($) Safe as houses ($)

Assets – liabilities = net wealth.

You need to know if you’re moving in the right direction, or if you’re going backwards. Maybe you’re just treading water, and not moving in either direction.

You won’t know unless you measure it.

Companies do this on a regular basis. One report shows how much profit or loss they made during a period. Another report shows their net asset position.

Their net wealth.

$

You can use one of the online tools discussed in the previous chapter. Or you can use a spreadsheet, or even an old-fashioned notebook and a pen.

List your house, car and jewellery at cost price. The car will decrease in value over time, but don’t worry about that yet. Your big screen TV and sound system are not real assets for this exercise. Sorry.

Then list your bank accounts and investments (once you have some), showing current balances at the end of the month. Everything listed so far is an asset.

Under those amounts, list all your debt, showing current balances at the same date.

Total both groups of numbers. Subtract your total debt from your total assets. The net result is your net wealth.

($)

Join me at the last book fair for 2022, on 3/12/22 (this Saturday) in Edenvale.

I’ll be selling my books, Shorty’s 2 books of poetry, and some Marvel/DC/other graphic novels.

www.facebook.com/BurningRosesNovel/events

($)

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, or Shorty’s Poems) 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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.

www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.

www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

♠ The first cut is the deepest ♠

Noecker finished his beer and belched loudly. “We have to put an end to this. Do you remember Commander Acton?”

“Nasty piece of work. Made you look like a kitten. Didn’t he get killed by a mortar?”

Noecker shook his head. “Severe reconstructive surgery on his left side. He’s now in charge of the whole South African military and police. He’s carrying out atrocities that make what we did look like a picnic in the park.”

Connor cracked open another bottle and passed one to Noecker.

“Rumour is that he’s influencing the president. Almost making policy himself.”

“I always thought he had a small dick,” Connor spat.

“Have you two quite finished your little bromance party?” Francina barged in. “Here. Catch.”

“Bolt cutters?” Noecker spilt his drink. “Where did you get these from?”

“While you two were getting jiggy with it, I went next door. Turns out there’s quite a tool collection. They’ll come in handy. Now, remember the plan. Knock out the anti-aircraft gun, steal the plane, get to the Western Cape.”

“Oh yes, free the people, save the world. Live happily ever after.” Noecker stood up.

“Or die trying,” Connor added.

“Well, what have you got to live for?” snapped Francina.

“Masturbating and brandydrink. I thought we already established that.”

Francina snatched the bolt cutters back and jabbed them in Connor’s crotch. “You’ll have less than that if I cut your cock off. Now come on, let’s go steal a plane.”

⛥

Catch me at the last book fair for 2022, on 3/12/22 in Edenvale.

I’ll be selling my books, Shorty’s books, and some Marvel/DC/other graphic novels.

www.facebook.com/BurningRosesNovel/events

⛥

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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.
www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.
www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

⛥

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.

($) Happy Turkey Day ($)

Identify the problem. What can’t be cut? If you are tied into contracts that you simply can’t afford – possibly reckless lending on the part of your creditors – then it might be time to call for professional help. Consider debt counselling, where an expert will look at your finances and help you restructure where possible, in consultation with your creditors. This will cost you money and might not be as comfortable as doing it yourself using the pointers set out above. But it might be the only way to get you to the point where your income can cover your expenses.

As a last resort, you may have to consider declaring bankruptcy. This means that your debt will be wiped out, after you pay off as much as you can afford, and you get to start again. Except that you may have trouble buying on credit for a while, and any assets you had could be repossessed or sold to repay as much debt as possible. This is not the ideal solution, but sometimes it’s the only solution. Try to avoid it, but don’t panic if it happens. You’ll be in good company.

Abraham Lincoln filed for bankruptcy twice. But under the laws of the time, he was taken to court and had to carry on repaying his debts for years.

Despite this, we could probably use a few more people like Abraham Lincoln.

($)

Join me at the last book fair for 2022, on 3/12/22 in Edenvale.

I’ll be selling my books, Shorty’s books, and some Marvel/DC/other graphic novels.

www.facebook.com/BurningRosesNovel/events

($)

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, or Shorty’s Poems) 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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.

www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.

www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

♠ Cockroach ♠

Room-temperature beer had never tasted so good. Connor made a mental note of the location of the warehouse, in case he ever found himself in this part of the world again. His suspicion was that he would be a frequent visitor.

“Cheers.” Noecker held his bottle out to Connor.

Connor obligingly clinked the neck of the bottle, sat back on an empty pallet and took a long pull on his beer.

“You’re a total and utter prick, you know that Noecker?”

“Shut up and put a couple of steaks on the braai.”

“Normality would be a welcome change.”

“I was only following orders, you know that.”

“The orders were shit. I couldn’t shoot innocent civilians. How can you live with yourself after giving those orders?”

“You think I sleep at night?” Noecker picked at the label with his thumbnail. “I still see them. The bodies. That’s why I’m with the Drop now. Trying to make amends. Stand up for the people. Stand against this government.”

“Better late than never. Why did it take you so long?”

“Duty.” Noecker swallowed heavily. “And I’ve been feeding military information to the Drop. Don’t pretend you were following some noble cause in lockdown. You’d still be slugging brandydrink and masturbating if we hadn’t come calling.”

“Come smashing my gate down, more like. Why didn’t you ring the doorbell like normal people?”

“Thought you might turn me down.” Noecker almost smiled. “And it was good to see you hadn’t lost your instinct for survival.”

“Like a cockroach. You taught me well.” Connor drained the dregs of his Castle.

⛥

Catch me at the last book fair for 2022, on 3/12/22 in Edenvale.

http://www.facebook.com/BurningRosesNovel/events

⛥

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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.
www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.
www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

⛥

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.

($) Love can’t buy you money ($)

So far, this has been a theoretical exercise. Now we need to test it against reality.

Next month, compare your actual expenses against your budget. Did you manage to reduce and control your spending in the real world?

If so, well done.

If not – what went wrong? Was your budget unrealistic? You’re sure? Being brutally honest with yourself? Okay, it’s your budget. Adjust it. Then look at the new totals. Are your total expenses still less than your total income? Can you live with these numbers?

If so, well done. Carry on. Compare again in a month. And the month after that. And for as long as it takes for you to be confident that your spending is under control.

If not, we both know that you still have a problem. If, after all of these calculations, your total monthly expenses are still higher than your total income – you need to take drastic action.

Can you earn extra income? If you can find a part-time job (or a better permanent job) that increases your income above your expenses, that will solve your immediate problem. It might, for example, allow you to pay off old debts, putting you back on track to cover your normal monthly expenses.

But you still need to focus on those expenses.

($)

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, or Shorty’s Poems) 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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.

www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.

www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

♠ Highway to hangovers ♠

By this time, Connor had opened one of the large steel doors. It was dark inside. He slipped a knife from his pocket and entered at a cautious crouch. He sensed Noecker moving in behind him, crossing the floor to take up position on the other side of the open blackness.

They both paused, senses straining to pick up any signs of life or imminent death. The only thing Connor could see was a tiny glint of reflected moonlight, dead ahead. Shoulder height. Could be a pair of eyes. Or polished steel.

Francina moved behind them and he caught another glint as the moonbeams spread across the room. This one was off to his left. He glanced across, and knew that Noecker had seen it too. The old man moved, surprisingly quick for an old fart, his arm whipping forward to release what Connor knew would be his trademark Bowie knife. It hit with a shattering of glass.

Then Francina found the light switch and Connor had to blink repeatedly while his hypersensitive retinas adjusted back to normal levels. Even half-blind, there was no mistaking the sight before them. Or the unmistakable scent that now flooded the room.

“Well done, you old coot. You just killed a six-pack.”

So this was where SAB had stashed the millions of litres of beer they weren’t allowed to sell. All those rumours, horror stories of beer poured down drains while the nation was forbidden to buy, make or even drink any kind of alcohol…

Connor tossed a Castle quart to Noecker. The old man caught it lovingly in both hands.

“Cheers.”

Francina tapped her foot in the doorway. “We don’t have time for –”

But the rest of her words were drowned out as Connor popped the cap and delighted in a sound and a taste he’d never expected to experience again this side of heaven.

⛥

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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.
www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.
www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

⛥

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.

($) Money, money, money ($)

Look critically at each expense. Is it essential? Phone around. Get comparative quotes. Are you buying expensive ready-prepared food when you could be cooking your own meals?

Can you save on insurance? Is your car guzzling gas? Have the kids moved out, leaving you with a larger house than you need?

As mentioned previously, some of these are easier to change than others. But they all need to be questioned.

Cut where you can immediately. Put a plan in place to reduce the trickier expenses at an actual later date. Not “when you get around to it.” Make a date with yourself now. Diarize it.

Have another look at the new budget. Are your expenses now less than they were? Less than your monthly income, if they weren’t before?

If so, well done.

If not – keep going.

It is essential that you reduce your expenses. Initially, to an amount that’s less than your income. At this point, you are breaking even. Then you need to keep widening the gap between income and expenses, till the expenses are as small as you can live with.

($)

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, or Shorty’s Poems) 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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.

www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.

www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

♠ Walk ♠

“Ha ha! Hear that, boy? I’m –”

“That’s NOT what I said.” Francina glared at Noecker first, then Connor. “Look. This is uncomfortable enough. OK? Let’s focus on the mission. Whatever the hell that is now. Can we do that?” She glared again with that look only women have, that makes grown men feel like naughty little boys. “Can we save the world one more time before we kill one another?”

Connor started walking. “Let’s do it.” He had no particular destination in mind. He just needed to move. The more trouble that took them into, the better.

Beside him, rearranging his remaining equipment, Noecker muttered under his breath. “Dick.”

Connor grinned. “Stinking old fart.”

By sheer coincidence, they were heading towards the main gate. No guards visible, but it was a solid structure, topped with razor wire and spikes. Probably still electrified, unless Eskom’s recurring power outages had blown the motors.

Connor scanned the surrounding buildings. He couldn’t see any vehicles or weapons, or anything else remotely useful. But that was because the buildings were still secure.

“Wait a minute.” He changed course and headed towards the nearest warehouse. The bargain-basement padlocks didn’t slow him down. An entire industrial estate, still secure after all these years, and nobody had thought to check the buildings?

Francina hadn’t deviated from their original path towards the gate. “Which part of ‘saving the world’ was unclear?”

 Noecker surprised Connor by responding on his behalf. “The bastard’s right, for once. Justin was in charge of our transport from here, so we’ve got no ride and no weapons. Let’s see what we can scavenge.”

⛥

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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.
www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.
www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q

⛥

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.

($) Cuts like a knife ($)

This part is important. If you don’t know where your money goes, it will be that much harder to hold onto it.

The online tools are there. Many of them are free. All you need to do is choose to use them. Consistently. They may even suggest ways you can cut costs or earn more interest.

But remember – they are only tools. They can’t force you to save. To focus. To adjust your attitude towards money. That remains firmly in your hands.

Whether you use an online tool, a spreadsheet, or pen and paper, you will now have a list showing your net income, what you take home after deductions, then your monthly expenses underneath. Include all monthly payments – store accounts, loan repayments, and car payments. Use averages for expenses that fluctuate.

If your income is more than your monthly expenses, well done. You are on the right track. But you could still be doing better.

If your expenses are more than your monthly income, you know you have a problem. Maybe that’s why you bought this book.

Okay, so let’s see what we can do about it.

Whether your income is higher or your expenses are higher, you still need to run through those expenses on a regular basis and cut where you can. That’s right, even if your income is already covering them.

Why? Because you could still be throwing money away every month.

($)

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, or Shorty’s Poems) 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/

Also available in Edenvale from Inner Journeys bookstore.

www.facebook.com/InnerJourneysdnr

Or from Profound Books in Bramley.

www.facebook.com/Profoundbooks

And they’ll always be available on Amazon.

www.amazon.com/author/burning

www.amazon.co.uk/John-West/e/B072833D7Q