{"componentChunkName":"component---node-modules-narative-gatsby-theme-novela-src-templates-article-template-tsx","path":"/thoughts-about-spending-money-(part-one)","result":{"pageContext":{"article":{"id":"f3f57c6b-556c-54e9-99af-7d89eaf521cd","slug":"/thoughts-about-spending-money-(part-one)","secret":false,"title":"Thoughts about spending money (Part One)","author":"Ian Cawood","date":"December 2nd, 2020","dateForSEO":"2020-12-02T00:00:00.000Z","timeToRead":4,"excerpt":"Some thoughts and learnings from an enthusiast","canonical_url":null,"subscription":true,"body":"function _extends() { _extends = Object.assign || function (target) { for (var i = 1; i < arguments.length; i++) { var source = arguments[i]; for (var key in source) { if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, key)) { target[key] = source[key]; } } } return target; }; return _extends.apply(this, arguments); }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutProperties(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded); var key, i; if (Object.getOwnPropertySymbols) { var sourceSymbolKeys = Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(source); for (i = 0; i < sourceSymbolKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceSymbolKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; if (!Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable.call(source, key)) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } } return target; }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = {}; var sourceKeys = Object.keys(source); var key, i; for (i = 0; i < sourceKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } return target; }\n\n/* @jsxRuntime classic */\n\n/* @jsx mdx */\nvar _frontmatter = {\n  \"title\": \"Thoughts about spending money (Part One)\",\n  \"author\": \"Ian Cawood\",\n  \"date\": \"2020-12-02T00:00:00.000Z\",\n  \"excerpt\": \"Some thoughts and learnings from an enthusiast\",\n  \"hero\": \"./hero.jpg\"\n};\nvar layoutProps = {\n  _frontmatter: _frontmatter\n};\nvar MDXLayout = \"wrapper\";\nreturn function MDXContent(_ref) {\n  var components = _ref.components,\n      props = _objectWithoutProperties(_ref, [\"components\"]);\n\n  return mdx(MDXLayout, _extends({}, layoutProps, props, {\n    components: components,\n    mdxType: \"MDXLayout\"\n  }), mdx(\"blockquote\", null, mdx(\"p\", {\n    parentName: \"blockquote\"\n  }, mdx(\"em\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"I am not an expert. I will share my learnings as an enthusiast.\"))), mdx(\"p\", null, \"I have been learning things mostly on my own and looking into making my personal finance working well. There have been many things that have been going well. Many things that are going poorly and many things that frustrate me. I\\u2019m very happy to be in a space right now where I have financial freedom. It\\u2019s this financial freedom that allows me to do more things that I\\u2019d really like to do. Like possibly starting my own business. Or writing honest blogs where I could help others reach some financial freedom as well.\"), mdx(\"h2\", {\n    \"id\": \"financial-freedom\"\n  }, \"Financial freedom\"), mdx(\"blockquote\", null, mdx(\"p\", {\n    parentName: \"blockquote\"\n  }, mdx(\"em\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"this is my definition of financial freedom right now. It\\u2019s not official. You will find others.\"))), mdx(\"p\", null, \"For me financial freedom means the following:\"), mdx(\"ul\", null, mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Not living from paycheck to paycheck.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Having the ability to make expenses that could lead to improvement or enjoyment.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Feeling a sense of calm when looking at your finances.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Not paying interest for short term debt.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Having the ability to save for retirement.\")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Financial freedom means a sense of control and an ability to make decisions about what to do with your money. In the absence of this freedom your money moves to the tune of someone else (banks, creditors, bills). This causes a significant amount of angst and shame. I have felt this shame and angst before, even with my upbringing giving me every opportunity to avoid this. There is a serious lack of good financial education for young South Africans. I would like to see this change.\"), mdx(\"h2\", {\n    \"id\": \"short-term-debt\"\n  }, \"Short term debt\"), mdx(\"blockquote\", null, mdx(\"p\", {\n    parentName: \"blockquote\"\n  }, mdx(\"em\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"short term debt is supposed to be for the short term. But really it\\u2019s just an excuse for banks to charge high interest rates.\"))), mdx(\"p\", null, \"We are sold dreams of living a life that is above our means because there is this assumption that we will always have more in the future. And yet the only person who loses out on this deal is our future self. A deal that was supposed to enrich your life only served to make the bank more money. And in reality most people live a couple of months behind on payments instead of living a couple of months ahead. \"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"It\\u2019s truly tragic to think about how banks prey on individuals who are desperate to live a life that society has promised them. To fit in. A personal loan is a phone call away. And now even a couple of clicks away. There\\u2019s no debt counselling before a loan deal is signed. No person asking you what you wish to buy with this money. Just a comprehensive document that tells you exactly how the bank is going fuck you. I just imagine Dr Evil(the bank) relishing the fact that he has just duped you into giving him money.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"src\": \"https://media.giphy.com/media/sEULHciNa7tUQ/source.gif\",\n    \"alt\": null\n  })), mdx(\"p\", null, \"These \\u201Cshort term\\u201D loans are just a poorly veiled attempt to pretend like banks are taking on more risk. Even though they know people are terrified of defaulting on credit cards and personal loans. In fact banks will offer you a higher limit once your salary goes up knowing that you\\u2019ll take it to \", mdx(\"inlineCode\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"stay ahead\"), \". The truth is banks take on very little risk for very high rewards. And they get away with it because of poor education and lackluster policy. \"), mdx(\"h2\", {\n    \"id\": \"thou-shalt-not-covet\"\n  }, \"Thou shalt not covet\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"I believe that comparing your lifestyle to another person is one of the greatest pitfalls to obtaining financial freedom. It is the constant push from society and advertising that makes it truly difficult to resist living within or below your means. Often you\\u2019ll have friends and family who are at different stages of their financial journey wanting to do things that you realistically cannot do yet. This is where a lot of the shame fits in. It\\u2019s really important for people to fit into society. We cannot help but follow the crowd. To conform. Even the non conformists end up conforming (see goths). And to do these things you\\u2019ll need money.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"It\\u2019s not crazy to think of getting money right now that you know you\\u2019ll have in the future. Add on top of this that most credit cards have a 30-60 day interest free loan. Which definitely gets you in that door. Behind the door is the promise of a better life. A life where you can have the product that will make your life better right now. Instead of waiting 30-60 days. The honest conversation you need to have with yourself is that if you had waited the 30-60 days would you still need that product? Did you need the exact one that you bought as well? Was there a cheaper option? (maybe second hand). To me the 30-60 day \\u201Cgrace\\u201D period is a lie that\\u2019s being sold by banks to lure you into their false sense of security. If a deal looks too good then maybe it is.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"I know this sounds very doom and gloom. And I know it sounds a tad negative. But nothing is free. In the back of your mind you know this too. And the banks employ people who don\\u2019t see you as an individual but sees you as numbers and places you in a pool with people like you. They know you\\u2019ll be able to pay back the money eventually on average. They know they\\u2019ll make all their money and more back. Even if you miss payments or go bankrupt they can still get enough of the pie to be fine. And they don\\u2019t care about your problems. This is where you need to be truly careful. And it\\u2019s good to remember that people don\\u2019t give you money as a favour to you. They give it because it\\u2019s good business.\"), mdx(\"h2\", {\n    \"id\": \"in-closing\"\n  }, \"In closing\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Over the next couple of weeks I am going into a bit of a deeper dive on what I have done to reach some financial freedom and where I can still be better. I will share some simple tricks that I have learned to make it easier understand the current financial landscape. In doing this I hope to make it a little bit easier to make good financial decisions and to reduce stress and shame for those of us who are struggling. We can have a society that talks openly about money within families, friends and communities.\"));\n}\n;\nMDXContent.isMDXComponent = 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_objectWithoutProperties(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded); var key, i; if (Object.getOwnPropertySymbols) { var sourceSymbolKeys = Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(source); for (i = 0; i < sourceSymbolKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceSymbolKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; if (!Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable.call(source, key)) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } } return target; }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = {}; var sourceKeys = Object.keys(source); var key, i; for (i = 0; i < sourceKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } return target; }\n\n/* @jsxRuntime classic */\n\n/* @jsx mdx */\nvar _frontmatter = {\n  \"title\": \"The strange power of being wrong\",\n  \"author\": \"Ian Cawood\",\n  \"date\": \"2020-11-08T00:00:00.000Z\",\n  \"excerpt\": \"Being wrong has made my life more fulfilling\",\n  \"hero\": \"./hero.jpg\"\n};\nvar layoutProps = {\n  _frontmatter: _frontmatter\n};\nvar MDXLayout = \"wrapper\";\nreturn function MDXContent(_ref) {\n  var components = _ref.components,\n      props = _objectWithoutProperties(_ref, [\"components\"]);\n\n  return mdx(MDXLayout, _extends({}, layoutProps, props, {\n    components: components,\n    mdxType: \"MDXLayout\"\n  }), mdx(\"p\", null, \"I think it can be very tough to admit when we are wrong. In childhood and adolescence I was particularly bad at admitting when I was wrong. Especially when I knew I was wrong. It always seemed like a slight to my character. How could I (a person who is so careful and precise (this was my own opinion of course)) have been wrong about something so obvious. As I became more mature I would like to think that I have gotten better.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"src\": \"https://media.giphy.com/media/Wq9RLX06zRg4UM42Qf/source.gif\",\n    \"alt\": null\n  })), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Well at the very least I believe that my reactions to be being wrong has improved. In truth some part of me still cringes at the thought of being wrong. But one thing that has helped quell that little voice in me is a shift in mindset towards gaining knowledge rather than losing credibility. The only person who beats me up and remembers even the tiniest mistakes(years after it happening) is myself.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Your credibility is not scarred by being wrong. That would be unfair. It\\u2019s what you do with that knowledge that makes the difference. Do you dig in your heels and try defend your honor come hell or high water? Do you blindly accept the knowledge given to you? Do you verify and update your stance based on new information?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"I don\\u2019t know what the exact right way of dealing with this is. There\\u2019s such a wealth of information that it\\u2019s hard to even know what is fact and what is fiction. Verify as much as you can and try to be ok with the fact that you might be wrong. You might be influenced by something you read that is only partially true or even completely false. It doesn\\u2019t make you simple minded. It\\u2019s just really hard at this stage of human civilization.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"src\": \"https://media.giphy.com/media/QBGibL6Stg11MxQhWj/giphy.gif\",\n    \"alt\": null\n  })), mdx(\"p\", null, \"After all these years of being alive(30 of them to date) I\\u2019ve come to realize that being wrong is not scary. I long for the day when someone can change opinions I\\u2019ve held dear. I even seek out this information. 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And for the longest time I trusted that people had very good and rational reasons for the distinctions that they make. Let me be clear before I make any absolute statements that I believe in the fundamental good of man. There is something in us that\\u2019s built for collaboration and collective good(clearly not making sweeping statements). But boy are we an impressionable bunch. The same things that make us good at collaboration can be used for manipulation. We long so much to fit in with others that we ignore fundamental wrongs in the world. And does this apathy and lack of action in the face of insurmountable problems make a person bad?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"src\": \"https://media.giphy.com/media/4Z9fSEFAuxpnlBVWQx/giphy.gif\",\n    \"alt\": null\n  })), mdx(\"p\", null, \"There\\u2019s a \", mdx(\"a\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"href\": \"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1VxaMEjRU\",\n    \"target\": \"_blank\",\n    \"rel\": \"noreferrer\"\n  }, \"sketch\"), \" from Mitchell and Webb where the nazi soldiers come to realization that they are the bad guys. I mean from their point of view all they\\u2019ve been doing is fight in a war. There are soldiers in all wars that know little or nothing about the atrocious things that are happening all around them. Or have little to no influence on the collective. And yet it\\u2019s tough to think of any nazi as a decent human being. I find it really tough to wrap my head around the idea as well. How could a fundamental truth like that possibly be fallible.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"src\": \"https://media.giphy.com/media/3oFyDpijVlI0bSoB8Y/giphy.gif\",\n    \"alt\": null\n  })), mdx(\"p\", null, \"So why are we still shouting at each other trying to classify things as fundamentally good or evil? Why does it matter? And is there such a thing? Honestly I have no idea. I don\\u2019t have answers to any of these questions and probably never will. I look forward to thinking more on this and discussing with friends, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers. This would be my wish for the world. To discuss without judgement and anger. Like Obi-Wan I also failed the sith test and dealt with absolutes. 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