Don’t Send All Your Money Home
The majority of us in Dubai come here to work to support our families back home in Kenya and better our lives compared to the ones we had back home. We send money home to support them. Back home we faced hardship that we could not imagine our children and our parents going through. As a result, when we got the chance to travel to the UAE we felt relieved and when we got jobs we felt freed from poverty.

Because of where we come from when we get employed here in Dubai, we normally make it our responsibility to support our families back home with everything, which makes us end up remitting almost everything we earn to them. This has negative effects on our part and theirs too and that’s why I am telling you not to send all your money home.
Think of Yourself Too
All the sacrifices we are making here to make ends meet to support our families back home are noble. But we should not forget about ourselves too! We should also take care of ourselves because no one is. Our families are better because we care for them financially but who is taking care of us?
We should also not forget that our family members are human beings and their nature doesn’t change because we are related by blood.
They are not immune to entitlement, laziness, and overreliance when we provide everything for free to them. For example, if you are used to remitting money back home punctually every month and defaulting one month your family members will not understand. Instead, they will disturb you with numerous calls and messages asking why you are not sending the money. And not why you have not sent the money, that is what we call entitlement.
What Happens When You Send All the Money Home
One of my colleagues narrated a story to me of how his family made him realize that they didn’t care about his struggles in Dubai. He told me that he used to send almost everything he was earning in Dubai to his family back home. He would only deduct his food expenses and send the rest for almost 4 years.
At the end of the fourth year, he decided to take an annual leave and traveled back home.
It is this vacation that opened his eyes he confided with me. On the first month, he narrated, he spent the money he landed with, and on the second month. They stared at him to produce money to buy food and pay utility bills. Surprised by the stare he asked them what they were doing with the money he had been sending. Innocently, they said they used it all on household expenses.
Fool Me Once Shame On You,
Fool me twice shame on me. After coming back to Dubai with a lesson learned, what he did was startling. He stopped sending money the way he used to. Before he used to send money as obligatory; like he had to send money every month come rain come shine.
This round he decided to do something different; he started sending money on request—and with a reason.
He told them to prepare a budget of what they need and send it to him to consider every month. And if they send a budget of, let’s say KSH 20000, he would send KSH 15000 without any apology.
They resented and called him names but he stood his ground. With time they adapted to the situation and became responsible relatives. They stopped using his money because it was available. He is happy and his family members respect him and his resources.
Conclusion
Learn from this story and open your eyes. Your family members might be spending the money you send lavishly—the way they want—because they know at the end of the month pesa itangia.
Just try to imagine what will happen, God forbids, you to lose that job. I heard some calls and sent numerous messages when you passed certain dates without sending the money. No one should be entitled to the fruits of your labor—only your project.