Make Some Change and Give It Away

All across the world, thousands of people are taking part in a movement that acts as an innovative way of sharing wealth amongst society.

Today is 'Free Money Day', a day in which strangers give away two coins or notes with the understanding that the receiver pass on half of what they've been given, encouraging us to look at our relationship with money in a different way. As someone who works in a pub for minimum wage, I've found my finances are quickly becoming a regular headache of mine (particularly after a night out with tequila, wine and rum). This day has come at a good time for me. 

So do we actually need money to be happy? On September 15th, the Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment banks in the world, filed for bankruptcy in 2008, which fuelled the fire for this idea. Of course, it goes without saying that a certain amount would make life easier - enough to cover bills, rent, food and the regular trips to the pub - but beyond a certain point, does excess money make our lives that much happier? Do we obsess over money when we don't have it, or does having a lot of it make us obsess over it even more?

I have always said that if I ever won the lottery I'd give away 90% of my winnings - not because I'm 'noble' or can 'live simply' or any other bullshit egotistical reason that comes to mind - but simply because I wouldn't know what to do with it all. How are you supposed to spend £92million in one lifetime without becoming weird and unrealistic? I'd probably want to make a good impact on things that are important to me (like sloths, I love sloths, and I'd like to buy a pub one day), pay off my friends and family's debt, buy a house, do all the sensible things one's supposed to do. Then I'd do the silly stuff, like throwing lavish parties on a big boat with Greg Wilson and Earth, Wind and Fire as the headline acts and have lashings of champagne and smoked salmon. 

Anyway, Free Money Day is an opportunity for us to spread some joy and be positive in an environment where we are told 'life is tough, making money is hard, working for free is acceptable'. There is no amount too small or big - the gesture is supposed to act as a catalyst for conversation, rather than providing a life-changing sum of money. 

So if you are approached by a stranger offering you money today, don't be a typical cynical Londoner (as seen during 'Wearelucky's attempt to spread some joy), accept the generous gesture, pass on the wealth yourself, and spread some financial joy.

Follow @freemoneyday on Twitter! Or check out their website for more information.

Wearelucky.

When a stranger approaches you on a London street to hand you a thousand pounds in cash for picking up someone else's litter, what would you do?

Last week, a wealthy man did exactly that. His project, called Wearelucky., involves the mystery millionaire himself travelling across the globe, handing out a grand in cash to complete strangers - those he sees doing good deeds, or just because they look interesting. The only catch is to do 'good' with the money.

But when he brought this idea to London, giving away the money seemed more difficult than he first anticipated, where many people were rejecting his money in a distrusting fashion.

Maybe it's due to the fact that London is one of the most densely populated cities in the world (A statistic on an underground poster today stated that there is nearly five thousand people per square kilometre) that Londoners are so sceptical. The many people on the daily commute asking for their hard earned cash, teamed with horror stories of various pickpocketing and street scams, would make even the most gullible think twice about accepting a wad of cash from a complete stranger.

Living in a populated city like London certainly makes you more streetwise and aware of your surroundings, but despite the masses of people we may walk past or sit opposite on the tube every day, if you decide to strike up a conversation with a fellow commuter, you're greeted with a combination of suspicion and mild terror.

Last week, after a lengthy discussion with a friend about such experiences (and the idea of a man approaching strangers with a grand in hand just for good karma), I decided to strike up a conversation with another woman on the train home. A conversation that lasted all of two minutes,  I felt I'd done something nice and personal in what can often be an impersonal town. I never expected this temporary friendship to go any further than the exit of the station, but I was expecting some good karma.

But then things became a little weird. We went our separate ways, only for the woman to chase me down the road to ask for my name so she could add me on Facebook. Her reasoning? She liked my tights. I gave her my name to not appear rude in true English style, went home and immediately changed my privacy settings. Then it hit me - I was just as cynical as those who would not accept the cash from our mystery millionaire, and was swiftly reminded why  people do not make friends on public transport, and how despite the millions of people who live in and around London, it can still be the loneliest place on the planet to some.