($) Sold my soul ($)

Businesses exist to make money. This is the cornerstone of capitalism, which – for want of a better system – is what makes the world go round.

So banks will not lend you money for free. Your personal loans, your mortgage, your vehicle finance and your credit cards all cost you money in the form of interest.

Businesses who want to give you loans or open accounts for you are not doing it out of love. They are not your friends. You are too intelligent to fall for their tactics. So don’t.

And don’t fall for discounts. This includes Black Friday, emailed discount deals, and most store specials. If you were already planning to buy something, and you find it discounted, go ahead and buy it. An even better plan would be to deliberately wait until whatever it is goes on sale.

But if you were NOT already planning to buy something, the fact that it is on special means nothing to you. It will become an extra expense – costing you money – instead of saving you money by being discounted.

Ignore marketing and advertising. These people are paid to take cash from your pocket. Those sparkling images and pretty colours are evil. Close your eyes. Cover your ears. Don’t listen to the subliminal voices whispering at the back of your mind. You don’t need everything they say you do.

($)

Stop living from salary to salary. Achieve Financial Independence. Retire Early. Join the FIRE movement igniting the world.

Follow these weekly posts for solid advice on how to escape the rat race, covering material contained in Hard Money.

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. It won’t be easy. That’s why it’s called Hard Money.

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Then live like they dream.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

www.amazon.com/author/burning

♠ 8 seconds ♠

He tried to shake the woman’s words from his head. He had a certain prowess with middle-aged women when he was in his late teens. Had he? It couldn’t be ruled out.

“Hey, lover boy! Get your head back in the game.” Noecker nodded, and Justin tossed him an assault rifle.

“Catch, old man.”

Connor caught.

“You remember how to use one?”

It wasn’t a question. It was an insult. How many innocent civilians had Connor been forced to take out with similar guns?

“I remember well enough to blow both your faces off,” he snarled at them.

“You followed my orders, so you blame me. I was following someone else’s orders. Don’t you want to get to the source of the shitty orders? You’ll be able to kill plenty of others first.”

Connor mulled it over. Noecker had access to the higher ranks. The people with true power. Eight years was a long time to stew on who was really behind the civilian massacres in the first years of the lockdown.

“Okay, I’m in,” he confirmed. “Where are we going?”

“Lanseria airport.”

“Why didn’t we just land there, instead of here?”

The four veterans turned as one to glare at Gertie. She got the message.

“Right.” Noecker was about to issue another set of instructions. Maybe it had been too long since he’d had to follow any, or maybe he’d just had enough for the day, but Connor wasn’t yet in the mood.

“No. The heat is off. I want answers.”

Now the other four turned to glare at him. He glared back. Francina was the first to lower her eyes.

“He’s right. It’s been too long.”

⛥

Read Big Day Out in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud at www.bit.ly/FreeBurning. Or read them on Kindle Unlimited.

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

⛥

For a different experience, listen to these weekly episodes as Spotify podcasts, Apple podcasts, or Google podcasts.

⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at No.1 on Amazon. Find all the above details and links at www.amazon.com/author/burning.

In case you missed the link while listening to the podcast, that’s www.amazon.com/author/burning.

⛥

Cheers.

($) Money for nothing ($)

Who cleans your house? Who washes your clothes? Mows your lawn? Washes your car? Cleans your pool?

Don’t hire home help just because the neighbours do. If you’re really working so hard making money that you don’t have the time to clean up after yourself – like, really – then carry on paying for help. As long as you keep in mind that the harder you work – in the office or at home – the more money you will save.

Run the same calculation as before. How much does it cost to have someone pick up your dirty socks 3 times a week? Over 20 years? Then double that amount.

Stop being a slob. Wash your own dishes.

If you have kids, teach them responsibility. Make it their problem. They won’t break. Honest.

You don’t need the latest iPhone as soon as it’s released. I guarantee you. No matter who you are.

Clothing accounts? How many shoes do you need? Don’t wear your clothes till they fall apart, but you don’t need to shop for clothes every month. Close those accounts. Pay cash when you do need to shop.

Same goes for your other store accounts. Pay off the debt – even the interest free accounts – and go forward paying cash. Take back control of your finances. You’ll now know how much you have and how much you can spend.

Use those store loyalty points monthly. Don’t wait till they build up to a huge number. It won’t make you any wealthier, and they could expire.

($)

Stop living from salary to salary. Achieve Financial Independence. Retire Early. Join the FIRE movement igniting the world.

Follow these weekly posts for solid advice on how to escape the rat race, covering material contained in Hard Money.

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. It won’t be easy. That’s why it’s called Hard Money.

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Then live like they dream.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

www.amazon.com/author/burning

♠ Strangers in the night ♠

The helicopter touched down in an industrial estate.

“Out!” Noecker barked.

Connor slid open the door and jumped to the ground. Agnetha remained seated. As the other women descended, Noecker opened the pilot’s door.

“You’re sure we weren’t followed?”

“No, sir,” the pilot confirmed.

“Take Agnetha to the Southern facility, got it?”

The pilot confirmed and was about to get airborne again when Agnetha screeched. “Wait!”

She beckoned with her finger to Connor. “Come here, sonny.”

Connor reluctantly put his head back inside the chopper and looked the old woman in the eyes. Wild crazy eyes.

“I know you, Connor, sometimes called Connaught. I see your soul. I know the answers to your questions, and if you live long enough, we may meet again and you can ask me directly.”

The eyes seemed to pierce his very essence. He felt violated, and not in a good way.

“Don’t you know if we’ll meet again, you old fraud?” Connor tried to be bullish, but his voice wavered.

Agnetha leant closer to Connor. He could feel her breath on his face. “Of course I do, but where’s the fun in telling you?”

“Fuck you.” Connor peeled back away from the old woman and shook his head.

“Maybe we will, one day,” she taunted. “Maybe we already have?” She cackled and slapped the seat in front of her. “Come, let’s go.”

Connor stepped back, slammed the door shut and watched the chopper take off and disappear into the black of the night.

⛥

Read Big Day Out in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud at www.bit.ly/FreeBurning. Or read them on Kindle Unlimited.

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

⛥

For a different experience, listen to these weekly episodes as Spotify podcasts, Apple podcasts, or Google podcasts.

⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at No.1 on Amazon. Find all the above details and links at www.amazon.com/author/burning.

In case you missed the link while listening to the podcast, that’s www.amazon.com/author/burning.

⛥

Cheers.

($) Numbers of the beast ($)

You do the math. The price of your daily cappuccino, times 4 (assuming you miss the odd day), times 40 (weeks), times 5 (years – conservatively). Or use 20 years instead of 5, to get an idea of how these small daily habits can add up over a lifetime.

That total should equate to a new small car. Paid cash.

And that’s before we look at compounding. Over 20 years, let’s be conservative and double that amount. Wow. Two cars. Or maybe even that Porsche you had your eye on.

Would it kill you to wait till you reached the office before you grabbed a cup? Or, if that’s likely to result in a trail of dead bodies between your home and the office, make a cup at home and take it with you.

Try the same calculation with that McDonalds burger you grab every day for lunch. Compare it to the cost of a sandwich made at home, or (heaven forbid) a fresh salad.

Run the same calculation with any of your other regular habits. Smoking. Drinking. Chocolate bars. Newspapers. Magazines.

Does it hurt yet?

Welcome to financial responsibility 101.

Groucho Marx nailed it when he said that money will not make you happy, and happy will not make you money.

($)

Stop living from salary to salary. Achieve Financial Independence. Retire Early. Join the FIRE movement igniting the world.

Follow these weekly posts for solid advice on how to escape the rat race, covering material contained in Hard Money.

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. It won’t be easy. That’s why it’s called Hard Money.

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Then live like they dream.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

www.amazon.com/author/burning

♠ It’s a raid ♠

“I haven’t lost this many operatives since we shut down that concert in the early days of lockdown.” He nudged Connor. “You remember that one? Just you and me left standing at the end of it.”

Connor remembered. “Who would have guessed Post Malone fans would put up that kind of a fight?”

Noecker laughed. It was even worse than the smile. “And the way we snuck you in… to check it out… with all those scribbles on your face… so you could blend in…”

Connor revisited his mental notes. Maybe drop the old man out the helicopter…

Visions of Noecker’s twisted bloody remains splattered across a street or impaled on a lamppost disappeared with the noise and wind that announced the chopper’s arrival.

Noecker, true to his word, left Connor to last. He sat next to the old man and shut the door as the chopper took off.

“Where did you get a military helicopter?” Connor shouted over the noise from the engine.

“From the military,” came the reply, that under different circumstances would have earned Noecker a punch in the nose.

Connor looked out the window, but the dark of the night made it nearly impossible to pick out any landmarks.

“Where are we going?” he yelled at Noecker.

There was no reply. Connor was left alone with his thoughts. Punching Noecker being chief amongst them. But also, why was his former enemy with his ex-girlfriend? If she didn’t deliver the letter then who in the hell did?

⛥

Read Big Day Out in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud at www.bit.ly/FreeBurning. Or read them on Kindle Unlimited.

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

⛥

For a different experience, listen to these weekly episodes as Spotify podcasts, Apple podcasts, or Google podcasts.

⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at No.1 on Amazon. Find all the above details and links at www.amazon.com/author/burning.

In case you missed the link while listening to the podcast, that’s www.amazon.com/author/burning.

⛥

Cheers.

($) Bad reputation ($)

Ever wonder why Nicolas Cage works so hard?

He has earned more than $150 million during his career, and reputedly made $40 million in 2009 alone. But at one point he owed $14 million in back taxes, which he vowed to pay back in full. Hence his busy schedule.

Don’t be like Nicolas Cage.

When it comes to building wealth, decreasing your expenses is as important as prioritizing savings and having the right attitude.

Think of it as retirement planning. All retirees want their overheads to be as low as possible. You won’t have to keep earning more and more to pay the bills. You may even be able to retire early.

Decreased expenses = lower overheads = more financial freedom.

Some cuts are small and (arguably, but really) easy to make. Morning coffee. Bank charges.

Others are big and hard, but potentially worthwhile. Selling the existing holiday home? A tough decision, but one that will pay off over the long term.

Some changes will be made as part of your new attitude. Skipping the annual cruise? Work out how much this money will have grown by the time you retire, and the decision becomes easier to make.

Do you love your Starbucks coffee in the morning? How much do you love it? Enough to give up your financial independence?

($)

Stop living from salary to salary. Achieve Financial Independence. Retire Early. Join the FIRE movement igniting the world.

Follow these weekly posts for solid advice on how to escape the rat race, covering material contained in Hard Money.

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. It won’t be easy. That’s why it’s called Hard Money.

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Then live like they dream.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

www.amazon.com/author/burning

♠ Come fly with me ♠

Then they were on the rooftop, with lots of hugging and mumbling and female fingers pointing in his direction and nodding and shaking of heads.

“You bringing in a chopper?”

Noecker scanned the horizon before he replied, eyes narrowed against the night air. “Can’t you tell what’s going to happen, sonny?” The old man almost smiled for the first time.

Connor almost smiled back. Battle fatigue. It must be. “Didn’t think you’d buy into that kind of thing.”

Noecker pointed across town at a flyspeck growing gradually larger. “I just do what I’m told. And I use what works. I don’t need to understand the laws of thermodynamics to call in a chopper.”

“Aerodynamics.”

“What?”

“Choppers use aerodynamics.”

Now Noecker did smile, tobacco-stained teeth making Connor wish he hadn’t bothered. “Then that’s two laws I don’t need to understand.”

He turned to the group huddled on the roof. “Ladies. Justin. Our ride is approaching. When they get here, we need to climb aboard quickly, with no fuss. Gertie, you’ll go first. Grab the first seat you see. Frankie, you’re next, with Agnetha.”

Connor spat. ‘Frankie’?

“Then Justin & me.” Noecker spat too. “If there’s any room left, my old black sheep here can squeeze in with us.”

Connor spat again, but realized it wasn’t as effective this time. “I’ll sit on your lap if I have to, you old buzzard.”

The last words were drowned out by an explosion from the street below. Justin moved to the edge of the rooftop. “Cop car. Probably booby-trapped.”

⛥

Read Big Day Out in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud at www.bit.ly/FreeBurning. Or read them on Kindle Unlimited.

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

⛥

For a different experience, listen to these weekly episodes as Spotify podcasts, Apple podcasts, or Google podcasts.

⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at No.1 on Amazon. Find all the above details and links at www.amazon.com/author/burning.

In case you missed the link while listening to the podcast, that’s www.amazon.com/author/burning.

⛥

Cheers.

($) Breaking the lawyers ($)

I’m not saying you should resign at the drop of a hat whenever things don’t go your way. But if you’re pouring your heart and soul into your work, day after day, doing everything right, and it’s still not working, then eventually you will have to consider doing the same thing somewhere else.

Let’s see… How else can I complicate your life?

If you get the chance – and you can make the time – study.

Remember not to take on too much. You might not use half of what you study. You may already know everything you need to know about your job. But that piece of paper can open doors and provide opportunities.

Full-time study will keep you from earning, and isn’t for everyone. Consider studying part-time, while you’re working. But first decide whether you can actually complete the course. Half a diploma is like being half-pregnant. It means nothing to anyone. The mere fact that you have the discipline to study while working will already impress potential employers.

Make sure your studies are meaningful and practical. There was a time when it seemed the only thing lawyers learned in college was how to ask if you wanted fries with that. Come to think of it, that’s still the most useful phrase I’ve ever heard come out of a lawyer’s mouth…

($)

Stop living from salary to salary. Achieve Financial Independence. Retire Early. Join the FIRE movement igniting the world.

Follow these weekly posts for solid advice on how to escape the rat race, covering material contained in Hard Money.

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. It won’t be easy. That’s why it’s called Hard Money.

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Then live like they dream.

Anyone in Johannesburg who would like a signed copy (of any of my books) can have one delivered to their door by Big Bad Wolf Motorcycle Maniac Deliveries. No charge for delivery.

Or have them delivered anywhere in South Africa via Bakgat Books. https://bakgatbooks.co.za/all-stores/burning-books/

www.amazon.com/author/burning