Why we all need vex money
One Friday, three years ago, I woke up to the sound of the news on my radio. Rogers, one of the three major telcos we have in Canada had a major outage and anyone who was a Rogers client didn’t have internet.
Which meant I had to find someone who was the Bell or Telus to text my manager that I couldn’t work that day. After that, I went out for a coffee. The cafe’s debit machines were offline because Rogers. So I paid with cash. I was lucky I had cash that day and ever since then, I’ve carried cash on me.
I didn’t before and I should have as I’m from the Caribbean where you’re taught to always, always have vex money on you.
My fellow West Indians, you don’t need to be here as you know all this.
For the rest, vex money is the money you, usually a woman, keep on you in case a date goes wrong, or your partner (usually a man) does something untoward. Another reason why you should carry vex money on you is for unfortunate yet unsurprising situations. It’s the emergency cash on you or stored somewhere very secret when a situation goes off the deep end.
And right now, it really feels like we’re either falling off or standing on the edge of the deep end. A friend and colleague mentioned to me that they’ve withdrawn money to have as cash in case they need to move quickly.
It could be you need to leave your current situation whether it’s a date, a relationship or god forbid, your country.
Vex money isn’t just about the cash, though that is important. It’s about knowing you can leave. It’s about not being stuck, not having to beg or borrow, not having to explain. It’s a small, quiet kind of power. Maybe it’s a $20 tucked in your bra, maybe it’s a $50 hidden between the back of your phone and the case, maybe it’s $100 tucked in your underwear. It doesn’t matter where you keep it, just that you have it. It tells you: you’ve got you.
It started with women making sure they could leave a bad date or a worse man, but these days? Everyone needs vex money. Power goes out. Systems go down. People act wild. (You know what I mean.) Sometimes you don’t even see the situation coming until you’re already in it. That’s when vex money kicks in. It’s not about being paranoid, it’s about being ready. Ready to go. Ready to move. Ready to save yourself, just in case no one else does.
And it’s not just about bad dates anymore. Power goes out. Systems (electric and democratic) crash. We live in a time where your whole life can stall if your phone battery dies or your digital wallet won’t load. Vex money is old-school, but it still works. It always works.
You might never need it. Hopefully you won’t, but have it anyway. Because when the time comes, you’ll be glad you listened to the aunties, moms, grannies, and Mrs. Maco down the street who always used to mind other people’s business.
Caribbean women have been prepping for chaos long before the rest of the world caught on. I love that for us and I want that for everyone.
This week’s readings:
Should I pay rent when my boyfriend owns the house? (The Cut, paywall)
How to survive tariffs and an anxiety-inducing news cycle (Financial Pipeline)
Gen Z and young millennials battling ‘negative wealt as debt burden grows (The Guardian)