The Story So Far
I’ve never had any concept of the value of money. It’s something that has always floated around, but never been necessary. If I wanted to eat out, I ate out; if I wanted to go to the cinema, I went to the cinema; if I wanted to go drinking, I went drinking. I always had something to eat. I always had somewhere to live. Part of this whole “Australia” lark was to get some sense that it meant something. This has taken a while, but I think I’m finally there.
The Prediction
I left Ireland with something in the region of €8,000. I cautiously budgeted that I’d spend €70 a day, which is reasonable if you’re buying petrol, eating in restaurants, and buying anything digital that takes your fancy. Which of course I did. Anyway, factor in €600 overdraft, another €300 cash, and $800 that I earned re-wiring a boat, and the math tells you that I should last almost exactly 135 days, which means that my guess was about right, and that I now have no money.
The Predicament
And so, to the present, where I sit on the balcony of a quiet hostel outside of town, with an empty petrol tank, and all the money I possess; $10.80 made up from loose change I found in the car. I’m planning tomorrow night’s busking, which I need to do to pay for petrol to drive to work the day after. “How did this happen?“, you might ask. Good question.
The Experience
It was probably all the dinners. And breakfasts, lunches and brunches. The ones I bought myself while no one was looking; the ones I bought other people because I like to dine. It might have been the drinks, or all the sunglasses I’ve gone through. Or it might have been the digital camera, the phone, the three sim cards, or the car. Either way, most of it I blew on fun things I simply wanted, and the rest I squandered.
The Situation
So I’m working out in the university to earn some beer tokens before heading east toward surfers’ paradise and the rising sun. The guys with the money have seemingly had some difficulty in organizing a clever way of getting it from their account into mine, and since I haven’t cashed in my pocket full of mumbles yet, it makes sense that now I have nothing but considerable unpaid wages and minor (yet maximum) debts to various financial institutions.
The Solution
Turns out if I want some money I’m going to have to sing for it. Which is ironic, because I think that’s what my dad used to say in a figurative sense. I think I’ve learned something though. Something important. Something about money and how when it really comes down to it, in a situation like this, with all things taken into account and factored in, and taking a broad yet pinpointed view, when all else is… is… I’ve quite lost my train of thought. But I’ve definitely learned something.
