UNIT 8: MONEY AND FINANCE
My name‿ is Nina. Two years‿ ago I had three credit cards│ an(d) no idea│ where my salary went. What rescued me was not‿ a betterbe-der‿ income but‿ an‿ accounting‿ exercise,│ an(d) the results were humiliating.
The exercise was simple:│ I tracked‿ everything for one month‿ an(d) kept‿ every receipt. My disposable‿ income was being consumed by small,│ unnoticed purchases,│ which‿ is the mechanism‿ of mos(t) personal debt. Coffee,│ snacks,│ an(d) taxis came to two hundred dollars‿ a month,│ and‿ each‿ individual transaction had fel(t) trivial. Discipline‿ is not‿ a personality trait;│ it‿ is‿ a structure. Once the fixed costs were visible‿ an(d) the interes(t) rate‿ on the cards was calculated‿ honestly,│ the behaviour changed without‿ any effort‿ of will.
I now prioritise‿ in‿ a fixed‿ order:│ rent,│ food,│ savings,│ an(d) then whatever remains. I also keep‿ an‿ emergency fund,│ because‿ a single‿ unexpected bill‿ is what turns‿ a budget‿ into a debt. Austerity is not the goal,│ and‿ I do not believe that poverty is caused by buying coffee. However,│ financial literacy is the difference between‿ a difficul(t) month‿ and‿ a crisis,│ an(d) nobody taught‿ it to me at school.