Dependants strain one's personal finance - any way out?

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A1.jpgEdited from Pixabay

To begin with, if you have no one that looks up to you for their financial needs, you are massively fortunate. Depending on your age and position in the family, it is likely that someone is feeding, clothing or being housed off your income.

In my part of the world (Africa, precisely Nigeria), adult children are naturally expected to take care of their younger ones and aging/aged parents. It simply means your income is expected to be large enough to take care of recurring expenses like buying foodstuffs, medicine, clothing, paying house rent and other financial obligations.

While it is considered a privilege to care for one's parents and younger ones, it is equally a huge mountain to climb. This is especially challenging if you live in a place where the economy is struggling, there are no jobs and there is sky-rocketing inflation.

First of all, we need to appreciate those carrying the financial load of others..

Because it is one of the hardest things to do. I am the second child of 7 children born to my parents. My eldest sister is married with kids. Right now at home, am I taking care of the last two girls, together with my parents. The bills to clear everyday and week sometimes makes one feel like hiding from it all. This is my personal experience and many people are in my shoes. That is why I want to say a big thank you to everyone carrying the financial loads of other family members. They deserve the praise.

While they do an important work to take care of others financially, people with many dependants often find themselves struggling under the load. They have to think about the personal needs of their dependants, before thinking about their own. Many problems arise as a result of the pressure to live up to some financial obligations. For example, it becomes very difficult to have savings. Its all too easy to enter into debt as someone with dependants. We can talk about the psychological effects of not being able to live up to those financial demands. Some thing could be done to assist those in this situation and ease their loads. After all...

..Caregivers need care

True, those bearing the financial loads of others might be dying in silence. Some of them seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. While they do not want to let down parents or siblings that look up to them, they are almost being buried under this financial load. So what could be done to give care to caregivers?

Dependants can come to the rescue!

If you are a dependent, you could personally think of how to be of assistance to your financial caregiver. Its up to you to be considerate human. After all, do you want your caregiver to become depressed, fall sick or even suffer other bigger damage? Here is how to be a responsible depandant:

  • Avoid being wasteful: Does it matter how you use stuffs since you are not the one spending? Of course it should. Someone is sweating or working off their ass for you to have some foodstuffs, watch cable TV, wear a good cloth or even eat from a breakable plate. So its a matter of human feeling and showing common sense not to throw away stuffs at wish.

Be careful not to break stuffs. Do not waste food, energy or some other important commodities. If you are conservative, your caregiver would not be spending money over your carelessness. To be taken care of by someone is an opportunity and not a right. When you carefully use whatever is provided, the caregiver can save something extra because they are not repeat-spending on things that have been wasted.

Personally, I get mad when I see wasted fruits or other stuffs I bought. My family knows that and they have been cooperative enough to not allow anything waste. Thats helps a lot.

  • Could you forgo some demands: You can let some things go for some time in order to help you caregiver. Not that you do not need those things, but you are being considerate. My parents love chicken a lot and I make sure they eat it at least one in a week. Of course they know its expensive meat. Out of consideration, they sometimes instruct me not to buy for a particular week, and instead go for pork. Pork is much cheaper than chicken and they still enjoy it. In this way, they help me save some extra money that would otherwise go into buying chicken.

So as a dependant, you could ask for things that are less costly. Sometimes, you could even forgo some leisure. In this way, the caregiver will have a little breathing space that period. It helps reduce financial stress on their side.

  • Be creative: Creativity here involves thinking of other ways to do something, instead of spending on it. For example, I spend so much money on cooking gas. I refill every 2 weeks. So that has not been so easy, although I never complained to anyone. Out of consideration and since we are staying in our own property, my mother sometimes use firewood to augment the cooking gas, thereby extending the refill period to 3 weeks or more. This is just an example.

So think of ways to get creative and use one thing for another. You could get into small DIYS projects, so your caregiver does not spend on every single thing. If you have a small space, you could plant a garden. That way, you have some vegetable or even fruits. Those things wont be bought in the market. My mum recently started a small poultry farm so we could occasionally raise our own chicken meat. These are examples of how to get creative. Its a thing of the mind - creativity. But is does help when you can fix things by yourself instead of having to buy them all.

  • Occasionally pay your bills: Yes you can, especially if you are a parent. You probably have small money you saved. Or perhaps, you have something you could do to make little money. It gives joy to see that a parent or even an adolescent sibling has already taken care of a financial need. As a caregiver, I feel so much happy.

So I encourage dependants not to become unnecessary additional load to their caregivers. Give them a break sometimes by sorting your finances yourself. Its a big way to motivate your caregiver and let them know you truly care. Save something when you can, raise money from elsewhere if possible, and solve a financial problem - even if its taking care of yourself. That way, you reduce the load for the caregiver at that time. They surely will appreciate such gesture.

Caregivers have a life to live

I sometimes remind my people that I will settle down one day and it wont be so easy for all of us. Its not to scare them away or put them under any sort of pressure. I will always take care of them. Its an honor. But the idea is to make them appreciate doing anything they could do now, to ease the load on me.

Caregivers like me appreciate all the good things of life. They want to be free from financial worries. They want a holiday, to have fun and really feel free. Understanding that we are humans will go a long way in making dependants appreciate the role they can and should play to help us have a better financial life.

Once again, I thank everyone that is taking care of someone else. If everyone in the circle cooperates, both caregivers and dependants will team up to ease the financial strain that most caregivers battle alone.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta



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15 comments
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I can testify to how caring you are to your family. You're truly a caregiver. Keep it up.

Am just thinking about this👇

This is my personal experience and many people are in my shoes

Do you know that am included? Hahaha 🤣😂, sorry naa. Meanwhile, are you not my brother?

The weightier responsibility on your shoulder can't be overly emphasized. One day, we gonna be independent of you.

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Our family deserve the best, so we keep on trying. Taking care of one's parents is a form of sacred service.

Happy to be of small assistance to you. And thank you for helping your family too. We keep on doing our best

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For sure, it's our onus to take proper care of our parents. It's a great privilege followed by mighty blessings.

Am happy to know and to have a big brother like you.

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Sure, the almighty blesses such efforts. So we are doing it without letup. Lets do more!!!

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Yeeeeeh, am solidly behind you. I will keep on doing my best now and as long as I live

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This is a very serious problem in our society of today , so many people will never experienced a true financial freedom because of too many people are depending on them.

And the present economy situation is not helping at all.

In addition to your solution, dependants especially the young ones should learn how to earn money legitimately, no matter how little it will help the care givers.

I remember then i had to find ways to do little jobs, so that i can earn little money to support myself hereby supporting by parents.

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Its a big problem. And sometimes, caregivers reluctantly die in silence because they cannot let many people down. But we can be kind to them and help them.

Yes, younger ones shod assist older adults with the load. Little skills here and there will help to at least take care of their own expenses.

Btw, how was your day? Thanks for dropping by.

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You are absolutely right.

My day has been great, currently singing Jr night songs so that he can sleep and I will be able to hive around a bit more tonight.

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Hahahaha. To be a mother is not a days job. Welldone. It wont be long before he grows and start sleeping by himself.

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You can say that again !lol

Thank you very much🙏😅

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Welcome. Have a great night rest

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Hmm fixing bills for everyone is really not an easy tax most especially now that things are very expensive in market so that why I decided to learn hand work ooo so I can easy the load from my parents small by getting small income when ever I have work to do .

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