- “I spent too much!”
- “We spent more than we thought.”
- “How much did you spend?”
- “It cost you too much!”
The concept of spending is recurrent when we talk about money, too recurrent. So that we are used to associating money almost solely with the theme of squandering, of an effort on our part that does not correspond to what we actually earn. And what could be an opposing concept that would help us rebalance the negative association of money equals waste?
To invest, then to make a profit, a gain. Trying to use the term investing in our everyday language to see how it sounds, “I invested some money in a book this month,” it can sound consistently good–it makes us think that the book offers useful content, that it makes us spend good times with ourselves enriching, here enriching us, so that the idea of an advantage, of a gain, comes back. We apparently spent euros to buy the book, but we gained quality time, growth in our knowledge and maybe even new skills, or good humor, in short, we really invested our money.
Perhaps investing when we talk about utilities may sound less fitting, but no more than that. Because the money invested in electricity allows us, for example, to continue many of our activities after the sun goes down, and the gas bill suggests images of warm homes, restorative showers, lunches and dinners. We didn’t just spend, we invested in well-being, care, protection, nourishment, quality recreation. If we consciously adopt the concept of investing, we will not only notice unnecessary purchases but also probably become more shrewd in acquiring goods and services, we will compare rates, concrete benefits, contractual deadlines, etc., for our real benefit.
The term investing can be even more useful if we are planning to apply for financing. Investing in a loan, how does it sound? We will pay installments for a few years to get what gain? How are we going to invest our future income, for what profit? How much of the amount I’m going to pay, for example, is for interest or fees and is it worth it to me? The more honest we are with the answers we give, the more we will be able to modulate the operation to our real advantage.
But if you are in debt or over-indebted, if you do not have nearly enough to live on, can one still talk about investing one’s own money? Definitely yes, because all the more reason to make choices., (one invests in food, in fact, not in superfluous goods) and you get informed, you look for solutions, you look at ways to deal with debt, maybe you get to talk to the over-indebtedness and usury prevention desks (here’s a link about it http://www.dt.tesoro.it/export/sites/sitodt/modules/documenti_it/prevenzione_reati_finanziari/antiusura/Associazioni_Fondazioni_x_pubblicazione_2017__.pdf ). One’s time, awareness, reasoning, and projections about the future are also invested accordingly. Many of the people who turn to ADVENTUM utter a recurring phrase “never again a loan in my life, I don’t want to hear about loans anymore,” the extreme tone stems from the fact that, forced for a long time to live in a precarious and obligatory condition (too many installments that do not allow a serene quality of life), have experienced a radical change in their beliefs: they now want to manage their income differently, at least a little to their advantage, enjoying a real profit. They want to invest, not spend.
