Money Is Funny

Until a dollar isn't a dollar, then it's scary AF

Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash

The funny thing about money is that you don’t think about it too much when you have enough to meet your basic needs and spoil yourself now and then.

But I’m not far removed from stressing out about it daily, specifically when trying to fall asleep.

When I look back at the spreadsheets that I use to track my budget and spending it freaks me out.

I honestly don’t know how my wife and I made it through some of those years. To say they were lean would be an understatement.

And those times back when I was single and it didn’t matter that I was broke.

I paid the mortgage on the townhouse I bought (as an investment I could live in) and sometimes took my last $20 to the store to buy tuna, a loaf of bread, and a 12 pack to make it through to the next payday.

The point is, I could work my way into a more secure lifestyle, and the purchasing power of $1 is the same for everyone in the United States. Cost of living varies from place to place, but $1 is still a dollar.

But $1 is not the same everywhere in the world.

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I say I’m in the software development business, but I’m really in the product creation business.

Things are OK.

I make a living, I get to travel, my kids are safe and sound, my wife and I both have jobs, we have a nice house, plenty to eat, and don’t think about money that much at all any more.

I sell products.

I don’t think about how much they cost, because I strive to price my products and services based on the value they deliver to my customer.

Purchasing Power Parity.

I started thinking about money, and how it’s funny.

I have this basket of cash that is worth something as compared to all the other baskets of cash in my little world.

I used to think the only people buying my stuff were those who’s basket contained cash as well, and they do, but it’s based in another world.

I mean honestly, I’m not a n00b when it comes to exchange rates, but it wasn’t something that I’d though about too much until I really started thinking about Purchasing Power Parity.

$20 in the US isn’t that big of a deal.

$20 in some parts of the world can feed your family for a month.

Why on earth would I charge the same price when I am selling globally?

This question is something I’ve been rolling around on for a while now.

It used to be kind of a challenge to implement, both from a technical perspective and from a “stopping people from scamming you with a VPN” perspective.

I’ve enabled PPP on my products and services that I sell through Gumroad. They’ve made it as easy as the flip of a switch. It’s automatically updated using data from the World Bank. Easy day.

Still evaluating options to use on my subscription products.

What are your thoughts on PPP?

Hit me in the comments and let me know.

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Travis