You know when you ask me how much money I would need to feel secure I don't really know. Life is unexpected, and the price of living changes so quickly. A few days ago, a rubber or mudu of rice (10 cups measure) cost three thousand five hundred naira, and then yesterday my husband's mother informed me that it had risen to four thousand naira. Here's an example of how quickly things are becoming so expensive, not even year by year anymore, but day by day.
Image is mine
Living comfortably means different things to different people, but for me, it would mean being able to afford the basic necessities without constantly worrying about money. This includes food, housing, healthcare, education, and transportation. But in this day and age, it seems like it's harder and harder to afford these things because the prices keep going up and up.
If I had to put a number on how much I would need to live comfortably, I would say one billion naira. That may seem like a lot but bear with me. But things keep getting more and more expensive and what is a lot of money today may not be tomorrow. Even though one billion naira wouldn’t solve all my problems, it would go a long way in helping me deal with the constant rise in the cost of living.
With that kind of money, I wouldn’t have to worry about how much a bag of rice costs next week or next month. I could hoard, I could get out of debt, I could even save up for future things that I might need, and I wouldn't have to worry about being poor anymore. I could also invest some of it so that even if prices continue to rise, I would have some financial cushion to fall back on.
It’s not just about food either. Housing is another big expense. Rent, or buying a house, it's all soooo much money, and the prices go up every year. Medical care cost more money too, and if you get sick, you could very well be paying hundreds, thousands of dollars in hospital bills. With one billion naira, I wouldn’t have to choose between paying for rent, food, or medical bills; I could afford all these without fear of running out of money.
Education is also important, especially for children. The cost of sending children to school is increasing. Tuition and books and uniforms and that whole school thing is not cheap at all. (which is a billion naira) I would make sure my children got a good education and would never have to worry about paying next semester, semester, semester.
But who knows how much I would need to live comfortably. Prices change too quickly, and life can be unpredictable. But I guess a billion naira would be able to cope with almost anything for a long time. It wouldn’t solve all my problems, but it would give me peace of mind and the ability to live without constantly worrying about money.
I mean its not even a number to say how much I would need to live comfortably, but to be able to afford the rising cost of living, and the unexpected things that life throws at me.
This entry is in response to day 15 of the #octoberinleo prompt dropped by the #inleo community, feel free to participate.