GADGETS, guitars, long weekends, music and his Maruti Swift are a few things technology critic Laiq Qureshi, spends most of his money on.

Laiq's mantra: Don't spend less, earn more. "I wouldn't want to cut down on comfort. It's just not me!" he exclaims.

The good life
The 26-year old who works for an online media company in Mumbai earns Rs 25,000 per month. This amounts to approximately Rs 3 lakh (Rs 300,000) per annum.

In the picture: Laiq Qureshi

Of this amount, more than half his salary goes to repay his five-year car loan from ICICI Bank. "They deduct about Rs 10,000 per month," he says. Laiq hopes to pay back the entire amount by 2010. Fuel expenses for weekend trips out of Mumbai eat up about Rs 6,000.

Laiq's girlfriend is based out of Bengaluru. So, STD calls and visiting her at least once a month, eats up the remaining part of his salary. "My cellphone bill is the only constant variable in my spending habit," he sighs.

If he has some money left over, he donates it to an NGO for children suffering from AIDS. "There was a time when money used to lay idle in my bank account," laments Laiq. Not any more.

Does he invest or save money ? No! Unfortunately, Laiq does not manage to save any tax, either.

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Photograph: Vipurva Parikh

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e-mail: Suraj Anand

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