Suya, Spending Spree Put Me In A Tight Corner

DAILY SPENDING HABITS THAT AFFECT OUR FINANCES How do you manage your spending habits? Have you ever been reckless with your spending? How did it affect your finances? Hello #scifimultiverse, friends. How do you do? Trust your day is beautiful. I welcome you to my blog.

Nothing is truly free on this planet; someone is directly or indirectly paying for it. So when we spend our money recklessly, our Igbo mothers will say, “A child that eats bean cake is eating their mother's money.” (Nwata na ata akara na ata ego nne ya)

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The prompt this week is speaking directly to my past. Back in my secondary school days, I once stayed with my uncle in the Eastern region of my country. His wife can eat Suya for Africa. She eats it recklessly, but guess what, she will never give us. She will take her children into her room, lock the door to ensure that no pieces get to us. This includes other things like the digestive, butter bread biscuit, etc.

This became a point of reference and challenge for me then because my dad was transferred, and to save me from losing a class, her home was a resort to enable me complete that class before I went back to my parents.

Throughout that experience, I promised myself I wouldn’t lack any good thing when I’m done with school. I wrote it down, and I began to affirm it daily without losing focus on my studies. Even when I went back to my parents' house, I shared my experience with them and my resolve to be successful in life. They encouraged me and promised to support me in my resolution.

Dream come true, I graduated, observed my NYSC, and got a job. People! Things changed. I started spending my money on Suya, Yogurt, Biscuits, and all sorts of snacks just trying to show myself love to cover up for the things my aunt denied me. I became a loyal customer of many shopping malls each time I receive my salary. I will just be spending it until my wallet starts beeping.

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Worst still, I made it a point of duty to buy Suya three times a week. I started with a stick of five hundred and later increased it to a thousand naira. This became almost uncontrollable and won’t allow me save any money until I overheard a lady telling her friend how she saved five hundred thousand in a year.

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That day, I got home and calculated how much I spend on Suya alone and realised that I have been shortchanging myself by not saving. No reserve to share with people, no accountability, control, budget, or even set goals for myself.

From that day, I changed the narrative, did some research, and started improving my spending and saving habits. Each month, I set budgets and my to-do list in order of preference and priority. Cultured myself on reckless and impulse buying, adhered strictly to my budget, and gradually, it became part of me.

Today, while I am happy to say that I am not who I used to be, I can confirm that I am a better version of myself. Prudent in managing my finances. Saving more and walking with set goals.

Feel free to join here