#GivingBackTuesday

If you have lasted Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Shop Local Saturday, Football Sunday and Cyber Monday you have another way to spend your hard earned money.

#GivingBackTuesday is designed after all that hedonistic wastes of cash you might take a minute to give back to the NGOs who support you each and every day.

Seems this is the time of year when the wallet is deeply dipped into to reward desires and hopefully your conscience.

We all love the smiles on the little one’s faces as they tear into cheap plastic toys that will not wind up in a memory trunk to be passed on to their grandchildren. We also love to revel in a time to indulge in self-abundance, whether we can afford it or not.

So I hear the president is threatening a renowned automaker with its decision to downsize. Now I understand the president is a bit miffed with bellicose posturing and have it not play out.

Which leads me to ‘government subsidies’.

I’m not an economist but I do understand math. If I promise to do a deed for $10 and I complete the deed to your approval, you give me $10. Your deed is done and I’m up $10.

I also understand loans. I want to buy a house but I sure don’t have a gazillion dollar to pay for it. I go to the bank and give them my credit information to plead for cash. The banker looks at the options of will I pay them back or will they assume the house, either way a win and profit makers for the bank. The banker gives me a stack of papers to sign that says I will be indebt with an annual interest rate until I pay off every last penny.

Why would anyone want to do that? Saving enough money to buy a house would take forever. Even if your credit history isn’t that good, the lender can find some way to get your money.

So what about these subsidies? What about incentives?

Seems to be more money to go around to offer businesses and people to entice into agreements with promises of profitability all around. Did you ever thing your last raise was an incentive not to leave work? Businesses looking for a location can just await the bids of offers to sweeten deal.

Handouts, grants, donations, lotteries… no matter the name; it is FREE CASH.

Our problem is with paying-it-back. Again, if I borrow $10 and wait till the end of the month to pay it back, there is an interest charge. Check your fees on any bill.

Where and how you spend your money is up to you. Waste it away in Vegas or saving for your children’s education and hope they don’t drop out after the freshman year. Invest in hedge funds and hope there isn’t a crash (see the Vegas option) or reap the rewards of FREE CASH from the government (thus taxpayer’s money).

My parents gave me some incentives to further my education and an occasional loan (never paid back) but from there on I was on my own. No matter how much money you make, unexpected needs for additional funds will accrue.

It takes most of our lives to adjust our finances to pay for necessities and frivolous purchases, but by this age, if the incoming does not balance the outgoing, you might need some subsidies.

I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.