🏦 Get Good with Money 💸

A Miniature Guide to Survive Capitalism Consciously and Strategically

A friend of mine said to me, “as a socialist, you are really good with money.” 

That bit is true. Money pays for basic living expenses; disposable income is redirected to community. 

Money is not inherently valuable, but is reified as a measurement of “worth” in today’s capitalist society. If we simplify it even further: a quantitative count of money is how we standardize measurement. The co-existence of billionaires and poverty should be sufficient to convince you that there is no shortage of money, but a problem of extreme inequity. 

One does not have to be a capitalist to be good with money, but we must be good with money to survive capitalism. There is a mathematical calculation for survival. 

The value of money - to me - is to exchange for commodities like food, shelter, books, art, pet supplies, etc. Getting good at money is a skill that helps me survive fun- and under- employment.

Nothing here is financial advice. There are no get rich quick schemes. Actually, I will argue that I am a financially irresponsible person to return to academia at this time of genAI boom and “global economic instability.”

Growing up in a middle-class background, I am privileged to say that money has never been a stressor in my life. While I am paid extremely low wages as a TA currently, my family is still a safety net that cushions my exposure to financial risks. 

Learning from personal finance educators, I implemented a number of strategies to strengthen my financial future: 

• Creating a budget by calculating the minimum amount of money required to sustain survival: housing, food, medication, utilities, pet expenses, fun funds (yes fun expenses are essential), and community aid (that is also absolutely essential).
• 1~3 months of expenses in a high-yield savings account as an emergency fund.
• Additional emergency funds spread out in various buckets of investment accounts, with regular deposits and accumulating interest above inflation rates.
• Cut down on expenses like subscription services, phone plan, subbing fresh veg with frozen options, budget options.

Instead of resigning to the false assumption that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, I want to make a conscious decision in my participation. How I decide to spend money can reflect my values, while protecting my long-term financial future. It looks like practicing BDS through hours of research and investing in socially conscious sectors. Or heading to thrift stores and estate sales rather than buying new. 

Community aid is built into my financial budget. Though I reduced my recurring monthly donations after leaving my corporate job. I opted for lower-cost community aid.

• Redeeming reward program points and stacking coupons to buy fresh water, gift cards, hygiene products, or make a food bank donation.
• On the lookout for the next sale or special reward point days to stock up, lowering financial barriers to participate in community aid. 

Getting good with money takes practice. Savings started with pinching pennies and dollars. Leveraging tax-deductible options to maximize investment returns. Sometimes it is setting aside a dollar or five, because that’s all I’ve got. 

TLDR: There is no conflict between my socialist politics and being good with money. In fact, I think I can be a better socialist by being good with money. 

A job is a job. In this exchange of commodities - your labour in exchange for paycheques - you are not obligated to give your loyalty to the employer. 

Note to readers: 

Deeply appreciate your support. In recovering from corporate work and human rights activism burnouts, I felt as if I deteriorated into robotic soulless cog in the wheel. I am rediscovering my muscle for writing. Now that I'm enrolled in graduate school, KGS will continue to be a creative outlet.

Thank you for reading my random brain dumps 🫶🏼