La Cundina

You won't find the noun in the online translator.

Cundir vi
(propagarse)
to spread vtr
El miedo a grandes pérdidas cundió entre los inversores.
The fear of major losses spread among the investors.

cundir vi
ES (extenderse, esparcirse, rebosar)
to go a long way v expr
to spread vi

It seems to be a Mexican practice. I knew a Venezuelan who had told me it is called cooperativa in his country.

You have a fixed number of people who put an equal amount of cash into a pot (kitty) every pay period. You make a list of all the participants. Usually, the order is based on financial need. When participant one gets his/her kitty money on the first payout day, his/her name is then moved to the bottom of the list and the second participant moves to the top. The cundina ends when all parties have had a chance to receive a kitty payout. Once the complete cycle has ended, the participants can (a) start over again, (b) change the collective amount, (c) add or remove participants, or (d) end the process.

I remember thinking, "That's crazy!" Why don't they just put the $50/week (or whatever the cundina amount might be) into a savings account? The response was that it's a cultural thing.

I then asked, "What if María decided to go to Tijuana for some "dental work" and never returns?"

"The cundina is based on trust.

"Have you ever been scr*wed out of money?"

"Pues sí, una vez."

Some of the gals in the place I had worked had multiple cundinas going on. An entire paycheck is sometimes given away on some weeks.