One thing that surprises me in Sri Lanka is the amount of gold people wear on their person, and I thought it was rather odd when people have little of anything still have a little gold jewellery on them. Of course one hears daily of the snatch thieves coming on motor cycles and pulling the gold chain from an unsuspecting woman walking down the road. I don't wear or have any gold but I just realized how useful it could be.Maybe I should buy some gold for an event such as I am to relate.
I suddenly found myself in Polonnaruwa yesterday with insufficient funds to pay those who are transplanting my paddy today and tommorrow. I also miscalculated how many people it would take and how much it would cost. I have noted earlier my current situation of nothing in the bank. When I mentioned this to my man Friday, Amila (actually man Monday to Friday)he said "don't worry, I will pawn the gold chain I am wearing and get you the money". He promptly went to the bank in Hingurakgoda and returned with Rs 15,000 being what he received from the bank. I will no doubt redeem the pawned item before the end of the month, somehow, but I was amazed how useful this little gold on his back was for me.
I am told that most people in the country, constantly pawn their jewellery for emergency cash for unforseen events. They use jewellery as the currency for these eventualities, as savings only leads one to spend and redeeming a pawned item is more likely to happen than returning the savings into an account.
This is financial planning Sri Lanka style and thank you Amila from a potentially embarrasing situation for me!!!
