I am really glad to see September fade away. It was a very interesting month, financially.
I think one of the hardest tests I have had to endure in my adulthood journey so far is on the economic front.
With the country’s, and the world’s, economic state right now, it really is a crazy time to be an adult.
I was having a conversation with a group of brilliant women at this conference I attended last week, and one of them was telling us her reality of the cost of living today.
She said there was a study that said Sh1,000 in 2022 is equivalent to Sh500 back in 2013.
I thought that was absurd so I went on old reliable Google and looked up the value of a thousand shilling in 2013 compared to what it is now.
Sure enough, there was an article in the Business Daily that said the purchasing power of Sh1,000 has fallen by nearly half in the past 10 years to Sh548.60.
Of course, they attribute this to a number of factors, including a rise in the cost of goods and services, slow growth in real wages and even economic shocks that have raised the cost of production and of goods.
Let’s not forget the biggest pandemic our generation has ever faced: Covid-19. And there is a war happening in Europe, plus a climate crisis that is causing drought in our very country.
Long story short, we are not making nearly enough money to sustain ourselves, and I don’t know how some of us are still able to keep afloat.
I have been living with my folks since I graduated back in 2019, and I always had it in my plans to move out as soon as I can stand on my own two feet.
My instincts were telling me that I was ready in August, so I made the leap of faith to jump out of the bird's nest and into the world.
I didn’t know that I was being so sheltered from the true state of things in my father’s house.
I mean, I am not a stranger to hard life or anything, but when you don’t have to worry about rent or utility bills, you kind of go through life looking at things with rose-coloured glasses.
The reality is that things are quite bleak out here, and everything is so expensive (Have you seen the prices of toilet paper? My goodness!) I wonder where I can get a second or even a third side hustle.
I guess this is the real reason behind what is now being called Hustle Culture.
Everyone is hooked on work and trying to make the next dollar, and that is probably what will kill most of us.
But is there another choice? It’s either we make more money or we sink either into debts or overdue bills, trying to keep up with the cost of living.
Do you know what they should start teaching in schools? Business or financial management.
That way, more young people can have the skills to start profitable businesses or make good investments when other educational options are not viable.
I am still debating whether I should hold off on my plans and move back home even though I already know what my parents will say.
“It’s only been a month, give it some time and see where it goes.”
