Solving a 350-year-old problem.
I was at home recovering from my illness when I received a call informing me that the local cops in the area had arrested my aunt, and because her other siblings and relatives live a long distance away, I was tasked with going to pick her up.
At the end of the day, I incurred expenses that I was not supposed to. Before that day, I had created a heat map of my financial responsibilities for the next two months, weighing them against how much I could afford to spend.
The problem is that I was left without any form of miscellaneous budget, which scared me, but I figured I could survive two months without needing miscellaneous funds.
I checked to see if I could incur some financial indiscipline that would cause me to spend beyond irresponsibly, and I had none, and after just two weeks, an unbudgeted expense pops up, and another one pops up this morning, shatters whatever financial heat map I set out for two months.
Now, it is not just disappointing; it is even sadder because I assumed the unbudgeted expense would come from me, that I could slip up, make a stupid mistake, and cost myself, only for it to come from external (close family commitment) sources. Now, this does not imply that my heat map is flawed; the only issue was a lack of plans for miscellaneous expenses.
Economics in school taught the concept of money management.
I am fascinated by almost all economic concepts and topics because of the emphasis on money management. We learned about the scale of preference, need and want, and many other management concepts, but these ideas were popularized by scholars over 200 years ago in textbooks and papers, and the majority of them are rarely applicable in practice.
For example, having money is thought to be the end of scarcity and the beginning of problem solving, but no one tells you that the more you can afford, the more you will have to pay for.
It may appear counterproductive, as you would expect that the more water you drink, the less thirst you have, but this is not the case when it comes to money. Now, I am not talking about being rich and having a shapeless bank account; I am talking about the availability of cash for management purposes.
99% of people in the world manage their own money, and while some do it better than others, we must all agree that no one does it perfectly, and this is due to a lack of resources to deal with potential consequences.
Management is a 350 year old problem, and no no has been able to cut it. It is difficult when you are broke, but even more so when you are not. With money, the more you can afford, the less you can spend. It feels insane, but that is it.
Despite our best efforts, we frequently incur stupid debts. It is not due to carelessness; it is simply a lack of funds to pay off these ridiculous debts. However, having enough does not only leave you vulnerable to new expenses; it can also provide you with the freedom to take risks.
Management is an entire institution that is older than man and older than modern solutions; it is unique to different people and situations, and there is no textbook or literature that can provide the right management advice that is specific to each individual. Having miscellaneous & emergency funds already covers 90% of everyone with management responsibilities. This is the only hack that works. No one can give you tips that's peculiar to you. Paying a subscription fee to a financial guru is irrelevant because most textbooks on management only preach general rules and concepts.
Learn from your own mistakes.
Experience is the best teacher I hate using this cliche, because I am not a "quote person." However, this is one of the most honest and concise phrases in human history. You develop your own management strategies and lessons by making your own mistakes.
The funny thing is that you will not make just one mistake; you will need to make several mistakes to learn many more lessons, and as you improve, you will become a master in your own lane.
However, it is not as simple as it seems. Opportunity might only come once, if you're lucky it'll come two or three times, but what if you get one lifetime opportunity to change your life, you messed it up, learn your lessons and the opportunity never comes again?
That is a harsh reality; some financial consequences leave you with more than just experiences and wisdom; they also leave you with irrecoverable losses, which is why you can be a seasoned sage and have nothing to show for it.
Interested in some more of my posts
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Sorry to hear about the unexpected expense, family can be expensive at times...
No matter how well you plan and manage your money, unexpected expenses can mess up the budget. And like you said, no matter how well you manage your money, but opportunities don't come every day. I think most of us missed buying BTC at $100, now that would have been sweet!
I hope things worked out with your aunt and didn't leave you destitute.
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BTC at 100$ was probably not as attractive and many wouldn't even predict what BTC would have become, however it would have been a dream. I've learned a lot of crypto lessons in this cycle, and if we manage to make it to the other end lol, perhaps I'll add class of 2025 market survivor to my title.
I'm at the tail end of extreme expenses, and funny enough, most source of these unexpected expenses don't care if you have money or not.
Thanks a lot
The thing is, already management is not easy, because you can't be 100% sure what will happen, but in your case it was totally unfortunate and impossible to predict... Also at a point, for how much you cut expenses, inflation will just kill you, so beside management of what you earn, you might have to increase what you earn to keep up
Inflation is the biggest enemy in Nigeria, unfortunately I'm still here because I can't afford enough to leave, I don't have a stable health condition to even take on heavy jobs in a different country, it would cost me a lot of money, and I don't have that. So you're right about inflation. We have criminals in power, what they do is to hike inflation to their advantage
That's unfortunate that you can't leave... Is boko haram still causing troubles by the way?we are not hearing anymore news from it
They're still a thing and still killing people in the north, but then that's mostly in the north and I'm in the south.
That's sad, I hate what they do to innocent people
This is getting tougher. Sorry about your aunt, I hope you were able to settle amicably with the police. When budgeting, miscellaneous money should be included just in case you incur unexpected expenses.
You mentioned that you were not feeling well. I hope you're feeling better now.
Yes, I was quite sick that day, but I had no other option but to come to her aid, since her other family member were far away, so I took my sick self there, and I'm still home trying to recover from the other symptoms and trying to get better.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 34/54) Liquid rewards.
Thank a lot
You’re correct. When we begin to earn more money, we tend to have other priorities that we want to spend money on
They may not be that important but we make them feel important
Sorry about that of your aunt
Yes that is it. When people can afford more, they just unintentionally incur big expenses, it's just how it is.
I think the last part is inevitable considering your side of the story... something you never planned for never was in the picture .. just popped up causing you to break protocol....
I'm actually in the same shoe rn now.. just been holding up to my barest minimum to survive ...its for the greater good anyways, and I think financial wisdom and discipline is something every human should learn to develop ...
Yeah, I think most people underestimate the financial woes of a man, especially in this case, most women. When it comes to survival, that's where I am at the moment, and unexpected expenses are the worst at this moment. Just like you, I'm also holding up to survive, trusting God to pull a miracle
Definitely we will brotherly
This is one of the most honest and deep reflections on money management and the harsh reality that comes with it
Budgets and plans might look perfect on paper, but life always throws unexpected expenses our way.
Yes, these unexpected expenses are inevitable, and as for textbook economics, it hardly applies to real life situations
I was online yesterday and I saw someone talked about emergency funds and I thought about it. I really feel this, especially now with inflation and how tough things are in the country. No matter how well we plan, some unexpected expenses still come from different angles. Truly, having emergency funds is the smartest move. Experience can really teach us more than any book we read. Thanks for sharing this great insight bro.
Over 70% of people in the world do not have emergency funds and that's the reality of life. Unfortunately that's how it is, and most people do not have a choice but to live through that uncertainty.
But talking about this, is it that easy to do?? Especially in this country we are?
Reality is harsh. You never know when something unexpected will happen and cause you to spend more. Like my computer going down, and other things. I think you need to have some emergency funds for those cases. Otherwise things can be quite rough.
Yeah, emergency funds comes in handy and for most part of seven years, I've had that, but the recent events that's happened in two years has particularly wiped out my emergency funds and it's not a thing to be proud of, but I guess life can happen.
Some sudden unplanned expenses that faces us some days don't ask us if we have money or not.
I am so sorry you have to face the issue with your Anty with the sickness you was battling with. Are you recovering now Joe?
I think the whole money knowledge we read in textbooks is just to gave an idea of what it will look like but when reality come knocking , you will face the real thing. No one can also get expert in money management but we will keep trying
Yes, I'm home trying to recuperate and all that. We know that unplanned issues are not something we expect everyday, and when they come they can be very uncomfortable, but what can we do? That's life and somehow we have to take it the way it is.
The cough I've had these previous few days have been very serious.
It's well..
Life always throws these unexpected curveballs right when you think you have everything budgeted out perfectly. Hope your aunt is okay and you can get back on track financially soon.
I learned more from my first failed project than from any textbook. Nothing beats that oh shit moment when you realize what went wrong and how to fix it next time. Experience is certainly the best teacher