Hey Blog Fam,

Trust you are doing great and following hard after all the things God has placed in your hearts.

So in today’s post, I have something I consider extremely interesting to talk to you about.

I am sure you can guess from the title that it’s about money, I can almost see you smiling.

Yes, just the thought of money makes everyone one smile.

I once saw a meme that there is a particular workout that burns fat and reduces stress and makes headaches vanish, and guess what those meme-makers called that powerful workout? Counting money!

While that meme must have been a little extreme because there are clearly some things money can’t do, but please let’s be sincere, money is such a good thing.

God himself endorses our being in abundance by stating it again and again in the scriptures.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 1:1-2 KJV 

 

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

For it is He Who gives you power to get wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18 AMPC

All of the above scriptures and more all through scripture points to one truth; God wants us to prosper, He is very much interested in our living in abundance although not at the detriment of our soul.

As a newly employed graduate who was fresh out of the university, one thing was always on my mind from the word go, how I did not want to live from paycheck‐to‐paycheck and how I wanted that at some point in my life, I would no longer have to actively work only because I want to put food on my table/pay my bills, while it might be a good place to start, but the end goal should be beyond that.

My reasons though honorable, were definitely not going to just come to pass because I wish so, I must be ready to put in the work, which I have and still putting in building my finances,  but then today’s post is not about you working, it’s about you asking yourself a Big Question.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU LOSE/RESIGN FROM YOUR JOB TOMORROW?

This post is being published on a Thursday.

Let’s say you get to your office tomorrow, and your MD/CEO calls an emergency meeting to inform all members of staff that the company is not doing well and so needs to downsize and then calls out some name and then you find your name on that list.

For about 70% of those reading this, I know your typical response is most likely to be a God forbid.

I also join my faith with yours and forbid it too.

Even if you do not get a call to attend an emergency meeting like the example cited, how about if you have to resign from your job tomorrow, because you are relocating from one town to the other, health reasons or any other reason?

Have you ever thought of the possibility of the two scenarios?

What if something happens in your seemingly important department today thereby rendering the department redundant and your services then seem to no longer be needed.

What are you going to do?

I know it’s so typical to think that this can never be your portion, I am a Christian and I know how quick we are to say God forbid, but then have you ever thought of that?

This question is not scare you but gets you thinking.

I see this happen all the time, you might have a job today and because you are not performing as you ought, you can get fired and that will be the end of it.

Even if you work in a sector where you feel is secured, but can you just look past that security and think of this possibility?

This post is to trigger you to go back to make plans.

It’s time to ask the hard questions.

1.     1. Have You Been Spending More Than You Earn?

E    This is such an important question to ask yourself.

No matter how much you currently earn, if you are always spending way above what is coming into your account every month, it is almost impossible for you to break even.

Reflect on the things you have spent money on in the last one-three months, and see for yourself where your money is going.

2. Does Your Savings Match Your Current Income?

Mr sola earns 600,000 per month and only saves 150,000 at the end of each month, while Mr Nonso earns 300,000 per month but saves 150,000. 

By looking at the figures, you might feel that Mr Sola is saving the same asMr Nonso, but that is not true, when you look at the figures Mr Sola and Mr Nonso are saying in proportion with their salary, you’ll realize that while Mr Sola is saving 25% of his salary while Mr Nonso is saving 50% of his income. The goal of this example is to help you put aside the sum of money that is commensurate with your income. 

This is not to put a certain ratio on the amount that each individual should save pay time, but you know your current situation and how much you can afford to save each month. To thy own self, be true.

We are not going to talk about investing in this post, because savings is the foundation on which investment is built, except f course if you decide to borrow to invest. I shared a little about investment which you can read here

3 'DON'TS' TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO YOUR MONEY GOALS

 

3.    3. What Do You Spend On?

Yes, this is a big question that by all means needs answering.

If you buy things only because you feel you can afford them rather than if you have a genuine need for them or if you really need to have them, then now might be the right tie to sit down and have a pep talk with yourself.

You do not have to buy everything that you like.

It’s okay to look at things, genuinely like them, move close to them, hold them in your hands if possible and afterward drop them if your current pocket does can not afford them.

For example, let’s say you earn 200k per month, after tax and pension, it brings to about 175k, after tithe, savings, love gifts to people, fuel/t-fare, and other necessities, you are then left with 45,000 to work with for the month.

Then you go out with your guys for an outing, and suddenly sees the black shoes that look like what your life really needs at the moment, and how it will definitely take your office fashion game to the next level. But what price is on the tag?

45,000.

Can you afford it? Yes, because you have that disposable cash in the bank

But the question should not be, can you afford it, it should be should you purchase it?

The questions are different, the fact that you can afford an item does not automatically mean you should purchase it. Rather than trying to keep up with the Joneses, cut back on as many things as you can and only purchase or spend money on things that you consider important. 

One grand rule here is to find out what is really important to you which you are willing to spend money on, and then cut back on all those other purchases that are not so important to you, or that your budget can not accommodate at least for now.

I learned this from a wise woman, the fact that you say no to something now (purchasing an item), does not mean no forever.

You are only making sure if anything happens to your job, you can still keep on living without running from pillar to post, or so you do not stay in a toxic work environment just because of the money.

I hope with these few points I have been able to convince and not to confuse you that the fact that you have a job does not mean you should not plan for the rainy days.

Remember this personal finance journey is not a 100-meters race, it is a marathon. All you have to do is to concentrate on putting one leg after the other while running as well as create more structures for yourself as you proceed. We will talk about those structures in another post soon. 

In summary, ask yourself these questions;

Have you been spending more than you earn?

Does your savings match your current income?

What Do You Spend On?

There is so much light***

Related; 

5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU QUIT YOUR JOB

PERSONAL FINANCE; DO I NEED TO EARN MORE TO SAVE MORE?