Do you understand how stressful it is to have to hold back on things you want and cut back on spending?

I’ve never suffered from a mismatch between my take-home pay and my wants, so I honestly don’t understand what you’re going through. Sorry. Why not simply ask your parents to buy you the things you want?? If your material desires are causing you that much distress, surely your parents could help you out somehow if you asked. After all, the reason you were raised to be this way is basically your parents’ fault. If you cornered them with something along the lines of, “This is all your fault,” while playing up the adult-child angle, they’d probably buy you anything while apologizing and saying, “We’re sorry.”

Should I dump the person who found out and go back to papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan)?

Get a qualification that will help you at work. If you want to leave on time and take all your days off, you can’t complain if the pay is low. Start by getting a qualification you’re interested in, then switch jobs—your salary will go up. You have to enjoy saving money, or it’ll wear you down. It’s only painful because you’re trying to save halfway. Check prices at supermarkets and discount stores within walking distance, buy things as cheaply as possible, and enjoy treating saving money like a game. Plus, walking everywhere will give you great legs.

Other than papa-katsu… Hmm, men are mostly making an effort outside of papa-katsu (or should I say mama-katsu?) though…

I’m not sure how much this will resonate with you, but I recommend reading *Zenbu Sutereba* by Yoshihisa Nakano. You probably can’t literally imitate everything the author practices, but I thought his morning prayers and donations were good habits, so I’ve adopted them myself. The book goes into more detail. I think you can curb your material desires to some extent by donating. It may be hard to believe, though.

I’ve never had a mismatch between my take-home income and my desires, so I don’t really understand how the questioner feels. I was also born into a reasonably wealthy family, but when my take-home income was low, I found different ways to enjoy life within those means. The greater your wants, the more you need to figure out for yourself how to earn enough, rather than relying on others. papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) may be one option, but the quickest solution would be to find a wealthy man and marry him. It may seem parasitic, but I’m sure there are men who would be fine with that if the woman is attractive.

I’m sure this won’t resonate with the person who asked, but I’ll share my personal theory. You’re the female version of what I often call “Carlos Ghosn” (a woman receiving an allowance of 50,000 yen or less). × You want to spend money on yourself and have people lavish money on you × You’re stingy toward others I think that’s your current situation. The thing is, people won’t be drawn to you that way. Money follows people, so if you keep going like this, you’re headed straight for poverty in the long run. The real Carlos Ghosn was exactly like this. He was called a cost-cutter, slashed costs and cut people left and right, while paying himself exorbitant executive compensation. Now he’s a criminal who fled the country. No one wants to be around such a stingy person, Lebanon—the country he fled to—has suffered an economic collapse, and he’s basically powerless now. Maybe all he can do is publish an autobiography and make some pocket money. To avoid becoming a Carlos Ghosn, you need to: 〇 Live modestly yourself 〇 Spend money on other people Unless you become this kind of person, you have no future. This idea always appears in self-help books and philosophies of successful people, and everyone who reads it nods along in agreement. But hardly anyone actually puts it into practice. That’s why they never become truly wealthy. You probably won’t genuinely need money until 20 years from now—when you have children and they’re college-age, for example. If you decide you want your child to become a doctor, you may struggle because you can’t afford to send them to medical school. I’m not denying the frustration of being unable to buy what you want. I’m not. But now isn’t the time. The time you’ll truly want to spend money isn’t now—it’s 20 years from now. So please grit your teeth and try buying even just one bottle of juice a day for your juniors or coworkers. Spend money on others while continuing to live modestly yourself. I want you to work hard in this state of mind. It will take time, but little by little, people will start gathering around you, and your life will begin to turn around. I blindly believed in and practiced this philosophy of success, and I became extremely wealthy. I don’t care if people say I’m being obnoxious. I became rich, and I’m not stopping there—I’ll become even richer and continue showering my PJ girls with money. It’s the harem I dreamed of back in the day. It may be a small dream, but I managed to make it come true. People will probably say, “They’re only gathering around you for the money, right?” And that’s fine. Men make money and lavish it on women—that’s what this business is all about. —From Cockroach Motel