A Quiet Story About Where to Keep Your Money
Estimated reading time: about 4 minutes
Who this is for
- People who find themselves muttering “That’s expensive…” at the supermarket
- Those in their 50s or 60s who feel a quiet anxiety when thinking about pensions and retirement
- People who save money, but aren’t sure savings alone will be enough
- Those who feel investing is scary, but doing nothing feels wrong too
Conclusion
Keep cash for money you’ll use soon.
Invest money you won’t need for a while.
Start preparing—slowly, calmly—so inflation doesn’t quietly steal your future.
Everything feels more expensive lately
Honestly, everything feels more expensive these days.
At the supermarket. At the gas station. On the electricity bill.
I often find myself thinking,
“Was it really this expensive before?”
The news says, “Wages are rising.”
But to be honest, prices feel like they’re rising faster than income.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Discount stickers—and my own quiet frugality
The other day at the supermarket,
I noticed an elderly person patiently waiting for discount stickers to appear.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s smart shopping—and honestly, I grab those stickers too when I see them.
Actually…
when a staff member appears with the sticker machine,
I unconsciously take half a step closer.
If our eyes meet, I even nod politely.
What is that reflex? Muscle memory? (laughs)
But somehow, watching that scene made my chest feel a little tight.
“So this is a world where older people have to be this careful, every single day.”
That thought lingered.
Inflation hits older people harder
Recently, while watching videos about personal finance,
something finally clicked.
The news might say “Inflation is 2%,”
but older people often feel a much higher rate in real life.
Why? It’s simple:
- Medical expenses
- Fresh food
- Daily necessities
These are exactly the things that tend to rise first—and rise fast.
For people living mainly on pensions,
this is genuinely tough.
Pensions don’t suddenly increase just because prices go up.
So prices rise, but purchasing power quietly shrinks.
No wonder people freeze in front of supermarket shelves.
The Japan I remember as a child
Thinking about this,
I suddenly remembered Japan when I was a kid.
Not everyone was rich.
We didn’t have endless things.
But the streets felt alive.
Adults and kids laughed more.
Back then, Japan was seen as a strong, wealthy country.
And honestly, I thought that was just normal.
Japan felt unstoppable.
I never questioned it.
Japan is a country that once stood up from the bottom
But Japan also hit rock bottom after World War II.
From burned-out cities,
people said, “Let’s rebuild.”
And somehow, they did.
It’s often called a miracle,
but I think it was something else:
When people share the same sense of crisis,
their quiet strength comes out.
Japanese people may not push forward loudly.
But when it truly matters,
their persistence is remarkable.
Maybe the switch just hasn’t fully flipped yet.
Don’t wait for the country—start with your own household
Still, I don’t think we can just wait for the government to fix everything.
We have to start by rebuilding our own household finances.
When people hear the word “investing,”
many think, “It’s scary. I might lose money.”
I felt that way too.
But now I see it differently.
Investing isn’t about getting rich fast.
It’s about protecting what you already have.
Keeping all your money only in cash
might be like putting all your eggs in one basket—Japan’s basket.
My simple answer
So this is how I think about it now:
- Cash for money I’ll use soon
- Index investing for money I won’t need for a while
No big bets.
No dramatic moves.
Just one goal:
Not becoming poorer without realizing it because of inflation.
At night, lying in bed,
being able to think, “It’ll probably be okay.”
For me, that peace of mind matters more than anything.
Final thoughts
No one really knows what Japan’s future will look like.
But if more people stop drowning in anxiety
and focus on their own footing, living each day steadily,
the atmosphere might slowly change.
Today, I still stand in front of supermarket price tags.
And I keep moving forward anyway.
That feels just right.
After all…
I’m in my 50s.
What do I know? (laughs)
▼ Related Articles (If this resonated with you)
- To the Dankai Junior Generation: Now Is the Time to Rethink Life as Retirement Comes into View
→ A broader look at money, work, and life for those of us approaching retirement.- I Quit All My Insurance — What I Believe Is the “Real Safety Net” Now
→ A reflection on fear, security, and what truly protects us in uncertain times.- How Our Family Cut Smartphone Bills to $30 a Month — And Redirected the Savings Toward the Future
→ A practical first step: reducing fixed costs to create room for long-term investing.
コメント