I came across an interesting saving technique this week on Threads called an absent-minded fund.

It's an emergency fund, but for those careless, wallet-heavy mistakes we make when we're detached from the present and wandering somewhere else in our minds.

For example, you misplaced your house key and have no spare. Now, you must pay a locksmith to break open the lock and then pay more for a new lock.

Sudden expenses like these can be a pain when you're already stretched for money, and a fund like this one helps take away some stress from the moment, knowing that you're covered for this mistake.

But here's the thing:

A fund like this can also enable you to make more absent-minded mistakes because you know you have a safety net to fall back on — it's a double-edged sword.

A balanced approach is to have a small fund for those "oops" moments because we're humans and make mistakes. But notice how often you withdraw money from this fund.

If you're withdrawing too often, you're making too many careless mistakes.

And you can then use this realisation as an incentive to learn to be more present in the moment.

Which is a win-win arrangement — you're protected against bad times, and you can work to make your habits better.

What do you think? Do you already maintain a fund like this? How has it been working for you? Reply to this email. I would love to have a conversation about this with you.

Now, before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from: