The wealthy never forgot that money is merely a physical stand in for ownership of property. Ultimately, collateral is the end goal, which is why if an economy collapses the wealthy continue to be so until the people physically remove the material wealth from the former social elite. Unfortunately, they have convinced us, the people, that possessing the means to having collateral is the end game. With this, the aristocracy can then withhold and trickle out the finances themselves to the slave class while simultaneously bleeding us of whatever we can hold onto. Again, fees, fines, exorbitant prices, and taxes drain the currency from us, leaving us wanting for the money itself.
However, there is another way to being able to gain some shreds of independence from this slavery. In short, finding a way to own things will free you from traps that the wealthy set to drain us. No, the hyper rich do not need any more cash in their coiffeurs, but they do need you to not have enough to truly own anything. The rampant waste that we see every day in retail stores, restaurants, and government spending is proof enough of that. No, it is the position of ownership, of being the one who doles out the money or receives the rent, that is the true seat of power. Any way we can take that authority away from someone else and return it to the individual is a step toward personal freedom.
This is why the elite fight so hard to maintain the thin veneer of erudition and significance their branding has created for them in a system designed fundamentally around building and maintaining façades. After all, if most people don't need new cars, then what is the actual value of your automotive company? If people are growing their own vegetables, why do they need a grocery store that wastes out produce by the metric ton? You can only artificially inflate your worth so much before faith in your brand starts to fall away. They push their way into everything, making us need them for transportation, food, shelter, etc. and insisting and encroaching upon more of every aspect of our lives every day. However, we can pull back and away from this tactic with some effort, time, and focus. People who don't need whatever you're trying to sell them are unable to be controlled and can focus on what they want to do with themselves.
Unfortunately, it's the want that they use to manipulate the rest of our money out of us. Good marketing is a bitch, isn't it? Separate and serious the fuck up. Now's not the time for leisure. Cut their funds, devalue their businesses by saying no and becoming more self-reliant. Your goal should be to own whatever you have so you are not paying some jackass sitting on a yacht somewhere just to exist. If you have good credit, get land. If you have bad credit, buy a used car and learn to fix it yourself. Don't leave your current apartment for a bigger one, downsize until you can get a mobile home, fix it, and move in. Learn the right ways to buy used and secondhand (NOT THRIFT!) as much as practical so as to keep the money cycling amongst the people. Purchase tools and learn how to use them so you don't end up paying crooked middlemen that would overcharge and take advantage of you. All of these things involve investing in yourself rather than someone else, and that is another truth of ownership: knowledge and stewardship go hand and hand.
Remember: Being scared of doing different things will hinder you from seeing new possibilities and keeps feeding into the loop that the wealthy have set to trap us in. Retain your funds with the express purpose of investing in your own freedom, and learn to identify when someone parading around as a "service" is really part of a network of parasites that have convinced you that they're necessary. You don't want more money, really, because money is just a vehicle to get you what you want in life. Simple analogy - Fishermen fish for fish using a boat. Having a boat isn't the fisherman's goal, but a necessity to get himself his fish. Remember to separate those two things and adjust accordingly.
-∅