At the risk of getting downvoted to the point where I'll never be seen again. I want to take a moment to talk about being thankful and praising God for all things.
Even Inflation
Before you click the downvote button
Give me a chance to explain.
Just like everyone else I've been hit by high inflation. I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
Just over a year ago I was looking to buy a vehicle like this one
and the price was about $6,000 Canadian. Now the price has more doubled to $14,500.
and about the same time I was talking to a contractor about building a container cabin for a homestead I want to start. The original quote for this container home :
Image from status homes
Was about $45,000 Canadian. Now the cost is about $90,000.
Food is also more expensive. I used to buy a 16L container of oil for $16.99 just before Covid hit. Now a price tag like this is far more common.
Which means the price has almost tripled from just over $1/liter to just over $3/liter.
So am I a complete moron?
First: I'm in a much better position that most people.
Why? Because for the past 12 years I've been trying to answer the question: How could I live a good life in the Philippines...if I was to only make the minimum wage of a Filipino. That's led me to look at a lot of cost cutting measures that aren't typical in Canada.
However: A lot of people are really hurting right now with the increased cost of everything. As a Pharmacist I've seen things like Acetaminophen go from $5.99 to $12.99 in our pharmacy and our markup hasn't changed, only our cost to get from the wholesaler. I've seen first hand how some pensioners and people with limited income are hurting.
Here are FOUR ways that I can be thankful for inflation though.
1. Tough times lead to tough people
"Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times."Source: Unknown (John Boyd?)
My grandparents grew up in the 1930's or the dirty 30s as they were called. They knew what living with nothing was like and they grew stronger because of it. They learned how to make due with little. They learned how to stay out of debt. They learned how to be resourceful with the plants and items around them. They knew the value of work and didn't feel a sense of entitlement.
2. It is a great way to treat Affluenza and waste
In Western culture there is an attitude that things are disposable. Buy more. Food gets wasted. Items aren't appreciated. In short...people are programmed to buy more and more and more without it really making them happy.
Hopefully with things getting more expensive people will take a moment to step back and think before they spend. Make wise decisions with their money. Learn that some of the most important things in life require TIME not money.
3. It can be call for Community.
Rising prices are going to hurt many people though. People who were barely making it before will be unable to make it now.
UNLESS
People come together as a community. When people work together things can get done. People can share the load more. People can share experiences more. People can hopefully get together in Unity to stand as one.
When people are rich and complacent its easy to just sit at home and watch TV. When times are hard they are forced to actually work towards a better community. Or at least I hope so.
4. It is a Call to Action.
Certain things just stay the way they are because people become complacent when they are cheap and money isn't a big issue.
On a small scale I had my Internet bill with a local provider (Telus) and was paying $130/month for years. I knew it was possible to get the same internet for cheaper but never bothered. When prices started going up I started taking a closer look at expenses and inflation was the kick I needed to switch to a less expensive provider (Freedom) at $50/month. So inflation indirectly saved me $70/month!
Or perhaps look at the amount of money spent on eating at fast food restaurants. When it was really cheap it was tempting to just take the easy way for dinner and pay a few dollars for a burger and fries. It wasn't healthy but it was fast, easy and cheap. However, inflation has made it much more expensive which is a great incentive to cook meals at home which are both healthier and less expensive.
On a larger scale inflation can help local communities become more self sufficient. When wheat, beans and other staples are cheap to import from overseas then why would local farmers bother to plant them? Just get the cheap stuff delivered.
However, as prices of imports rise it gives the community a good reason why they should plant their own food or make their own products rather than relying on imports. Doing these things in the community helps it to become more resilient and self reliant which can be very beneficial!
But for me its a little more personal
Being a blogger isn't something that comes naturally for me.
The amount of money I make for posting on Hive is far less than just playing Coin Hunt and going for a long walk each day. It is also so much less than I would make as Pharmacist. Two hours work in the Pharmacy is Two months work on Hive for me.
So, why do I bother posting?????
Because as a Christian I believe I'm supposed to be a light in the world
Which is the whole reason I'm on Hive. @terganftp is the account I setup to show that it is possible to make money starting from absolutely nothing. I want to grow it to 4000HBD NOT because I need the money but because I want to show anyone and everyone out there that it is possible to make money from nothing. Even if you are shy, awkward, and a terrible speaker (like me). Originally it was to show my friend @mamalen and another friend Lexy from the Philippines but now I'll happily show anyone, anywhere, that it is possible to share your story and make some money.
But making a little nest egg is only half of the solution. The other half of the solution is being able to live well on the income from that $4000HBD (about $800/year). How much is $800HBD...about 2.15/day or about 30,000 Naira per month. If you ask a fellow Hivian @monica-ene she will say that it is just not possible to do that.
But I hope to prove her wrong
Which is why I also started up the Hive Community "Be Frugal not Stingy". I believe it is possible to stretch a tiny amount of money a long way. I haven't started posting there yet because I needed to learn "Hive Etiquette" first and @dlmmqb has been my go-to person on getting me up to speed on how to be a good Hivian.
Also, I believe it was another Hive member @jjmusa2004 who was upset with rich countries who wanted to force poor people to do climate change without offering good cheap alternatives. Well, being from a rich country I want to explore good cheap alternatives to help people lead better lives (hopefully with fewer toxic emissions)
I really want to make a post entitled "How to live a rich life on 30,000 Naira per month". It's a topic I've been thinking about for over a decade (although originally it was $1 USD / day) and I think I have good ideas. Maybe with inflation being so high people might actually drop by and take a look, if not for inflation I'm sure it would be ignored.
To sum it all up.
Inflation sucks
I'd be an idiot to deny that.
However
Without inflation I would never have joined Hive, Never would have met @monica-ene, @jjmusa2004, @jmis101, and @dlmmqb, and Never would have bothered trying to present a way to live a good life on a tight budget.
So, maybe something good can come from something bad after all.
Thanks for reading.