How We Make Money Weird - as portrayed by Skittles
Humans, in general, are pretty skilled at making conversations about money super weird.
Asking for more, informing someone about your limited budget, setting rates, negotiating terms. All of these situations are hotspots for weirdness.
Skittles are simple. Very few people, if any, get weird about Skittles. Skittles are great! Little bundles of rainbow-colored sugar. Sometimes people want Skittles, sometimes people don’t. Sometimes people don’t have any Skittles. Sometimes people share Skittles.
So, here are some ultra weird conversations about Skittles.
Spoiler alert: they are actually really common conversations that we see occur about money. Dollar amounts have just been replaced with Skittles. Other metaphors sprinkled throughout.
You didn’t say you wanted any, Alice.
Joe: “Want to come to my party?”
Alice: “I’m definitely interested. Will you be giving out Skittles?”
Joe: “Nope!”
Alice: “Oh, okay, yeah I’ll come.”
{Later, at the party}
Alice to herself: “What a sh*tty party! I can’t believe I came all this way and didn’t get any Skittles!”
It’s not a reflection on you, Mike.
Ben: “Want to come to my party?”
Mike: “Sure!”
{Later, at the party}
Mike: “Hey man, I’m going to head out. Great to see you.”
Ben: “Yeah, thanks for coming. Here take some Skittles!”
{Next Day}
Mike to himself: “I assumed Ben was going to give me 6 Skittles. I wanted 6 Skittles. But he only gave me 4. I can’t believe he did that. Was I a bad guest? Should I not expect 6 Skittles in the future? Maybe I should just give up on Skittles.”
Don’t sound so enthused, Linda.
Linda to herself: “I’m making gingerbread houses for underserved children. Some Skittles would really make these gingerbread rooftops pop and bring extra joy to these children!”
Carrie: “How’s it going, Linda!”
What Linda wants to say to Carrie: “Hey! Great! I’m actually making these gingerbread houses for underserved children and am collecting Skittles to add to the rooftops. Do you happen to have Skittles? Or do you know where I might be able to find some?”
What Linda actually says to Carrie: “Oh… you know…. making a gingerbread house. It’s silly really but - Carrie! Have you seen Bridgerton?!”
Stop projecting, Bob.
Edgar: “Thanks for the 5 Skittles you give me every day, Bob. I love them so much. If it’s possible, I’d love to get 6 Skittles a day - is that something we could talk about someday?”
Bob to himself: “AH! Finding 5 Skittles a day to give Edgar is so much work - what if I promise to give him 6 Skittles a day and I can’t do it and then he will hate me and/or I will be a failure.
Bob to Edgar: “I can’t believe you asked for 6 Skittles a day! Honestly, there are days where I think you’re only deserving of 4 Skittles.”
There’s more to life, Oscar.
Rachel: “How have you been, Oscar?”
Oscar: “Great! I’ve decided to get more Skittles. I got 5 bags last week, and this week I’m going for 10!”
Rachel: “Wow, Oscar, that’s cool. What else have you been up to?”
Oscar: “I’m really into Skittles right now. There’s so much possibility in Skittles. Once I get 100 bags of Skittles, everything will be easier. Then I can relax. I’ll be more happy. I’ll have more freedom.”
Rachel: “I don’t think that’s how Skittles work?”
Oscar: “You just have to shift your Skittles mindset, Rachel.”
Moral of the story - Skittles aren’t weird - and neither is money.
We make money weird because of how we speak about it, interact with it, and interact with each other in the presence of it.
So, if you’re trying to figure out how to make money less weird, think about Skittles. Make it simple. Act accordingly.