Moneywise24 Personal Finance

Whenever I do my shopping, I am always trying to find the right mix between paying a low price and getting as much as I can for that price. But how cheap can I go? In fact, what is cheap anyway, and what is fair?

I know I am not the only one. In the supermarket, I observe people fighting over the cheapest tomato. Or, where the pre-packaged and cheaper meat is sold out, the butcher is lacking customers due to its higher price; people will massively buy T-shirts or jeans as soon as they are on sale, and it does not seem to be of any relevance whether they actually need it or not.

So how does a jeans end up costing 15 EUR in some shops anyway? There is the cost for fabric, the cost for shipping, and last but not least the cost of labor.

Several documentaries brought me to the other side of the world: to Laos, to China, or India. I observed on television, how laborers in China sleep in tiny one room barracks, usually rooms are shared with two or three other roommates. Working hours are long, payment is little. Read the rest of this entry →

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I think, that sometimes being modest and cautious can be a good thing; it has for sure helped me to avoid wrong decisions. Also, social anxiety is a physical protection mechanism, which in some times has its use. However, many people out there are so shy and anxious, that they are simply not able to lead the life they really want. And getting rid of it can be difficult, very difficult.

Shyness and anxiety is not something you choose for. It simply is there. How we behave is usually an expression of how we see the world, and this again is often the result of all the experiences we made in the past, both good and bad. The human mind tends to create a world image according to these experiences, and creates expectations as a result.

Shyness and anxiety is present in many variations. Some people are shy only in particular situations. Some people are anxious only up to a particular point, and can push them through the barrier, whereas others may become paralyzed completely by their shyness and social anxiety. The result is, that those people are unable to connect with other people easily, they become paralyzed, and basically close themselves up to others. As a result, other people may perceive them as extremely formal and closed up, or even arrogant and unpleasant to be with. Read the rest of this entry →

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As I am an expat myself and always interested in culturally focused articles, I stumbled upon an article about the Dutch culture on Fluent In 3 Months.

You can read the article here.

Being Dutch myself, I very much enjoyed reading the article. One thing, that especially caught my attention is was a paragraph about the Dutch very much following an agenda, leaving little room for spontaneous meetups or undertakings.

If I look at myself, I think I am living by an agenda too. But to be honest, it didn’t use to be like that.

When I was much younger, I was much more spontaneous. I used to meet up with friends regularly, and it usually was enough to give my friend a call an hour before meeting up. When I was in high-school and in university, me and my friends were rarely using fully packed agendas to keep our lives organized. Perhaps with the exception of a few hours a week for sports training.

As soon as I started working full-time, my agenda started growing. Everything needed to be planned, because free time started becoming scarce. Sporting events have to be planned. Cinema has to be planned. My regular martial arts trainings have a recurring event in my calendar. Parties need to be planned. Read the rest of this entry →

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• When politeness becomes counterproductive

Have you ever given a thought about discrimination? I mean, I assume we all know the meaning of discrimination. We might think about racism, about age discrimination, or about discrimination of gender. Making these distinction for whatever reason basically comes down to favoring one thing at the cost of another.

So, perhaps we have a minority in some random country, which is being discriminated against due to their skin color, for example when it comes down to finding a job. That’s tough and not correct, especially if this minority is as well educated as the majority, and there is not reason to reject them. We all know this is bad, because this minority is being discriminated. Read the rest of this entry →

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• When politeness becomes counterproductive

I want to end this evening with a small post on making a difference, whether it is about making a difference at work, at your sports club, or simply doing something small for a relative or a good friend.

I find making a difference extremely important; it keeps the mind young, the inspiration going. It could be about doing something extra for your line manager at work, perhaps coming up with an innovative idea, or creating someting new. Or, perhaps you find some information that a friend is looking for.

Whatever it might be, I started to ask myself “what difference did I make today”? It helps me to make the best of each day, and to get the most out of it, knowing that my actions of today will shape my future.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Why Cheap Stuff Comes At A Very High Price
• Why Shyness And Social Anxiety Can Be Your Worst Enemy
• Spontaneity vs. Keeping An Agenda
• The Nonsense Of Discrimination
• When politeness becomes counterproductive