If it’s not a funny triggering tweet or long WhatsApp broadcast from my mum that I didn’t ask for, I’m constantly reminded that I live in a country where there’s always something to worry about. Even more annoying is the constant inflation in the prices of basic stuff like food, groceries or transportation that is thrown in our faces every day. I’m slowly turning into a hoodlum who argues with cab drivers. Me! A whole Lagos baddie turned hoodlum. God abeg!
I remember seeing the dollar to naira rate too recently and feeling a deep sense of financial anxiety. My dreams of saving enough to JAPA are slowly fading, combined with the existential crisis of the high cost of living in Nigeria. Basically, “God Abeg” isn’t cutting it anymore, because whether I like it or not, I’m stuck here for a while so what I need is action and a quick one at that.
After a few rant sessions with my friends, I was able to identify two actions I can take to maintain beauty, reach my money goals, and make intentional decisions while I chop life. Boys and girls, they are tracking my expenses
weekly to get a clear picture of what I can, shouldn’t or actually do with my money, and budgeting to create boundaries as well. I can’t be the only one that impulse buys or gets things out of the “I can afford it” mentality.
Trust me, stalking your account’s activities like I love to call it is good for you in the long run o. For example, I realized that I spend up to almost 90k a month on food from little 3k and 4k spent almost every day of the week at work. In my head, It felt like reasonable small amounts to spend on eating but I realized I can go for cheaper quality options and have more money to save or do more. Since then, I’ve been sticking to buying 2 times out of the week with a max spend of 2k.
Basically, I now know what to compromise on or not with everything. It’s how I can also decide to splurge on a girls night out while I take cheaper transport options for a week to work. It all comes down to what I can afford realistically observing my patterns over time. I think it’s safe to say that planning ahead for funds is my new go-to habit. And if you’re wondering how I do it easily, I use gomoney, a digital bank for baddies like me, and baby boys who want to live a financially stable life, free of stress.
With the gomoney app, I get to tag and organize my transactions into categories like food, bills, groceries, investments, even enjoyment. Overall, It allows me to see my money moves, reflect realistically and plan accordingly. It’s making sense abi? There’s nothing sweeter than having a very clear picture of what you can do better with your money, and finding out how to cut costs, and handle bills better too.
You can create the flexibility to make smart decisions on what you want versus what you need, even in economically chaotic times like this. So even with the gbas gbos myself and you, my fellow tired but hardworking young Nigerian get to face, your lifestyle choices don’t have to be limited, just planned out. Want this too? Start by downloading the gomoney app from your App store (iOS) or Google Play store (Android), and you’re set for soft money management.
