Money, Money, Money

The one where I get mad. Again…

 

Two rants in two weeks. You are being blessed.

This appeared in my Twitter timeline this morning. Admittedly it’s from a couple of days ago, so I’m obviously slow on the uptake. But though it’s a simple comment to make, it made me mad.

 

“Having “no money” is not an excuse not be able to make plans with your friends, something as simple as going for coffee, £3. I’ve realised that some people only actually have money when it suits them “

 

Not only is this judgy as all hell, but can we take a moment to look at £3. In a world where we have people on the breadline and below it, despite being one of the richest countries in the world, let’s look at what £3 actually means.

£3 will buy you a coffee in a coffee shop.

£3 will buy you a beer (OK, it might not be fancy beer, or even a pint, but it’s beer)

£3 will buy you a sandwich, maybe if you’re going to the cafe on campus in my building, a sandwich and a packet of crisps.

£3 will buy you a packet of ham and a loaf of bread, so you can make more than one sandwich at home.

£3 will buy you a big bottle of milk, a packet of oats, and some honey. Breakfasts for at least a week.

£3 will buy you a pack of paracetamol, a pack of cheap tampons and a bar of chocolate.

£3 is a phone top up.

£3 will buy you enough tins of veggies and beans to make a chilli that will last you for lunches all week.

£3 is ten packets of instant noodles. Ten whole meals.

£3 is bus fare.

£3 is more than ‘just £3’.

Maybe it’s just my experience of having no money. I can remember when I first bought my flat, I had barely enough money to function, so I lived on toast and fried eggs. Eggs were cheap (they were battery hens, which still makes me sad, but I was skint as hell), bread could keep forever if I kept it in the freezer.

Stepping away from that, let’s not forget that people’s money really is theirs to spend as they see fit. Maybe they really are skint. Maybe they’re saving up for something special. It’s their money. It’s not your decision to make how they spend it.

There’s some censure over how people who are struggling spend their money. How dare you be on benefits and have a mobile phone (in this age of technology, how would you suggest they get a job then?), how dare they buy a big TV (if you’ve managed to save for a TV on benefits, then dammit yes, buy it). They spend it on alcohol (how very dare you have a good time, you don’t deserve it).

All that in mind, if you can’t suggest something that doesn’t cost money, if you can’t go round for a cup of tea and bring a packet of doughnuts with you, or a slice of cake, if you can’t invite them around for tea, or grab a bottle of £5 plonk and share it, maybe you’re not the friend you think you are.