4 Lessons About Saving Money I wish I knew 3 Years Ago.

Grow your wealth

You want to be as wealthy as your idols, enjoying the comfort and luxury money can buy  and having the admiration of peers and respect of your community.

But you know you haven’t got a chance in hell of seeing that kind of success unless you get an amazing amount of money and stay rich over the long haul.

Sure, you get the apparently comfortable pay of your job or jobs, but it’s not like you have enough money to dress better or live better than you have been living 5 years ago.

You worry that you’re not improving in life especially your financial life. You worry that your efforts don’t resonate deeply with savings, but you’ll be damned if you can figure out the magic formula.

It gets worse, much, much worse. You try to step up your game plan but you instead step up your debts. You are fighting in multiple fronts, to keep up with life and deal with your healthy debts. You end up poorer than you were at the beginning.

And the truth is, unless you can find a way to significantly grow your savings, you're doomed to fail.

Nitop is a typical quarter in Bamenda. You have the haves and the have nots all in one quarter. They all live happily. Or so it seems.

Ngochi has been up and about for a couple of years now, hustling the hustle and trying to make ends meet. He does  almost any and everything which can and will yield cash. The money trickles in, But when tomorrow comes, he is worthless. There's nothing to his name.

Nkengla is older and ahead of Ngochi in life. She is one of the most successful yet one of the most uncelebrated young and rich persons in Nitop and possibly. Probably because she's all about her hustle and not about the show off and the glories.

She is the definition of a hustler to Ngochi . Managing her side business of selling female clothing and accessories at the same time her formal job with an NGO. Nkengla is just the model he needs for she is where he wants to be. What then can he do?

As the life has its ways of doing things, fate placed both of them on each others path when the met at Mami Ayuk's achombo house by Lycée Nitop to eat kwa-coco bible. Ngochi was just so overwhelmed when she worked in and ordered for two hot bundles of kwa-coco bible. The subsequent conversation transpired between the two;
Image result for kwa coco
Mami Ayuk's Kwa-Coco bible

Ngochi: wahhhh grande sœur I salute ohhh. You don came for load be-leh?

Nkengla: Hey bro. Man go do how nor? How far with you?

Ngochi: Grande sœur, man just de. Still trying to get to your level. Whether you go make me be like you ohh.

Nkengla: Stop patronizing me ohh. Na God oh. But I could gist you how to go about it.

Ngochi: You have my undivided attention. (taking his plate of food closer to her)

Nkengla: You know I just have  goals and I wish to achieve all. I no deh sleep ooo. Hard work and determination pays off. Just set your goals n strive towards them. That's all.
I am where I am because of  my hard work. And it doesn't end there I aim to go higher.

Ngochi:For real grand soeur... I could say I have had the avant gout of hard work and determination. There's no way I am stopping now till I have the full taste ohhh.
It's time I step up my game plan...

Nkengla: You better ooo.

Ngochi: But grand soeur, when the hard work pays, it seems you have to work harder to keep the money.

Nkengla: First rule: you shouldn't spend when you haven't saved! That's my golden rule.


Ngochi: I love that golden rule. Don't spend without saving. Do you save a quota or you save whatever you want to?

Nkengla: Concerning saving, I have drawn my expenses for the month comprising my rents, bills,taxi fare to work,feeding,clothing, credit and miscellaneous. I thrive not to go above that then the rest I save. That's just how I roll.
Am very aggressive when it comes to saving. Once my money gets into the bank, if it isn't for business or some family emergency a dime isn't coming out. ( She laughs out loud while taking a generous bite at her kwa-cocoa bible)

Ngochi: So in other words, you calculate your expenses and subtract it from your income. The balance tends to be your savings for the month, being conscious that needs my change with the months. I know of aggressive marketing but today I know of aggressive saving.
This bank account issue is serious ohh. I have been reluctant to create one under the pretext that I don't have "enough" to put there.

Nkengla: Yea. Well my activities are almost same every month with little changes reason there is a miscellaneous. Just draw up a budget and put like 5 or 10k extra for every item so u know you have a little surplus to live comfortably.
There is no such thing as not having enough to put in a bank account. See if you save 1000frs a day for a month you have 30,000frs. Is that not a lot of money? Then imagine you saving 5 or 10k a day.





Ngochi: Honestly, that's the premise I was dwelling on. It was until recently that I realized I couldn't actually account for my money. I had intentions of opening a bank account since  but...

Mami Ayuk: ( rebuking Ngochi for his careless spending) how you go do take account for money way you de use am fool this Lycée and polytechnic girls them. Yesterday na Asheri for Dream Land... Today n'a Manka for Njeiforbi Bar... Tomorrow na Vanessa for Bonanjo Bar...Came make I give you account for your money.

Nkengla:( laughing at Mami Ayuk's unapologetic remark) When you can't give an account for your money, the you're not spending wisely.

Ngochi: I am guilty ooo. (pushing his empty plate away and cursing Mami Ayuk for throwing sand in to his garri)

Nkengla; You need to give yourself some discipline when it comes to saving. I have a fixed amount I can't go above spending in a month unless business or family or other pressing issues.

Ngochi: Thank God we are having this conversation.

Nkengla: Not to worry my dear you will get there. Aggressive saving doesn't mean save all your money and live miserably. It's simply being disciplined, living the best you can while saving a lot.

Ngochi: keyword, Discipline. It's just good timing for me to plan for the upcoming months. If I don't start now then how would I do when I get to your level eh?

Nkengla: Trust me, you will be grateful you saved in future.
Am really honored you look up to me. Am not even close to where I want to be yet but by Gods grace am getting there.

Ngochi: And talking of learning from you, I have learned the concept of aggressive saving more of ruthlessly disciplined saving, which is
1) Not spending without saving
2) Working on a strict budget
3) And saving your money out of your immediate sight and reach.
4) And the key to everything is discipline above determination and passion.

Nkengla: That's exactly the summary of our conversation.
So the next time we talk you should be telling me you have opened a savings account. Right?  Just love the idea of dropping anything in that account. Give yourself a weekly or monthly limit.  Let's call it "Ngochi's njangi" and you shouldn't fail else you pay a fine. How about that?


Ngochi: Fair enough.

Nkengla: Awesome. I hope this chat impacts you positively.

Ngochi: Grande sœur the impact is too much. In fact let me pay for your kwa-coco as a sign of appreciation.

To be continued...

I hope the conversation equally impacted you positively. What do you think about the strategy of Nkengla and What advice would you give Ngochi on making and saving money?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

There's No Overnight Success: The Story of the Mango Tree and Grass

3 Types of Friends (Be Careful Who You Share Your Dreams With!)

Do You Feel Left Behind in Life?