On a lazy summer afternoon, Dev asked his elder sister Anika to teach him cycling. “Please Didi. All my friends know how to ride a bicycle. Please!” begged Dev.
Anika had just finished her homework so she agreed. They took her cycle and went out to the park.
For an hour, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves as Dev wobbled along the path. Soon enough, Dev was able to cycle alone without Anika’s help.
“See how fast I can go! Whee!” exclaimed Dev.
Suddenly, the cycle turned and Dev went crashing down with it. Anika rushed to him, worried, but luckily Dev was not hurt.
Anika examined the bicycle and found that a nail on the road had punctured the tyre. “Sorry Didi, I didn’t mean to do that,” said Dev tearfully.
“It was not your fault, Dev. Are you sure you are fine?” she asked.
Dev nodded and said, “Yes, Didi. I didn’t even get a scratch. But what should we do now? How will we go back?” Dev asked, as they had travelled quite far from home.
“Don’t worry, Dev,” said Anika. “There is a cycle repair shop close by. We will go there and get the cycle fixed.”
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“But Papa and Mummy aren’t with us! How will we pay for it?” asked Dev.
Anika smiled at him and started walking towards the shop as she replied, “I always have some money with me for emergencies. You never know when you might need it. I kept some of it in my pocket before we left.”
Dev was impressed with his sister. “But from where did you get the money?” he asked.
Anika said, “Remember Grandma had given us some money when she visited us last month?”
“Yes! I bought so many chocolates. I even bought a new tennis ball!” replied Dev.
“While you spent all your money in one day, I saved half of it. I kept a part of the savings for emergencies like these and the remaining money I spent on buying new pens for school.”
“Having emergency money is a very smart idea. I will also start keeping some money aside for emergencies,” remarked Dev.
By this time, they had reached the bicycle shop. Seeing many shiny bicycles lined outside the shop, Dev said, “Didi, look at this cycle! Now that I have learned cycling, shouldn’t I have my own? But Mummy and Papa said no more gifts till my next birthday. What do I do? My birthday was last month!”
“Why don’t you save money like me?” suggested Anika.
“What do you mean?” asked Dev curiously.
“Savings help you in collecting money for bigger and better things later on. You want a cycle, so whenever you get money from anyone, you keep aside some of it. Soon, you’ll have enough to buy a brand new bicycle. I have been saving Rs. 300 per month. By next month I’ll have enough for a new tennis racquet,” she continued.
Dev asked, “So then how much money should I save for a bicycle?”
Anika thought about it for a moment and then asked the shopkeeper, “Bhaiya, how much does a new cycle cost?”
“You get a new cycle for around Rs. 2000,” he replied.
“But my pocket money is only Rs. 500!” cried Dev.
“Just start saving Rs. 250 per month. In 8 months you will have the cycle you want. It will still be before your birthday! The more you save, the earlier you will be able to buy it. Plus you will still have Rs. 250 for spending per month,” said Anika as she paid for the repaired cycle.
“That is a fantastic idea! I will buy a new bicycle and ask for something else for my birthday,” cried Dev. “Come fast, Didi. Let’s go home. I want to start saving for my cycle and emergency corpus now!”
Eight more stories await.
