“Girl math”, or “jentematte” in good Norwegian, is one of the latest financial trends that has gone viral on the social media platform Tik-tok since this summer. The phenomenon was first described in the New Zealand podcast “Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley”, where so-called girl mats are used to justify large purchases or expenses. Some examples of girls’ mats are: I earned NOK 600 today because I bought something for NOK 4,400 that actually cost NOK 5,000 A pair of shoes for NOK 3,000 costs only NOK ten a day for a year, so it’s very cheap I find NOK 500 in the winter jacket that I had forgotten I had, when I use it I don’t use my savings If I have NOK 70,000 in my account and I only spent NOK 5,000, I didn’t really spend money because I could spend more Playful justification The concept is a humorous approach to personal finance, where larger expenses can be made more palatable by converting them into smaller, more manageable amounts. A playful way of justifying expensive purchases, often by showing relative value or use over time. The expression is self-evidently discriminatory towards girls, and I both shuddered and was a little offended when I heard it the first time. But when we push that particular issue to the side, it does show an interesting psychological aspect of how people evaluate spending and the value of what they buy. In practice, however, it can lead to financial decisions that are not necessarily the most rational or sustainable in the long term. Political math On Monday morning, there was a discussion on Politisk Kvarter on news which made me think about girls’ math. The episode was about the weekend’s budget settlement between the Center Party, the Labor Party and SV. The two government parties thus agree with budget partner SV on the framework for next year’s budget. In the settlement, there will be additions to, among other things, child benefit and after-school care – to name a few. What was most interesting, however, is how it will be financed. Yes, nine (!) billion kroner that was set aside in a covid support package in 2020, which has not been used, is being collected. The money was a safety net for the export industry. – You suddenly found an extra NOK 9 billion, asked presenter Lilla Sølhusvik. – Yes, but that’s the way it is. In each and every budget, there are both temporary incomes and expenses, Vedum replied. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg The nine billion will be the 500 note in the winter jacket from last year. Girl mat at government level, you could almost say. Importance of moderation Another example that may be reminiscent of a girl’s mat was when Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre boasted last week that it has been important for the government to show moderation in the economy. In an interview with Aftenposten, he specifically points out that in next year’s budget they only use 2.7 per cent of the oil fund and not the 3 per cent that the rules of procedure allow for. Let me quickly remind you that the value of the oil fund has risen by around NOK 3,000 billion in one year, and that the government has magically got around NOK 80 billion more to work with – and still stays well within the rules of action. 3 percent of a large number (15,000 billion) is much more than three percent of a smaller number (12,000 billion). The magical extra billions are thus only due to the formidable growth in the fund, but Støre uses the magic to create the impression that he hardly spends money – because he does not use all the money he has at his disposal. Elements of girl mat again. Cheat money Venstre’s Sveinung Rotevatn called the government’s 9 billion “cheat money” in political quarters. The income is temporary, while the increased expenses for daycare and SFP are permanent. This could present problems for the budget balance in the future. Venstres Sveinung Rotevatn Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB The money you have spent is, after all, gone. SV’s fiscal spokesperson Kari Elisabeth Kaski parried that it is never the case that there is a constant amount of permanent income, which covers a constant amount of permanent expenses. – This is in motion. It is quite common to make up the budget with so-called disposable income. She is, of course, absolutely right. Previous governments have also solved things in this way. Maybe it’s time to rename “girls’ mat” to “government mat”.
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Vedum taps into the math trend from TikTok – Expression
