Money

[SAK Guy]

Money, money, money....
Don't think much about it
I know I need lots
Don't have enough
Hate spending it on grocery
Love spending it on my toys
Don't like carrying it around
Enjoy stealing it from my wife
Have an emergency stash at home
Collected them as a kid
Enjoy checking out currency used by others when I travel
Admire fakes
Would like to someday make my own fakes
Get excited when I get Canadian Tire money
Gloat when I get rich with Monopoly money
Proud that I do work for the US Mint
Never inherited any
Strong believer in making your own
Don't believe in saving for my kids
Got all my payslips saved until they stopped printing them
Saved all my bank statements until they went paperless
Hmm... I might qualify for our OCD badge

A very interesting topic btw, cannot wait to see what others have to say 

I'm interested in what you do for the mint? We might need to talk. 

A serious coin collector... wonderful. I gave up my collection when I moved to the US. I do not work for the Mint directly, our company does their web site, manage orders, customer service and fulfillment. You might be interested to know that their last platinum coin drop sold out in 2 minutes. And they were $1200 a piece 

Folks is skittish...... 

[Sea Monster]

I've always had more than I know what to do with, so in some ways it doesn't have a lot of value to me.

Having said that, my deep scottish heritage means that even if I don't want or need it, I'll be bloody damned before I give it to someone else 

(I've lost and rebuilt everything twice. Once due to the Global Financial Crisis, and once due to...poor decision making. I have had massive arguments because people feel that my version of cold stony broke was still better off than others, and that may well be, but I also have (relatively) good impulse control, and a minimum of vices, fetishes, and obsessions, at least ones that cost money, so I "survive" on very little, with the comfort that I can have nice things when required)


This message, and every other message on this forum since 2011, sent via free WiFi.

[kkokkolis]

I hate money, they make me nervous and I usually spend everything over a safe net I usually keep for hazards. I am also very bad commercially. I always buy, almost never sell, I charge cheaply and do pro bono without regret.
I have been very lucky in my life. I grew up quite poor and learned to have no need for money, I hoarded information instead, most of it free of charge. But I went to the best public school in Greece and the best school of the best University without paying a drachma. I hadn't a house but my wife had a small nest and built whith our efforts a couple and now another one for our daughter. Not a cent ever went to the bank or stocks or luxuries or anything else than assets of a life as we like it. I hate doctors that all drive the same Mercedes cars, wear the same Rolex and build a pool they rarely enjoy, just for showing off. I drive a 13 year old Hyundai, wear the same watch every day (now a Suunto but never anything over 200€) and like to buy things that get use, that's why I stopped buying SAKs at the point I had all I could use or inherit to my kids (that's my neurosis, I had nothing more than some clothes when I married, but I want my kids to say: this SAK belonged to my dad, my dad gave me his minerals etc). Vanity has many aspects, money are the ugliest face of vanity I believe.
I am also very lucky to be loved by a beautiful, smart, educated, capable and rational wife. She supported me for years, even financialy the first 10 out of 30. So I keep 3-5% of my income for goodies and all the rest I give to her and she spends everything wisely for our kids and family.
During the recent situation in Greece, with bank holidays and blocking of bank accounts in Switzerland and the collapse of the stock market and all that we had nothing to worry about or fear about. I'm so lucky.
For me, my wife and kids are my jewelry and my toys (my Meccano, my SAKs, my optics, my toy soldiers, my MP3s, books and documentaries and other trivial things) are my gold. Money are useful as long as they serve these.

[Smashie]

After sitting here and watching my son sleep, the best thing that has happened in my life, I keep thinking about one phrase. I don't remember if it was from a film or a book but.

The only thing money does, is stop you thinking about money.

[tosh]

After sitting here and watching my son sleep, the best thing that has happened in my life, I keep thinking about one phrase. I don't remember if it was from a film or a book but.

The only thing money does, is stop you thinking about money.

Great phrase that Smashie 

The one I always refer to is...
"Money has no value until it's spent"

[Aloha]

Thanks all for contributing.  Interesting topic for sure. 

I grew up very poor by most standards.  We lived mostly with other poor families typically sleeping on their living room floor.  We slept in cars and shady motels when we could afford the rent.  We've slept in garages and abandoned houses.  We've had days of no food and often times had the utilities shut off ( water and power ). 

At a young age I could stretch a dollar and learned to save when I could.  I also learned to be without and not be sad as a result.  I wore tattered clothes to school till I was able to work and buy my own.

Living in poverty had a positive effect on me growing up.  I learned that these things we accumulate are fun but I am not defined by them nor by the lack of them.   

 
   

[kkokkolis]

Living in poverty had a positive effect on me growing up.  I learned that these things we accumulate are fun but I am not defined by them nor by the lack of them.   

That's so true! It's like survival dexterities, one acquires them in the field. It is much more difficult the other way around, to be raised in abundance and having to learn to live in poverty. Although I know of many people that poverty made them greedy and crude when they overcame it. Character is defined by other situations also.

[N_N_R]

@SeaMonster

so I "survive" on very little, with the comfort that I can have nice things when required)

I love this sentence


@kkokkolis

Interesting point there. Yet, you hate money and learned not to need it as you say, but still, your wife had to have some in order to provide for your whole family.

Also, I think exactly people who drive 13-year-old cars and not Mercedes and people who don't have pools for glamour reasons are the ones that have the potential to get rich because they don't waste money on stuff like brand new cars that lose their values within a few years. After all, driving a brand new car, living in a great mansion don't really make you rich. You just have a car and a house.



@Smashie

The only thing money does, is stop you thinking about money.

Yeah, a good one. Having money means one problem less in life.



@Aloha

Thanks for sharing your story. I also think that living in poverty may actually affect us positively at a later point. Now I can also live with very little and I've learned that you do need very little to live your life (as long as we managed to pay all our bills with mom's meager salary, we were calm that we could live through the month). On the other hand, I'm thinking that sometimes I get too obsessed with money and thinking about it exactly because of our poverty before. I just keep "piling" it so that I don't ever ever again go back in that poverty state. While it's actually not possible, because back then I was at school, didn't work, now I work. Back then the salaries were a loooot lower, so people could barely make ends meet (not that most people don't complain now, too, but I've been through that and know you can make it with very little), now the salaries got a lot higher (still low), but the prices remained relatively the same.


Of course money isn't everything in life, it's just a tool. But I don't "like" it when people diminish the power/possibilities/chances money gives you. Money means nothing and yet without money you get no food, electricity, water, house, in some sad cases, health.

[N_N_R]

Regarding money, what's your position on helping the random stranger in the street?

For example, I wouldn't give money to the random panhandler in the street who sits there all day long doing nothing and probably participating in those organized crime gangs for collecting money from passersby. I did it on numerous occasions as a kid. Disabled people in the street always made me feel sorry about them. However, those individuals are bound to receive some social pensions of about 130-150 per month. Later when my mother got retired, having worked her whole life as a CEO of a company at some point and later as a nurse, with 180lv ... This enraged me literally. So, a hard-working person eventually retires with 180 and someone who has never probably been at a job in their whole life and rely on beggary get 150 per month. Since then I haven't given them a cent - I have another person below the breadline to give money to at home, mom.

However, I like helping people who actually ask for FOOD. I.e. I know that the money I give doesn't go for cigarettes, alcohol and other crap. I've bought food for random strangers who asked for it several times so far. The last time was right after the NY. I was queuing in the store and the old woman before me couldn't afford to pay 6.6 BGN (!!) for the things she'd taken, so after the guy had marked the goods, she asked him to return a piece of salami or something. He removed it, the bill got to 5.5lv. She couldn't afford that either, so she asked him to return a soft drink, too. When the bill got around 4.7 she finally could pay it. After I'd paid for my purchase, I ran after her and offered her the fiver the guy had returned me so that she could go and buy back her food. She was kinda startled.

[shark_za]

Currency is fascinating.

Seeing our northern neighbor self implode and return to bartering and commodity trading was fascinating if not scary.

At one point I needed to get something cleared from customs (I had clients there) , it took two days for the company to raise the required petty cash for the invoice and by the time they got back to the customs house the price had doubled.

Fuel coupons were stable as 1 liter of fuel has a tangible value, this made all transactions happen outside the tax system making it even worse.

But the last set of notes are worth a laugh     

[N_N_R]

Oh, my ....

You should definitely keep those.

Actually, our 2lv note has been replaced by a 2lv coin in the last couple of months. I haven't had a chance to get a hold of a coin yet, since the banknotes are still in circulation and will remain so for some time and the transition is probably going to be a long and slow process. But I've kept two 2lv notes for sentimental reasons I kept a few 1lv notes which were replaced by coins in 2002, too.

A lot of our politicians want us to start using the EURO, .... so... why the heck do they change the currency, I don't get it, if we're going to move to EUR in a few years

[kkokkolis]

I'm not sure you should go to Euro. You will be still buying industrial products from mainly a certain world leading European industrial country (and a couple of others too) so gradually this country will hoard almost all your Euros. Your bribed people and all other rich people will invest their Euros to Swiss banks, avoiding taxes. Then the aforementioned country will lend you money on a high interest and they will continue to be paid for goods by the lended Euros. You can keep the debt and will be bullied and ridiculed for it. A portion of the scandals will see the light of publicity. Behind each scandal there will be a company from the aforementioned country but that will not change your situation. You'll see homeless in the streets and people searching in the garbage, something you couldn't think about when you had your poor little national currency and agricultural economy (that's true for my country anyway, I think it applies to all Balcans but correct me if I'm wrong). I earn 10 times the basic salary and my wife 5 times. Yet we just live what could be described as a decent life. No money at the bank, no expensive valuables. I avoid imagining how those who live on a basic salary or the 25% of unemployed live. Still we get hundreds of thousands of refugees from nearby warzones who have to be fed and think that our country is better than theirs, as a temporary or permanent solution. So it could be worse I'm afraid.
I said I hate money but some things I like are bought with money. Thankfully my tastes aren't overly expensive. At this point I have more than I wished I had and pay more taxes than would allow me to be careless. 25 years earlier I had nothing and all I cared about was sex, books, music and some more sex. I only spent for food, everything else was free.

[N_N_R]

Hm.... okay, thanks. I don't know the first thing about economy or how this grand stuff works. A few days ago I read a research in which 74% of the BG nation didn't want the Euro. There was some percentage of the remaining 26% who didn't have an opinion on the matter and then a very small percent actually supported the Euro. So what you're saying is probably true.

On the other hand, my two current jobs and a total of 4 of the jobs I've worked during the years have been funded by the EU. So, I'm in two minds. Or probably I should consider "being in the EU" and "adopting the Euro" as two different matters.

We do have homeless people and "garbage" people now, too.

I don't want to sound offensive and I surely don't mean to, but I don't think that "money in the banks" depends on your salary at all. It entirely depends on how you live. It's not important how much you make, but how much you can keep.

For the next few years I've decided to go into "severe savings regime" as I want to buy an apartment of my own. So, I've counted that I can live on the minimal salary for my country pretty fine and whatever else above that I get goes to savings. So even if people live on the minimal wage, they should still be able to live and not live in deep poverty. Of course, knowing that something above the minimum comes into your account is a very comforting thought.

[zoidberg]

Keep the conversation free of any political content thanks.   

[kkokkolis]

It's economy, difficult to differentiate than politics but still it's economy.

[zoidberg]

It's economy, difficult to differentiate than politics but still it's economy.

Yet your post contains the word politicians.

[kkokkolis]

Oh, you are right. I thought it in a legal manner because they belong to all existing parties that governed already, but still  it might fuel reactions. It's a difficult matter what we are talking about because it is so much tied to politics, ilegal activities, vanity, exploitation and the list goes on. I should say no more in this thread, since I made my point why I hate money.

PS: I modified my previous post.

[N_N_R]

Okay, so let me just show you a picture of our currency This doesn't go against any rules, right?



I don't have a 5lv note right now and I'm lacking some coins for the pic, 10, 20 stotinki.

The 1lv note is out of circulation and we use 1lv coin. The 2lv note will soon be out too and we'll get a 2lv coin. The 50lv at the bottom were used probably a decade ago, I don't remember exactly

[kirk13]

[dks]

[rishardh]

Common nick names used for currency in the US. There are probably more, these are what I could think of.

0.01 coin - Penny
0.05 coin - Nickle
0.10 coin - Dime
0.25 coin - Quarter
1.00 coin - Silver Dollar
1 bill - Single, Washington, Stripper
5 bill - Fiver, Lincoln
10 bill - Hamilton
20 bill - Jackson

[SAK Guy]

Common nick names used for currency in the US. There are probably more, these are what I could think of.

0.01 coin - Penny
0.05 coin - Nickle
0.10 coin - Dime
0.25 coin - Quarter
1.00 coin - Silver Dollar
1 bill - Single, Washington, Stripper
5 bill - Fiver, Lincoln
10 bill - Hamilton
20 bill - Jackson

The Benjamins.  ($100 bill) 

[dks]

Slang terms for money

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slang_terms_for_money

[shark_za]

I think they may have changed them but the Namibian $10 note used to be called 2 bucks by me and my mates because it had two springbuck on the back. The $20 was 5 bucks (5 Hartebeest)


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[N_N_R]

Speaking of hyperinflation, that's the largest banknote we've ever had, I think, in 1997. It equals today's 50lv.

[kkokkolis]

Beat you! 100 BILLION drachmas, just when Nazi occupation ended, 1944.

Slang terms.
Drachma was ancient currency, worth of 6 copper sticks, called ovoloi. A man could hold 6 such sticks at hand and drachma means the handful. 
Territories conquered by Alexander the Great still use drachmas, dirham in Arab countries and dram in Armenia. Dram or dirhem, 1/400 of the Ottoman eski okka comes from drachma too.
Two drachmas were called a "difrangon", literally two franks, the French currency of yesteryears.
Five drachmas were called "taleron" from the Austrian Taler from where the dollar takes its name. In the fifties Greeks calculated talara, not drachmas.
When we say "marka" we mean the Casino chips or card and table games chips, a name derived from the German mark.
"Flouria" and "lires" come from Italiam Fiorins and Liras and mean any golden coin, the lira usually means British golden pounds.
Banknotes had their own names, 100 drachmas were usually the "reds", 500 the "greens"  and 1000 the "browns"  or "geese" or "Zeus". Money were called "cotton" or "cotton seed" or "wool" or "bayoko" or "lettuce leaves",  "parades"  (from Turkish "para", "bikikinia" and many others.
Euro is called Ευρώ (a Greek word, meaning "wide", Europa is the "Wide-eyed"), and cents cents or lepta, which literally means "thins" but is also a slang term for money, usually in the "lefta" form. One is "leftas" means that he is rich. He might also be called "francgatos", again from the French Franc, a Napoleonic inheritance.
Money in Greek is called "Chrema" and literally means "the one in need".

[dks]

Ended ?

[N_N_R]

Wow

[ColoSwiss]

Common nick names used for currency in the US. There are probably more, these are what I could think of.

0.01 coin - Penny
0.05 coin - Nickle
0.10 coin - Dime
0.25 coin - Quarter
1.00 coin - Silver Dollar
1 bill - Single, Washington, Stripper
5 bill - Fiver, Lincoln
10 bill - Hamilton
20 bill - Jackson

The Benjamins.  ($100 bill) 

The quarter is also called 'two bits'. A dollar or other large coin was chopped up into eight equal pie-slice segments (bits) for use when small change was scarce.

The $100 bill is a C note, from the Latin C for 100.

The $10 bill is a 'sawbuck', from the Latin ten (X) resemblance to the end of a saw horse.

[N_N_R]

my granny used to keep a shoe box with loooots of coins she preserved throughout her life. I was in paradise when she would take it out occasionally and show me this treasure. some were with various percentage of silver in them, some dated back to 1913, 1891, some were pure silver, some were Turkish but so old and so worn that you couldn't read anything on them and they were probably a fraction of a millimetre thick.
she'd probably sensed my love for that, so she gave me the bigger part of this collection before she passed away. I'm also glad I managed to convince my uncle to give me the rest of them instead of trying to sell them for cents for the amount of silver in them. selling them for me would be like betraying my grandparents - they've kept them for about a century after all.