personal slush fund question

[Rob625]

Quite a long time ago now, I was at a moment of crisis in my life where I didn't know what to do next, and someone close to me gave me a good piece of advice: it does no harm to simply work for money, save it up, and trust that at some point the inspiration as to what to use it for will reappear. As she put it, build up your personal slush fund.

Now, I work for an Italian state school. It's fascinating, it can be frustrating, it's very badly paid, and I'm glad I don't have to rely on what I am paid to live on because I saved enough to retire on in my previous work. I'm wondering whether I should apply some of my own funds to fix some of the frustrations.

An example: the physics lab has two oscilloscopes, but no one uses them because there are no leads with BNC connectors. I have done some research, and with about 60 EUR we could buy a lot of useful leads from either Radiospares or Farnell. But before the school can buy anything it has to jump through lots of bureaucratic hoops.

Or again: my colleagues who teach English language want me to work together with them using two textbooks, but they don't have any spare copies to lend me. I have found them on Amazon.it, and I could buy both for less than 50 EUR.

I would be perfectly happy to fund either or both these purchases myself. I think of this possibility as putting my personal slush fund to use. But I think I need to be cautious, for various reasons which may or may not be evident; so I thought I'd mention it here...

[Bminusrob]

Hi Rob,

I would like to give my thoughts on this, as one Rob to another.

While other friends earned and spent in equal measure, I have been careful during my working life, and after paying off my mortgage at about the same time as two of my three children finished university, suddenly, my career took off, in financial terms, and I saved, such that I was able to retire last year at the age of 60, able to fully fund the next five years of married life, until I can draw my pension. (Yes, I know I could draw a pension earlier if I want to, and that is a very handy backstop, but I have saved enough that I (we) will not need to.)

Anyway, as a result of this, I have time on my hands, and have decided to put something back into engineering for fun (and for free). People are immensely grateful, and if, occasionally, I give them a bit extra, in terms of the occasional widget (usually costing no more than £10, and never costing more than £20), I think I get more from their gratitude than they get from my money. I also have the knowledge that my generosity may some day help someone achieve their goals in life, as I have been fortunate enough to do.

Or, to precis my answer, "Go for it. It may help someone much more than what it costs you".

Cheers, Rob

[UncleEbenezer]

Here's a couple of thoughts. Take them or leave them.

• Once you start buying such things from your own pocket, the danger is a slippery slope to demands for ever more. So start by setting yourself a budget.
• Your budget can go further if augmented by others. "We need such-and-such. Whatever you can raise towards that, I'll match from my own pocket".

[cavebat]

I would be perfectly happy to fund either or both these purchases myself. I think of this possibility as putting my personal slush fund to use. But I think I need to be cautious, for various reasons which may or may not be evident; so I thought I'd mention it here...

Philanthropy is great, but if you're not a person of endless means you need to ensure that the receiver is aware that your gift is a one off.

cavebat

[bungeejumper]

As a former secondary teacher, way down south in sun-soaked 1970s Birmingham, I feel your pain. We had cruddy equipment and cruddy support, and there were many times when we brought our own stuff into the classroom because there was no hope of getting the school authorities to provide it. But I'd have drawn the line at buying a piece of technical kit for use in my school classrooms.

Firstly, because it wouldn't have been 'tested and approved' by the school. If your BNC cable from Maplins (www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-bnc-plug-to-b ... lack-rk84f - how much did you say they were?) should screw up the equipment or damage the kids, where would you be? ("Sorry, how was I know that your oscilloscopes were the type 35A with the reversed polarity on pins 5 and 17?")

Secondly, this is Italy, right? Bureaucratic hoops in spades. My word, you're putting some unionised lab staff worker out of a job there, bringing your own technical gubbins into the school. Don't laugh, I nearly caused a walk-out at one employer by doing some small piece of work that a stroppy minion (sorry, "technical specialist") should have been left to do. And all I wanted to do was save him five minutes' work.

Lesson learned. Commiserations, anyway.

BJ

[Stonge]

Hi Rob,

Anyway, as a result of this, I have time on my hands, and have decided to put something back into engineering for fun (and for free). People are immensely grateful, and if, occasionally, I give them a bit extra, in terms of the occasional widget (usually costing no more than £10, and never costing more than £20), I think I get more from their gratitude than they get from my money. I also have the knowledge that my generosity may some day help someone achieve their goals in life, as I have been fortunate enough to do.

Raspberry Pi?

[Rob625]

Thanks for the replies. I find them interesting and supportive.

@Bminusrob: I appreciate the solidarity among Robs. In a way, the fact that I am working in a school is me giving something back. I could afford not to work at all, but I prefer to have some work that imposes a time structure and also that I find challenging. I think some people are grateful for what I do, but I have to tread carefully because others may find it threatening.

@UncleEbenezer, cavebat: I don't think I'm likely to slip too far on the slope. The Italian government has given schoolteachers a €500 handout to spend on training themselves. Last year was the first time, and they basically just got the cash, I think; this year there is a bureaucratic process in place. I don't qualify, but I could simply transfer that amount (mentally) from my general slush fund to a new Liceo Expenditure Fund, so as to feel that I have a useful but limited amount to spend on such things.

@bungeejumper: Yes, you have understood some of the reasons why I have to be cautious. I have lots of ideas about how things could be done better, but many can't be done without treading on someone's toes.

@Stonge: One of my dreams is to create a sort of Pi lab, where students could tinker freely. But that's a little way off yet.

Generally, I'm very tempted to "just do it." Some people may not like it, but if I don't go too fast I think I should be able to manage that and limit the flak. It would be a mistake to be so afraid the possibility of upsetting people that I stopped myself from doing anything.

[malkymoo]

Nothing to do with the original question, but I was amused by the reference to Radiospares, I think the company changed its name to RS Components back in about 1972 when I had just started my first job in the electronics industry. Like the OP I have never got out of the habit of referring to Radiospares, often to the bemusement of younger colleagues.

Since the original post appeared, I have several times seen advert banners for RS at the top of the page on this forum, so presumably RS are now financing in a tiny way these discussions.

[swill453]

Since the original post appeared, I have several times seen advert banners for RS at the top of the page on this forum, so presumably RS are now financing in a tiny way these discussions.

Probably because you googled it.

Scott.

[malkymoo]

Probably because you googled it.

I have not googled it. I put it down to the Google Adsense bot (listed as a registered user) picking up on content in postings.

[malkymoo]

A little experimentation shows that ads are related to posts viewed. For example, try viewing the post about boiler re-pressurisation on DAK, ads will appear for boiler repairs, I have one on the screen as I write.

[dionaeamuscipula]

. But before the school can buy anything it has to jump through lots of bureaucratic hoops.

Does the concept of the Parent Teacher Association exist in Italy? Our PTA has funded books, computers, sports equipment, furniture etc etc. You could push any funding through a body like this, which would encourage others to fund as well, and depersonalise the money coming from you. Downside would be a loss of control.

DM

[Rob625]

Does the concept of the Parent Teacher Association exist in Italy? Our PTA has funded books, computers, sports equipment, furniture etc etc. You could push any funding through a body like this, which would encourage others to fund as well, and depersonalise the money coming from you. Downside would be a loss of control.

DM

That's a very good thought. I would be happy to trade control for support, at least up to a point.

Unfortunately there is no PTA as such, at least not that I have heard of, and I was a parent at the same school for 6 years before starting to work there 2+ years ago.

There are some projects that organize non-state funding, but I'm not involved. It isn't easy to get involved with anything here, in my experience.

[brightncheerful]

there are no leads with BNC connectors

personal slush fund

Interesting

[brightncheerful]

(Serious contribution)

Throughout my life I've dispensed / contributed help, time, no longer wanted possessions, money, wherever. Something or someone comes along that takes my fancy, and provided the help I can offer and the form it takes isn't disproportionate to my resources I never hesitate.

Of unwanted possessions, things I've no longer any use for or have grown tired off, i'll happily give away to friends and strangers, no strings attached. Examples include a word-processing system (typewriter and monitor) that cost me £4000 new I gave to a local good cause for nothing: the recipient was emphatic I should accept some money, but I said no; a perfectly usable laptop computer to the daughter of friends when she went to university, it served her well into her third year there. A young girl whom I've chatted to most weeks since she was 13 , she's now16 (which means I don't have to be as careful what I say!), she works on a stall at the market, I only know her first name, only see her once a week and then only for a few minutes chatting in between serving customers, I've given money to on her birthday and at Christmas. When neighbours we were friendly with at our last home moved and had a clear-out, much of their stuff consisted on items I'd given them over the years. Only the other day I gave my old badminton racquet to a friend, nothing wrong with the racquet, a string broke so got it restrung, on Amazon the same model costs over £200.

Now when I look back of how much I've given away that might explain why I don't have anything like as much money as I could've had had I been more circumspect but then again I wouldn't have tales to tell anyone that risks asking and has nothing better to do with their curiousity. And as I've gone about saying and doing things in my own way I wouldn't have helped to make the world a better place for people I've come into contact with.

Every so often I tear myself away from philanthropy and discover how soon money can mount up when spending is controlled. That I am finding rather fun.

[AleisterCrowley]

there are no leads with BNC connectors

Interesting

Bayonet Neill-Concelman in this case ! A close relative of the threaded version (TNC)

[malkymoo]

Bayonet Neill-Concelman in this case ! A close relative of the threaded version (TNC)

That was an interesting snippet. I worked for 40-odd years in the electronics industry and I never knew that, I just thought it stood for bayonet connector!

[Rob625]

Hello BnC

I'm not bothered about whether giving something away might make me poorer. At this point in my life I think that I have done enough of making myself richer in material terms. I'm sure I've done a lot worse than a lot of the people I knew in my youth, but I have enough to live and support a family and buy almost everything that many folk have to worry about.

What does worry me is whether what I give is truly a benefit to the recipient. How can one tell? I am teaching 13- to 16-year-olds, and there are good objective reasons to think that they are lucky to have me. But at the same time, I do it because I like doing it.

Someone else could say the same thing and be rubbish at the job, just enjoying himself at the expense of the pupils' time.

[brightncheerful]

What does worry me is whether what I give is truly a benefit to the recipient. How can one tell?

I give unconditionally, no strings attached.

You are thinking conditional, whether truly a benefit to the recipient. If you overcome that way of thinking then the worry would fade away.