My financial attitudes and alternatives when I do not have enough!

Enough is a word that theoretically describes quality or quantity that is just adequate or meets the requirement, but unfortunately, in reality, especially as regards finances or, in a broader sense, resources, enough could be viewed as a concept of time, such that you may have just enough for that period and not necessarily for a longer period of time.

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This reminds us that needs and wants are limited in the face of limited resources. However, I would assume life is taken one day at a time by an individual who is just content with what he has and lives within the available resources. Thus, he may just have enough daily bread to meet his needs.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS NOT JUST ENOUGH

Many things happen to me as an individual when I do not have enough, but not as bad as not having anything at all as a resource.

Beyond finances, enough can be viewed in other respects, such as time, energy, and even resources. Everyone has lacked a means at one point or another, and the first probable attack is our emotions.

EMOTIONS

Most oftentimes, when I do not have enough resources, time, or money, my emotions get thwarted or destabilized, and I experience a downside of myself of which I am not proud, which can be readily visible on my face. Not having money usually weighs down my countenance, especially when I am unable to meet a target.

OPTIONS

At this stage, I begin to consider various options to have enough. My main option when I have a major need that I am unable to meet is to take a loan. Unfortunately, the sources of soft loans are limited, exhausted, or unavailable, which oftentimes leaves me with the option of seeking loans from friends, banks, or loan apps. Seeking a loan can be demeaning, and oftentimes, those we expect to lend us money will ask questions as regards what the loan is for and when it will be paid back. Loans from family and friends are usually free of interest.

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I have taken loans from banks and apps online. Loans from mobile apps are very dangerous, and you must have a credible alternative to pay them back, as they are much more willing to embarrass the borrower on social media and via their contacts. They are granted access to phone contacts and use such access to coerce or defame the borrower. Whenever I need to use such a medium, I am usually certain I will offset the loan before the timeframe, which can range from two weeks to three months. I have seen some of these apps advertise a one-year repayment plan. The interest rates are usually high and could almost double the repayment period, especially when the repayment period is long.

I found that my bank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank), offered me salary advances and quick credit loans. The quick credit loan offer is for customers that choose the bank as their salary account, and this is why I did also. The bank offers me a 2% interest charge on credit loans repayable between one and twelve months, which is fair for me since I do not have to go through the hurdle and shame of telling people my problems before accessing a loan.

I could also explore the option of coercing my siblings to give me money, especially when it is not a huge amount.

DEAD END

Not all wishes can be achieved. I remember an occasion where I had to message people that I had not kept in touch with for a long time. I was at a dead end, as loans were not even forthcoming. Of course, when you are at a dead end, you likely have to retrace your steps as progress has been halted. This happens to me a lot when I exhaust the options to find what I desire to meet my needs. When such a situation occurs, I may be compelled to rethink.

My mom always says to put down the load that is too heavy to lift. Here, I make a re-evaluation to ascertain the importance of the execution of that for which I am lacking enough resources. I begin to rate the project as either a want or a need. Problems are like water; they often pass away. At some points, when I am unable to meet my projections and make a second-thought revaluation, I may be able to place my projection as a want rather than a need.

IMAGE CREDIT IS MINE... Experiencing inconvenience to cut cost while traveling

Where the projection is a need, I begin to seek frugal means to achieve my aim. I would be sharing my travel experience as an example. I had a two-day program in a distant state, and the journey by road costs N21,000 ($25), and it would require boarding two vehicles. In my bid to cut costs, I opted for an alternative that was cheaper but more inconvenient.

Eventually, I boarded seven different vehicles before I arrived at my destination, as most of the vehicles would drop passengers off and pick up others. My total expenses to my destination were N14,000 ($16), which was N7,000 ($9) short of expected travel expenses. Four passengers sat at the back of the salon car while two others sat at the passenger's seat beside the driver. At a point, I felt my legs experiencing paraesthesia partly from the inconveniences and also, from the long distance travels

Although I may not have broken my journey as previously done, I succeeded in cutting costs at the expense of enjoying maximal convenience.

I had the option of lodging at the venue of the program, and the minimum room cost was N12,000 ($14), with a high chance that the rooms will be marked unavailable in a bid to push you to pay more for other rooms that cost N15,000 to N25,000 ($17–$29), and of course the rooms are more luxurious. I used Google Maps to look out for nearby hotels even before I got to the venue, and I had the option to choose a standard room at N5000 ($5.9) per night, which I paid for for two nights. Luckily, I had a colleague who also came to spend the night in the room I paid for on the second night and paid N3000 ($3.5), which further reduced my expenses.

These are a few of my strategies when I do not have enough. I explore options to cut costs in a #frugal manner, which does not mean I am being stingy with my funds. I do not necessarily have to inconvenience myself to meet the expectations of society. At the end of it all, nobody really cares about the process but the result.

There are some problems that go away without intervention. Imagine that someone walks up to you with serious financial needs and you feel obligated to help but do not have enough to be of assistance. What would you do? Not all battles should be fought, and not all battles can be won. There will always be wants and needs in the face of limited resources, and you should not kill yourself over things you cannot influence.

Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.

Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha