what? i can't afford that!

I hear this all the time.

What does it really mean?

Personally, on one plane of existence, I cannot afford anything.

I have no substantial amount of real money. 

My house is mortgaged. My truck is financed through next year. I buy much through credit cards and carry the balance forward, for months and years. My bank account is not overflowing by any means.

Really, I own nothing and most all I purchase is beholden to various financial institutions and creditors.

So, I cannot afford anything.

Or can I?

Of course, groceries, consumables, clothing, treats that make life simpler and/or more enjoyable are purchased/acquired at regular intervals. My fridges, freezers, pantry, cold room, and cupboards are stocked. My closet and dressing stand are full. I have more than one pair of footwear. I have jackets and coats for all kinds of weather and occasions. I have two western hats. I have a boatload of camping and outdoor gear and continually acquire more.

Ah, I continually acquire more stuff for the bush. Do I need it? Maybe not. Yet, how do I buy it if I have no money of my own?

Well, I chose what to acquire and purchase through my credit and meagre earnings.

I choose what I can afford.

This past spring, I "needed" a new mobile phone, and, I got one. Being a cheapskate, I decided I could not afford the cost of one though, but I decided it needed to be replaced. Luckily it cost me almost nothing. Otherwise, I would still be losing my mind with the last one. In the end I could "afford" it.

Of course, we need to eat and clothe ourselves. So, we choose to afford that. Do I buy filet mignon? No, I cannot afford that. I buy the ones that have discount stickers on them. It often costs less than $4.00/lb ($8.82/kg). That, is now a very good price for any cut of meat or poultry. I remember not too long ago when I would never pay that. More than $1.00/lb for chicken was outrageous, $2.00/lb for pork ridiculous. I was buying "good" steaks for less than $4.00/lb.

My/our perceptions of affordability change. Often out of necessity.

Yet, when someone says I cannot pay someone X to do Y, but I can afford X-Z, who are we kidding? You may have an iPhone 7 that cost $900. Did you really need to get that phone? You can buy a mobile phone for as little as $40.

The wife and I choose to afford to have the boy in Scouts. I can teach him everything the Scout program has to offer myself, without fees, dues, etc. 

We choose to afford the boy's Medieval Martial Arts training. We could just have him beat the crap out of stuff out back with toy lightsabers and sticks, but obviously with far less skill.

We choose to afford the boy's swimming lessons, even though he already knows enough not to drown.

We choose not to afford to pay someone to clean our home. We clean it ourselves, albeit far too infrequently, instead of nickeling-and-diming someone over the cost.

If we feel we need to purchase something that we cannot afford, we take steps to afford it. Like not buying a $900 phone in order to afford to repair a broken down stove. We choose not to buy luxury food items so we can afford food that is more nutritious and more plentiful.

Of course there are people who cannot truly afford much. Many struggle to pay their mortgage or rent, utilities, enough groceries for themselves and their families. These souls generally are very good with their money and any hiccough in their lives can put them in a financial tailspin. Sadly, many people do not understand that there are those that have lives where they must choose to put food on the table or clothe their children at the sacrifice to replace their own worn out life necessaries.

I have known several people with such a financial situation. I myself have had periods in my life where I needed to decide how I was going to pay for a necessity and what would be sacrificed. No, I never had it so bad that I could not buy groceries or had to wear shoes that were well past their serviceable lifespan or freeze in winter for want of a coat, but I have an inkling of what it can be like to make those so very hard choices of what to go without in order to not be evicted or be able to eat for one more week.

So, next time you say you cannot afford those lessons for your kid while you are checking your facebook account on your $900 phone, or you are looking at vacation packages and wishing you could afford the private cabana instead of the regular room, shake your head and think about it. There are people not thinking about what to have for lunch, but if they can truly buy any groceries in order to have a PBJ sandwich.

The question is not: "What did you have for lunch today?", but "Can you have lunch today?" blbbl