From the day we're born we're taught to be careful with money. Usually by our parents, and our grandparents, and our teachers, and a whole bunch of other folk with one thing in common -- they earn salaries.

When you earn a salary, typically you get paid the same amount of money each month -- even if your workload varies. Heck, you can even take days off for the luxury of sickness. (Since the law allows you 14 days sick leave per year, it seems stupid not to take advantage of it.)

Because you're able to take time off, for other things that interest you, or need to be done, it makes immense sense to use the time to save money -- by doing things yourself. In other words, your salary has already determined the value of each hour that you have. Since it's difficult to generate debit orders, and that sort of thing). I like to believe that Mr Branson (whom I have never met personally, but once flew over one of these islands in a competitive airline) does a lot more of the former than the latter.

So why do we spend so much time on the latter?

I ask this because after trawling through the online forums of South Africans overseas during the past six months, one thing seems pretty obvious. The people that most want to come back to South Africa are the people that are not making it financially offshore. The ones that are not struggling financially are happier than clams.

And it's very much the same thing back home. Those of us who earn only marginally more than we have to spend see South Africa as the land of milk and honey with an unlimited future. Those of us spending somewhat more than we are earning mostly believe that the grass is somewhat greener outside of Africa, and South Africa is doomed. Interesting, isn't it, how little extra money can make such a difference to our experience of life.

Maybe, if you're battling financially, it's time to stop worrying about the money, and time to stop worrying about your time and how you are spending it?