I paid out 25K SGD last week to clear my “debt”.
Story was complicated, but I did not have to pay that “debt”.
- Legally, there was no obligation whatsoever
- Morally, I lost ~100K SGD (4x the debt) because I did not get paid for the work I delivered during Covid, for which my “Creditor” was partially responsible
- Logically, it was not really “debt” because I never received the money promised to me
- Expectation wise, I was sure that my “Creditor“ did not expect me to pay him back
But I paid it anyway.
- First of all, this clears my conscience. I would rather I being the one at loss.
- Secondly, even though I am not rich, I can afford it.
- Thirdly, this might increase my relationship with him and might open further opportunities. This is a big “might” and I am not counting on it.
Of course, I did not do it without major struggle.
- Money is a primary goal for me.
- To accumulate money, I am so frugal on myself and my family that it is not to my liking.
- This money could allow me to buy a lot things that I want, but I am not allowing myself to buy.
Will this be a right decision at the end of the day? I do not know.
But as a principle, I would rather people owe me, than the other way around.
For now, I need to focus on increasing my ability to earn and manage money.