Cash In Hand
Money mysteriously traverses being both tangible and intangible, infinite yet finite. It’s a contradiction.
Ask yourself, when did you last go a day without checking how much you have in your account or contemplating what you’re spending it on? I’d imagine you’d have to return to childhood.
Even then, this week, I passed a mother walking her two daughters home from school while both begged for some sweets from the shop. The mother replied, “I have no money”. Her daughter retorts, “There’s always money when you want to spend it”.
The remark was nothing more than you’d expect, but it struck me. Cash is such a core value of our culture that even before they reach double digits, children understand their place in the order through the perspective of their pocket money.
Children should learn how to manage their finances from early on. Though, all I know is I can’t get money off my mind. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.
Sorry, Snoop, but I’m more concerned about preserving what I have. My mental calculator eternally attempts to balance books while contemplating costs three months in advance.
Despite being far from hard up, my mother was the same. But we’re not alone; almost everyone I know is pondering their next purchase somewhere in their subconscious. If not, you’re saving for something. It’s a consumerist fantasy scrolling through sites or watching pennies pile high.
Paper or pixel, banking blurs reality further. Since the Bank of England left the gold standard currency has become conceptual. There is no physical to balance the screen or the sheet. They proved as much in 2007.
Economies straddle theory and reality, yet the human consequence is entirely tangible. Research suggests that 10% of UK adults feel financially hopeless, while 34% consider themselves at least anxious.
It’s taxing stretching your budget to its last thread. Equally, enjoyment is one of life’s essential ingredients and in many forms, money facilitates fun.
There’s no answer to this equation. But I’d like to spend a day without checking my bank balance, only to wake the following morning free from the guilt of neglect. Money may cause me concern, but anxiety and currency are no more than concepts of human creation.