”
“Then stop opening it.”
Dina stared at Sera for a few seconds.
“Your advice is always so simple, huh?”
“Because the problem is simple too. We’re usually the ones who make it complicated.”
Dina laughed softly as she locked her phone.
“I’m not talking to you about money before my second coffee.”
Sera smiled too and started opening her emails.
Across the room, Adit was also calculating something on his phone. He had just received his paycheck, but instead of feeling relieved right away, he opened his list of expenses for the month and calculated how much would be left after everything was paid.
Last month, he had put in a lot of effort chasing his targets. The results weren’t bad, but they also weren’t what he’d wanted. He’d lost a few accounts, and one big deal had fallen through at the last minute.
He stared at the number on the calculator, then deleted it and calculated again.
Miko, who was picking up documents from the printer, stopped beside Adit’s desk.
“What have you been calculating this whole time? Don’t tell me your paycheck just came in and you’re already stressing yourself out.”
Adit lifted his phone.
“I’m checking how much money I’ll have left after this month’s expenses. I feel like I have a lot every payday, but once I split everything up, it turns out to be pretty average.”
Miko pulled over an empty chair and sat down for a moment.
“That’s how it is. A paycheck looks big before you divide it up. Once electricity, installments, food, and transportation come out, you can finally see what you can actually use.”
Adit nodded while looking at the calculator again.
“That’s why I’m trying to be more organized. Last month, I kept telling myself, ‘There’s still money left.’”
“‘There’s still money left’ is dangerous,” Miko said with a laugh. “I use that line all the time before buying something too.”
Adit immediately turned to him.
“You too?”
“I’m human, Dit. Don’t expect me to always be right.”
“I thought all you did was comment on other people’s shopping.”
Miko stood up and took the documents from the printer.
“I comment because I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
Adit laughed.
“Your own mistakes or other people’s?”
“Both. More economical that way.”
Dina, who happened to hear the conversation, chimed in from her desk.
“I feel like that last line was aimed at me.”
Miko turned to her.
“I didn’t mention anyone’s name. If you feel called out, then maybe it does have something to do with you.”
Dina immediately laughed.
“You’re so annoying.”
“I’m just being honest.”
Adit went back to his laptop, shaking his head. The morning had only been going for a few hours, but conversations about money had already popped up at three different desks.
By noon, the conversation continued in the PAYDAY DEVOTEES group.
Dina sent a message while waiting for an email reply.
Dina: I just realized I always feel rich on the twenty-fifth. By the fifth, I’m already thinking twice before ordering food.
Adit replied not long afterward.
Adit: Because on the twenty-fifth, you see the number before remembering all the expenses waiting for you. I’m the same way. Once I start adding everything up, it turns out not to be as much as it looked.
Miko joined in.
Miko: That’s why you shouldn’t immediately feel like you have extra money when your paycheck comes in. Set aside the things that actually need to be paid first, then look at what’s left.
Dina read the message before replying.
Dina: I paid my credit card bill this morning. What annoys me is seeing the balance drop so much immediately.
Miko: That isn’t money disappearing. That’s last month’s bill finally getting paid.
Dina: I know. But it still hurts to look at.
Sera, who had just opened the group, joined the conversation.
Sera: If you want it to feel better, don’t look at your balance after paying the bills. Wait until you’ve calculated all this month’s expenses, then see how much you can actually use.
Dina replied immediately.
Dina: I’m starting to suspect you have a life spreadsheet.
Sera smiled to herself as she read the message.
Sera: Not quite. I just prefer knowing where my money’s going before I spend it.
Adit chimed in.
Adit: I’m the opposite. Sometimes I only start thinking after the money’s already gone.
Miko: Then we need to make rules for ourselves.
Dina immediately latched onto that sentence.
Dina: Now that’s an idea.
Adit: What idea? Don’t tell me we’re going to make a budget together. I’m not ready to be that much of an adult.
Dina laughed before typing.
Dina: Not a budget. Just some simple rules so we don’t repeat the same things every month.
Miko: If there are too many rules, I’m already tired. Let’s make them realistic.
Dina: First, don’t make big purchases right after payday. Give it a few days before checking out something expensive.
Adit: That’s a good one. I often feel safe because I just got paid, even though I haven’t calculated my other expenses yet.
Sera: The important thing is not to define “expensive” based only on the item’s price. If it wasn’t planned and disrupts that month’s expenses, then you need to think it over again.
Dina read the message, then typed with a smile.
Dina: I feel like these rules are getting more and more aimed at me.
Miko: Because the past few weeks have definitely supported that suspicion.
Dina: You’re still talking about my bag?
Adit: Did it arrive yet?
Dina looked at the question before replying.
Dina: It did. And I still love it. So in my opinion, that purchase was valid.
Miko: If every purchase can be validated after the item arrives, our rules won’t be useful.
Dina: I didn’t say every purchase. I’m just saying that bag really is great.
Adit laughed to himself in front of his laptop.
Sera read the conversation too while waiting for a document to download.
Dina then sent a second rule.
Dina: Second, if we want to use a credit card, we need to know what we’re going to pay the bill with. Don’t wait until the statement comes out to start thinking about it.
This time, no one interrupted right away.
Dina waited a few seconds before adding:
Dina: I’m serious about this one.
Adit replied.
Adit: I agree. I just realized that small expenses are so easy to pile up until they end up looking huge.
Miko: Exactly. I want in on this one too. Don’t just talk about credit cards. Transfers, buy-now-pay-later, anything you pay later still has to be counted.
Sera: That makes more sense. Don’t just feel safe because the money hasn’t left today.
Dina sent a thumbs-up emoji.
The conversation then stopped because they went back to work.
There was no official decision.
No one wrote down a third rule.
They were only talking about it because they happened to be thinking about the same thing at the same time.
That afternoon, Dina got a notification from a shopping app.
She opened her phone for a moment.
A bag appeared on the home page.
Dina had looked at that model several times already. Its price had dropped quite a bit, and the app even informed her that only a few were left in stock.
She stared at the screen.
Then she remembered their lunchtime conversation.
Dina closed the app.
Five minutes later, she opened it again.
Not to buy it.
Just to look.
She took a screenshot and sent it to the group.
Dina: I just want to show you something. Don’t immediately accuse me of wanting to buy it.
Miko replied while waiting for a file to open on his laptop.
Miko: Why did I immediately get suspicious as soon as I saw the first sentence?
Dina: Because you know me too well.
Adit: Another bag?
Dina: Different model.
Miko: Dina, we were just talking a few hours ago about not making big purchases.
Dina: I haven’t bought it. I’m just looking because the price dropped.
Miko: That’s exactly what I mean. Shopping apps are designed to make us feel like we have to look now before the promotion ends.
Dina read the message.
Dina: I know about that algorithm. But if I’ve liked the item for a long time, that means it isn’t impulsive, right?
Miko: Not necessarily. You’ve liked the item for a while, but the question is still the same: do you actually need it, or do you just feel bad about missing the discount?
Dina didn’t answer right away.
Adit read the conversation and joined in.
Adit: Now that’s a hard question to answer.
Dina finally sent:
Dina: I hate it when you guys start making sense.
Miko: I don’t really like saying this either. But if you send a picture of a new bag tomorrow, I’m screenshotting today’s chat.
Dina laughed.
Dina: Fine. I’m closing the app.
This time, she really did close it.
Not because she felt like she’d lost the argument, but because she genuinely didn’t want to repeat what had happened last month.
As the workday drew to a close, Adit got invited to dinner by a friend.
He read the message while packing up his laptop. Normally, he would have replied right away, but this time he opened his banking app first. His balance was still enough, but he knew there were several expenses he hadn’t paid yet.
Adit opened the group again.
Adit: I got invited to dinner. If I go, does that still count as following our rules, or is it a violation?
Dina replied first.
Dina: If you’re eating because you’re hungry, I don’t think it’s a problem. If you’re choosing the place because you’re in the mood to try something expensive, then you should think about it again.
Adit: That’s what makes it hard. I am hungry, but the place is also pretty expensive.
Miko: If you already felt the need to ask the group, then maybe you already know the answer.
Adit: I just wanted to find someone to justify it.
Dina: At least you’re finally being honest.
Adit laughed as he read the message.
Adit: Fine, I’m going to dinner. But I won’t order the most expensive thing.
Miko: That’s an acceptable decision.
Adit: Thank you for your financial approval.
Dina: Don’t joke. Don’t open your calculator tonight and regret it.
Adit slipped his phone into his pocket with a smile.
At least this time, he already knew how much he was going to spend.
That night, the group got busy again when Miko sent a picture of something he’d just bought.
Dina recognized it immediately.
Dina: Wait, weren’t you the one talking the most about the rules earlier?
Miko: I’m not breaking them. I’ve had my eye on this item since last month.
Adit: Wasn’t the first rule not to make big purchases after payday?
Miko: I considered it before payday.
Dina laughed when she read his excuse.
Dina: So if I say I’ve had my eye on that bag since last month, am I allowed to buy it?
Miko: No. Because I know you.
Dina: Why is it different when I do it?
Miko: Because this afternoon, you literally said the shopping app was tempting you.
Adit immediately chimed in.
Adit: I think our rules are starting to have a problem.
Dina: The problem isn’t the rules. The problem is that we’re too good at finding exceptions.
Gilang, who had just opened the group, finally read the conversation from the beginning.
Gilang: I was gone for a few hours. How are you already arguing about exceptions?
Miko: Because the rules we made turned out to be hard to follow.
Gilang: Then don’t make too many. It’d be exhausting if we had to hold a meeting every time we wanted to buy something.
Dina: Finally, someone’s saying something sensible.
Adit: That means we don’t need perfect rules. We just need to stop being confused about where our money went at the end of every month.
Sera, who had just finished tidying up her work, read that last message. She didn’t prolong the conversation, only writing:
Sera: That’s enough.
After that, the group fell quiet again.
Each of them returned to their own affairs.
The rules they had made that afternoon were still saved in the group chat, but no one intended to turn them into some kind of new law.
They were just trying to be a little more careful after a fairly eventful month.
And maybe, for now, that was enough.