Last week, I read on Facebook that one glass of iced lemon tea at some coffeeshops is now selling at $1.80, up from $1.20. An obscene 50% rise (or ruse?). Or an outrageous 66.67% increase if they charge us $2.00 for takeaway (even before the GST or VAT kicks in next year).

For those of us who’ve already used up our S$100 government voucher in less than a week, which is meant to help us in our daily expenses as part of the Household Support Package, it looks like we won’t enjoy the next iced lemon tea until the next voucher. I wonder when the next one is coming. In late 2022 or early 2023?

Looks or feels like those in the “write” business might have chosen the “wrong” profession, including moonlighters in academia, especially if their royalties since the pandemic—and now the Ukraine-Russia war—have headed south.

For the majority of us who’re not born with a silver spoon in our mouth, I suppose it’s probably not too late to seriously consider selling or distributing slightly dearer home-made iced lemon tea, barley drink, honey tea, and chrysanthemum tea to health-conscious customers.

Pandemic or Putin? Or Both?

A FB netizen commented: “Tea 1% + 1% Lemon + 1% Sugar + ALL 97% Water imply hardly anything to do with FOOD Shortage so please don’t divert the blame to Pandemic, UN or what have you NOT.”

The profit margins for selling beverages are a hundred times better than the returns or royalties earned from posing and solving math questions in school textbooks or assessment (or supplementary) titles.

Not IQ Nor EQ, But FQ

Talking about being street-smart rather than exam- or book-smart! When financial quotient (FQ) is worth more than (IQ + EQ).

Inflation provides an oft-unseized opportunity (disguised as a problem) for mathepreneurs to generate unexpected sources of income to make up for any (potential) loss in royalty or consultancy.

© Yan Kow Cheong, June 17, 2022