Competition for saving

Being a good child of Uncle Ho means being thrifty, that's right. Nowadays, we have air conditioning and bright lights, but we must know how to use them at the right time and in the right place.

On Saturday afternoon, as the sun had softened, Mrs. Hoa, a retired official, carefully turned off the ceiling fan in the living room and slowly said:

- I've been reading the news lately and I see that electricity prices have gone up. It's time to talk about saving energy again, sir.

When his wife mentioned the electricity price increase, Mr. Hoan sighed and said:

- With the electricity price going up again, my wife and I will have a little less of our pensions, won't we?

After saying that, the couple carried their grandchild to a nearby park to enjoy the fresh air instead of closing the room door and turning on the air conditioner, which was both wasteful of electricity and stuffy.

Upon arriving at the park, Mrs. Hoa met Ms. Ngan, a primary school teacher, who had also brought her child out for some fresh air. While wiping sweat from her child's forehead, Ms. Ngan complained to Mrs. Hoa:

- It's only the beginning of summer and it's already so hot, sir. And on top of that, electricity prices have gone up. My family has to start saving electricity. But honestly, with a young child at home, everything needs electricity. If you turn one thing off, you need to turn another on; it's so difficult, sir…

Little Nam, Ngân's son, sitting next to her, excitedly chimed in:

- My mother told me to save electricity, so I'm not allowed to watch TV much anymore.

Mrs. Hoa laughed and said:

- Being a good child of Uncle Ho means being thrifty, that's right. Nowadays, we have cool air conditioning and bright lights, but we must know how to use them at the right time and in the right place, so as not to waste them.

After listening to Mrs. Hoa, Ms. Ngan thought for a moment and then said:

- I remember reading once about how Uncle Ho folded the paper when writing letters to save money. He even carefully corrected every spelling mistake so he wouldn't have to rewrite and waste paper and ink. Then there's the story of him reminding cadres and soldiers to be thrifty. Teaching our children to be thrifty isn't easy, is it, Uncle? I just reminded them to close the door when entering and leaving the air-conditioned room, but the next day they're back to closing it, leaving the door wide open even with the air conditioner on. I'm thinking of discussing with my family installing a solar power system; it would save electricity and support the green living movement.

Mrs. Hoa nodded.

- But saving money isn't about living a life of hardship, it's about using resources appropriately. Back when I worked at the office, every time we launched a savings campaign, the whole office would voluntarily participate. We saved not only electricity but also water, printing paper... Even then, our office used double-sided printing, but if there was any leftover white paper, we'd cut it up and use it as draft paper or for notebooks. Now, perhaps we need to rekindle that spirit in each family.

Little Nam gently tugged at his mother's sleeve and smiled, saying:

- Mom, starting tomorrow, let's have a competition to see who's the most thrifty. Anyone who makes a mistake will be punished by having to clean the house for a week.

Ms. Ngan smiled and patted her child's head:

Okay, let's all compete to save money together, son.

LOAN NGUYEN

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/thi-dua-tiet-kiem-411557.html