The leaky pocket: small leaks that destroy your finances

josevas217 (80)in PussFi 🐈 • last month

Hello PussFi community friends, despite the current market downturn, I hope you are all doing well and keeping a cool head. I'd like to talk about something related to personal finance, because there are things we hear daily that, over time, become almost a collective mantra, as if they were absolute truths simply because many people repeat them. One of those phrases is: “I don't have any money.” I've heard it in Colombia, in Venezuela, anywhere someone complains about their finances.

_Source

But when you scratch the surface, when you calmly ask how someone manages their finances, how they allocate their income, that's when the truth begins to emerge. And the truth is that in the vast majority of cases, it's not that there isn't any money... it's that it's poorly distributed, slipping through holes they don't even notice, because they've become accustomed to living with small leaks that, added together, form a whole river.

Let's be clear: small, seemingly insignificant expenses, for example, are experts at disguising themselves as "insignificant things." A coffee here, an empanada there, a sweet treat because "I deserve it," a bottle of water because I didn't bring mine... in short, all those little things that together can add up to what could be a decent monthly savings. But since no one notices them, they end up being swept under the rug. And the strangest thing is that most people never keep track of them, never sit down one afternoon to add them up. And of course, when they feel that their salary isn't enough, they blame it on the economy, the government, inflation, anything but their own management.

_Source

Then there are subscriptions, which is another topic no one wants to talk about because we're all in it, I admit. Netflix, Spotify, some cloud service, antivirus, mobile game… and to top it all off, each platform raises prices whenever it wants, and no one bothers to check if they're still using it. The funniest thing is that subscribing is quick and easy, two clicks and it's done, but canceling? Well, we all know how that works.

They throw you into a maze that seems designed by people who studied reverse psychology, because getting in is a breeze, but getting out requires navigating ten windows and three confirmation emails. And even then, you just keep doing it, because “oh, it's only five dollars.” Well, five here, ten there, and add a few other things, and you've already wasted several days' worth of groceries.

And let's not even talk about bad habits, because those really take their toll. There are people who swear they have no money, but every weekend they go out to "relax," spending money they don't have. Or they're constantly buying clothes they don't need, eating out three times a week, upgrading their cell phone every year because "mine's old," even though it works perfectly. And look, I'm not saying you can't treat yourself; that would be absurd. What I am saying is that you have to be clear about your financial situation, how much you earn, and what your priorities are. Because if your expenses are outpacing your salary, you're obviously going to feel like you don't have enough.

_Source

In short, financial self-deception is very convenient because it allows you to blame anything external without taking responsibility. But the hard truth is that most people do have money… they just don't manage it well. And as long as you're not honest about that, as long as you don't start monitoring those small leaks that seem insignificant, you'll keep repeating the same old phrase. In the end, money management isn't about how much you have, but how you manage it. And that's where many fail, even if they don't want to admit it. So, well, this is just my personal opinion, of course, and you may disagree, which is also valid. Goodbye, take care.