There was a guy named Hossam who had a good job, and his salary always arrived on time every month. He didn’t really have any problems, and he could afford to buy pretty much anything he wanted… The problem was that he was “al-tayeh rayeh” — the moment the money entered his pocket, it didn’t stay there for long. On the first day his salary came in, Hossam would become a completely different person. He’d grab his phone and start messaging his friends: “Come on, guys, dinner’s on me tonight!” They’d go to a restaurant, and he’d pay the entire bill. The next day, he’d walk past a shoe store: “Wallah, I need to have these shoes. I can’t leave them here!” And he’d buy them. Then he’d see a watch: “This is going to look great on me.” And he’d buy that too. That night, he’d go out with his friends again and pay as if he owned the restaurant. His mother would wait until the end of the first week every month and ask him: “Hossam, what did you do with your salary? You can’t keep being al-tayeh rayeh like this.” He’d laugh and say: “Nothing… I still have money.” She’d look at him and say: “How do you still have money?” He’d open his wallet and find five dinars and three qirsh. He’d quickly close it and say: “Ah… but I’m spending it on important things.” His mother would ask: “What important things?” He’d start counting: “I went out with the guys… bought shoes… ordered food… paid a bill…” His mother would interrupt him: “So basically, you have nothing left!” He’d reply confidently: “Money comes and goes.” His mother wasn’t impressed by his way of thinking. “Yeah, and you apparently think you’re the Minister of Finance.” Every time, he’d promise and swear to his mother that he was going to change and start saving money. One day, Hossam put some money aside and wrote a note on it: “Do Not Touch.” He kept looking at it proudly. Two hours later, his friend called: “Hossam, the guys are going out for dinner.” Five minutes later, Hossam was dressed and ready. A few months later, something happened that really made him change. His car suddenly broke down, and he needed a decent amount of money to fix it. He went home and sat down to calculate how much he had spent over the previous few months. He realized that he had spent thousands on things that were completely unnecessary. His mother sat beside him and said: “See? All those amounts you kept calling ‘small’… when you add them up, they become a lot of money.” “Keep some for the house, some for savings, and spend the rest however you want.” Some time later, his friend called him: “Hossam, come on, let’s go out for dinner!” Hossam said: “No, I can’t today.” His friend was surprised. “What happened to you?” Hossam laughed and said: “Nothing… I just decided that this time, the money is going to stay with me for a little while.” The Palestinian-Jordanian expression “al-tayeh rayeh” is used to describe someone who spends whatever money they get as soon as they get it, without thinking or saving anything. It describes a person who is extremely careless and impulsive with money and spends it all instead of putting anything aside.