Nature teaches us how to save money.
I discovered a money saving principle
while watching a PBS program on why
humans get fat.
When we eat more food than the body
needs, it saves the excess in adipose
cells, ( fat storing
cells )
and our bodies have a
lot of those cells.
They featured a person whose body
would not save any extra fat and
his body would use all the incoming
fat.
I said to myself, “His body is living
from paycheck to paycheck."
"I need to write about this because
I think there is a money principle
showing up in the program."
Here we go.
First let’s make a connection to food and
money. We spend our lifetime acquiring
both and burning both.
Burning both?
Yes. Let’s look at food and money as an
energy source that we burn.
Eating food provides us energy that
we burn.
If we run short on food our body will
run short on energy.
During those times of no incoming energy
we depend on the fat saved in our body
to provide us the energy that we need.
We have to start withdrawing from
the savings account that our fat
cells are holding.
When we have plenty of food coming in, more
than we need to burn, nature will store
it in our adipose ( fat ) cells.
We do not have to think about it. Nature
does the job for us, and sometimes it over
performs.
Remember this;
The energy stored in our fat cells become
our savings account to use when there is
no food coming in.
We have to know our energy burn rate
to survive.
Playing football has a high burn rate and
reading about the game in a newspaper has
a lower burn rate.
We learn the burn rate and make sure
we have plenty of food intake to meet
our needs to stay in the game.
Now, let’s look at money as energy to burn.
If we have plenty of money coming in, more than we
need to survive, nature does not provide us a storage
device in our bodies.
Nature provides us a mind to find a place for storage.
People who do not find a storage place
will be like the guy on the PBS show
whose body did not store excess fat
and burned every bit of the fat that
came in.
During the time of shortages, people
with extra storage can ride out the storm.
Those without storage reserves will have
to depend on family and friends or
strangers to get thru any emergency.
Storing food energy is easy because we
have plenty of fat cells that we can fill
and the best part is, they are within us.
Storing money energy is difficult because
there is never enough coming in and the
storage places are handled by somebody else.
The question becomes, “How can I store
some of my excess money energy in a
place that I can grab quickly.”
Remember this:
“Money in the pocket is worth more
than the amount of money on a monthly
credit card statement.”
We have two basic sources of storage
places where we can save money.
Immediate and long term.
Grass is immediate with easy access and
Maple tree is long term requiring an
effort to access the funds.
Remember this;
Grass will burn faster than a Maple
tree.
Meaning?
Small amounts of grass will burn quickly.
Maple trees have plenty of burn material.
Saving money in your Grass account is for
small temporary emergencies and is usually
hidden at home.
Saving money in your Maple tree account
is stored with a big institution that
promises to make it grow into a bigger
Maple Tree.
Let's look at setting aside emergency
money in your grass account that you
hide somewhere in your home.
The following is a suggestion only.
You will probably come up with a
better hiding method.
Look for some powdered food in your
cupboard that is beyond the best buy
date.
You will need a small sealable bag,
and a larger sealable bag.
Put your cash inside the small bag.
Seal it tightly and put it inside
the large bag.
Fill the large bag with your stale
powdered food. Hide it in your
your freezer or pantry and don't
forget where you put it.
We went on an extended vacation and I decided
to put our excess credit cards in a little container
of rice. By the time I got home, I forgot where I
hid the cards.
About six months later my wife asked,
"What are these credit cards doing in this rice container?"
I replied, "That's a hiding place in case we get robbed."
I did not fess up that I spent a long time
searching for them after our vacation.
Now, let's look at setting aside long
term use money in a Maple tree account.
I do not have any divine insights, that is the job
of Financial Planners.
I can only tell you about my experience.
When I got my first minimum wage job in 1964, I was told
to start saving money for a rainy day.
I did not listen because I owned an umbrella.
Saving long term use money will take a long time and
most often require the help of an investment advisor.
The advisors would encourage me to manage my accounts
wisely so I can pass my money onto my children.
I responded, "Actually, I would prefer to spend it
all before I die, besides, I would rather give my
kids the money before I die.
That way if they blew it, I would still be around
to give them the Stupidity Lecture.
Here is the real strategy I used that worked for me.
10 years before I retired, I saved like crazy and made
sure my required living expenses were less than my
Social Security check.
Remember This;
What worked for me may become a disaster for your.
Do a lot of research before you make your decision
and things should work out.
I make no promises.
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