My friends Nick and Trish got me thinking. If you are still earning a salary this month, please consider paying all of your regular service providers.
Of course, you should be paying anybody directly employed by you, who rely on you as their sole source of income. This includes specifically any domestic workers, regardless of whether they’ve actually been able to work or not.
You should definitely be paying people who have been able to shift their services online, even if the service is not quite as good. This includes specifically paying your child’s school fees. But also please reach out to gym instructors, hairdressers, beauticians, dieticians, yoga instructors, tennis coaches, tutors, garden services, pool cleaners, au pairs, drivers, or any other people you might go to regularly. Please pay them for the month. Yes, even though you haven’t used their services, you still budgeted to do so, and you have been paid.
You could go further and make an effort to contact that local restaurant you frequent, and see if you can give them some money. I’m not joking. Ideally even trying to track down some of the waiters too.
Nick said: “What about money saved on your monthly gym fees, fuel bill, and the 2% decrease in the bond rate? If you have been living within your means, you should be seeing money left in your bank account at the end of the month. It's there because other people who have been dependent on it are no longer receiving it.
Now, like no time before, we can afford to be generous.”
This would be genuine “trickle down” economics if we did this. And it would make a massive difference to the real economy if you did.
If you get paid this month, please spread the love around.