It is the last week of the month once again. Thank God you made it till the end, even though your last salary finished two weeks ago. At least, you did not have to sell an organ to get by. But, it is time to receive another paycheck. This brings mixed feelings. The good news is, you won’t starve. The bad news is, you won’t starve just yet!
Here are the very things you can relate to as a young, female Nigerian salary earner.
You start to pay up debts
Peter and Paul both come for what is due to them. At the same time! So there’s no chance to rob anyone to pay someone else.
Your village people (family and siblings) want their cut
Because you are the first child, first daughter or son, and resident donor of money in your family, you begin to share the loot, aka your hard-earned money, to everyone.
There’s a new Aso-ebi to be bought
And no one cares that you barely finished paying for the last one. Your friends just keep getting married. Someone stop them!
Your car suddenly breaks down
This one I can’t even explain. It seems like the cars know when the salary is paid. And so begins to misbehave so as to get a piece of that National Cake.
You begin to eat out a lot
Home training? Never heard of her. All the nice restaurants must be visited. And all the crabs and calamari must be sampled.
You want to buy groceries but you don’t want to be seen in the market
As a city girl slash Lagos big girl, everything must be bought in a big supermarket. Including stockfish and snails.
It’s girls night. Again!
So, you need a new dress from that Instagram store, that goes with the new shoes from the Lekki boutique. And even though your voice of reason is reminding of the numerous outfits you have at home, you still tell Alexa to play Money by Cardi B why you stroll to pick up your newly purchased items.
You pay for everyone’s drinks.
Cardi B is still having a concert in your head, and all of a sudden, you’re Santa Claus.
The Damage has been done
Two weeks into the new month, you can’t find the money that you just received. With your hands on your head, and your ATM card very far away from you to resist any further temptation, you begin to count your pennies, meal prep, form fit-fam and manage your life. There was no room whatsoever for any savings.
The Solution
Planning and budgeting is essential to saving and investing. It isn’t how much money you earn, but how much you are able to keep and make work for you, that determines how your wealth will grow.
Practice money-saving tips like prepping your meals at home, curbing impulse buying, repurposing items, buying fresh food items etc.
Good luck with this next paycheck! Make it count.