Relationship to Money

Similar to how we model our romantic relationships, the way we see the big role models of our lives spend money informs and influences the way we treat it. It's surprising how something so major - the lifeblood of how we function in capitalist society - is something that isn't scrutinized by many people. To take issue with capitalism as a whole is a common practice in lefty/progressive/punk rock circles, but not until we turn that critical eye inwards can we start to free ourselves more and find ourselves to be not only less reliant on exploitive systems, but also feeling healthier about the lasting relationships that we have to it.

So then, where do we start?

Have an open discussion with the people close to you about how you saw your role models spend their money. Think about what they did in times of crisis or surplus. How did they think about treats and luxuries? Did they hoard cash or goods? How did they communicate with the rest of the people close to you about spending money on necessities? Were they secretive? Was money a constant source of stress?

Compare all this with how you function. Are the things that you do with money modelled after these people or do you react against what you see were poor choises? Think critically about the things that you feel guilty spending money on, and the things that make you feel good.

It's a good idea to talk about this stuff with friends from different backgrounds to give yourself perspective.