This quote holds so perfectly true for me. Like most salaried individuals I also wait eagerly for the pehli taareekh (1st of the month). And yeah, the pehli taareekh is really a glorious day – happy and bright. A new beginning……. A little like getting married I feel. Now I am not married myself but have seen enough marriages around me. I feel the process of managing money from the 1st of the month to the 30th is a lot like managing the married life. Heres how I think about it:-

1st – Salary Day/Wedding Day. Celebrations and happiness all around.

2nd to 4th – Honeymoon period. The euphoria is still intact. We have money at our disposal to hit those shops, eat out, watch movies.

5th to 10th – End of the first year of the marriage. Still happy but with a bit of reality sinking in. Bills have to be paid. EMIs too. Tax savings also claim their bit.

10th to 15th – Second year of marriage. All the bills paid off. What is left of the salary is a bit disconcerting.

15th to 20th – Third & Fourth year of marriage. Reality hits hard. We start making small compromises. ‘Adjustment’ features high on the list of priorities.

20th to 25th – Fifth to Seventh year of marriage. The 7-year itch sets in. We want to break out but the bank balance doesn’t allow it.

25th to 30th – Life after the seventh year of marriage. We settle into a boring routine. Not able to do anything accept just get by with what little we have left.

Thank God that unlike marriage, the pehli tareekh comes every month :)