This year, I have been receiving WhatsApp group invitations whose main intent is to sell me something - be it jewellery, clothes, movies, event tickets or anything that can be sold to a student in university. The peers I joined campus with also seem to have "grown", heck, I know a couple of classmates and friends who have tapped into a trade that serves our population - a lucrative niche if one offers the right products or services. Also, there are the occasional small business shout-outs in my class group and that's cool, honestly. No one should be ashamed of working since those are steps to attaining one's dream life💯.
The point is clear - we work because we all have needs. Me included.
I have been pretty comfortable because of the advantage I have of being a girl and also because I live at home. Being a girl is a flex because there is no pressure on me to fend for myself, unlike the guys who are seen as providers by society. My other reason may rub people the wrong way and we can always agree to disagree on it - I expect guys to foot the bill when they ask me out. That is also why I think there is no pressure on me to constantly have money since I don't have to spare some cash to ask the guys out - I only need enough to bail myself out in case of an emergency🏃♀️. However, the pressure comes in when I want to hang out with my friends😂. That's why I need the money!
Speaking of friends, my best friend has always been on the grind since we started school and his kind and grandeur gesture to fully cater for my birthday celebration last year (I know😆!) touched me because man, I thought that it must have felt nice to have money💸.
And it does. I also got a part-time gig to sustain my newfound love for experimenting with fashion and investing in experiences, something I am proud of🤗.
We could say that his influence on me + my constant exposure to social media where hustle culture is flaunted and is sort of becoming a norm for Gen Z and Millennials alike got me ✨inspired✨ to simply get myself to financial freedom this early. (I wasn't dirt poor before but it does make a difference💅🏾, just so you know😉.)
Out of experience and tips from my circle, here are the tips I live by to maintain that cash flow despite being a student in uni.
1. Reward cards and promo codes
Saving money, no matter what amount it is, gets me excited😃. I got this tip from my mum from our last shopping spree together. I was paying for the goods at that time and she happened to mention to the cashier that she was part of the supermarket's loyalty scheme, and proceeded to give her phone number to him. I didn't make anything of that but after scanning the receipt, I realized that her membership saved me around fifty shillings out of the total purchase🎉.
Although I am referring to Naivas Supermarket (they should pay me for this honorary mention😂), I believe that there are other supermarkets which have loyalty schemes for their customers. To become a member of their scheme, you only need to go to your nearest Naivas store with your national I.D. and get started for free. Just like what my parent did, you do not necessarily have to have your reward card on you all the time - giving the cashier your phone number works just as well. I am yet to sign up, though😅. If you like to shop at Carrefour, having their mobile app on your phone comes in handy since their reward card is digital. Judging from the app's rating on Play Store, the app seems pretty nice and functional. Just remember to register for it first - it's free.
💥Extra tip💥 : Do more of your shopping in bulk since it's cheaper than shopping regularly. Also, be keen to shop when there are discounts and offers. You can stay in the know by following your store's social media handles.
If you follow any local influencers, you might be familiar with the Jumia promo codes they share with their audiences. I have seen reviews that they indeed do work, and that seems like such a save if you tend to shop online. Milk them dry - take advantage of your favs promo codes and save some coins💲!
2. Having a budget and sticking to it
I used to think that my mum was cheap for having a budget and vigorously sticking to one🙈. Turns out that she was the smart one all along.
I assume that most students live away from home, hence making them familiar with the budgeting practice since they have to pay for their accommodation, food and other vital needs. Maybe this advice goes out to those who don't use a budget as much, like me. The old me, that is.
One huge misconception that I used to have was that budgeting only applied to people with 'substantial' incomes, not the peanuts one might save from their bus fare💀. Firstly, I respect what I tend to save from my fare - don't get me wrong, okay😂? The truth is that whatever flows into your account should have a plan of how it is going to be used, that being the entire embodiment of what a budget and budgeting are all about.
One of the first apps I installed after getting my first phone was a free budgeting app. I didn't have money then but I insisted on having one, anyway😅. Although it was hard for me to use even the simplest of the apps, I got into the hang of it this year. (If you find an app tricky, do resort to the old-school method - spreadsheets🤓.) I tried another app that ended up working for me❤. It has been a successful run for one month and I couldn't be happier knowing where my money goes to.
Knowing how you utilize your money is one thing, and sticking to a plan is another. It does call for a ton of self-discipline and inner strength to stick to a budget. This used to be hard for me since I used to want to promote the hawkers that came my way. Nowadays, I simply tell myself that it would be unfortunate to ruin my budget over something I don't even need. I even scoff at the candy and chocolates at the check-out point at supermarkets because those are the snares from the pits of hell🔥. That is one tactic supermarkets use to have you impulse buying (read more about other tactics here). You know what? They sure can miss me with that!
3. Haggle, haggle, haggle
This, in other words, is bargaining.
To be honest, I have never bargained for anything - I let my mum or sister do it for me😅. There's nothing wrong with haggling but I don't enjoy engaging in conversations with people that often, especially of such a nature. Before I figured that I could request my family to get me something on my behalf, I'd pay the price on the tag upfront without any talk😶. I can only give myself credit for understanding that you shouldn't bargain for some things. Despite that, I know that it is a temporary solution and I ought to learn how to haggle. Luckily, Forbes offers a few tips about the art of haggling which you can read here.
Do you bargain? Maybe you could share some of your best haggling tips with me.
4. Going for cheaper, quality alternatives
I'm not sure whether this is relatable but some of the people I grew up with used to look down upon people who bought second-hand clothes. They preferred buying their clothes and shoes from boutiques - an acceptable preference. It didn't faze me and today, I am too accustomed to thrifting such that I never feel the urge to consider getting something brand new from a boutique unless it is very unique and versatile💎. Contrary to buying books from bookshops and supermarkets (I'd rather be illiterate than do that🥴), I buy them from a second-hand dealer. They are very affordable and it thrills me as I never know what I'll get.
Thrifting is more of a pathway to saving money while getting quality and unique clothing or goods, not a cheapskate's endeavour. It is also a sustainable practice that helps make the earth greener by reducing carbon and chemical pollution💚. You could save the earth by purposing to thrift more of your clothing and other household items as an ode to mother nature🌍. If you are based in the UK, here's a blog post by Ode Magazine sharing the brands you can shop sustainably from that cater to plus sizes.
⚠Kind disclaimer⚠: I may be a self-proclaimed thrifting queen👑, but not everything is to be thrifted. I mentioned household items, however, it does not encompass tech gadgets and electronics. Get them brand spanking new🏷!
Can we also stop buying brands and go for products that equally deliver what we want?
As a child, I used to want the brands just because. Soap? Mum should buy the Dettol one. Dream car? Bentley💅🏾. Juice? Delmonte or nothing...ok, not exactly. My mum would get the cheaper alternatives that were still good and that was better than nothing😅. As a young adult, splurging on luxury brands is an endeavour that I cannot sustain at the moment. That harsh truth made me realize that there's nothing quite different from using Detrex (🤣) as an alternative to Dettol. It is so affordable! Nevertheless, I do understand that one reason for brand preference would be the assured quality though, I live like that too.
In fashion, buying the brand is such a common practice in my generation. The story of how Supreme stores sell out in minutes startles me when you could get an equally great t-shirt at a thrift store. Beats me. This brings me to the next tip...
5. Do not shop to impress others
Easier said than done, right?
I am a one-time victim of this desire to seem cool to my peers. Well, sort of. I am referring to the purchase of my AirPods last year; I got them for two reasons - 95% to experience the wireless experience while listening to music and 5% to feel and look cool😎. I mean, the latter reason is not as great. I hardly go out with them and besides, I feel like I got what I needed; the relief of not having earphone wires getting in my way when working. I also think that I got over the hype around having them. With the saturation of knock-offs in the market, I don't even have the desire to show them off since everyone has those white buds in their ears now. It hurts sometimes😂. If there wasn't the 95% intention of getting the AirPods for myself, I would be miserable right now. I vividly remember that a week after my purchase, I saw a boda boda operator wearing them and it stung a little, I won't lie. Imagine if I had bought them with the intention of brag - that would have hurt terribly😪!
I understand the young adult urge to brag or humble brag - I fight that demon every time since I spend a significant amount of time on social media. Despite that, I would urge everyone to shop with the 100% intent to make themselves happy and not to win the approval of others. The money is too precious, abeg!
6. Building a healthy mindset and attitude towards money
Not too long ago, I had an unhealthy relationship with money. I feared money, not because of that Bible verse that refers to the love of money being the root cause of all evil😂. Rather, I had a fear of becoming poor after I leave the safety net of my mother's providence. It was so bad, I can't-
After realizing that fear will do nothing for me, I started being intentional about learning about money and how to make it work for me. It's been a little over a month and I am so informed and empowered; I have grown, still growing and developing a healthier attitude and mindset towards money.
If you have people around you who you recognize to be good managers of money, you could ask them for advice. I believe that my unintentional but brief interactions with some guys in school who came from wealthy backgrounds indirectly taught me a few things or two about handling finances. The people you hang around have a great impact on you whether you like it or not, so surround yourself with people who can help you grow. Check out my Instagram stories for insights on who you can follow to gain some insight into the world of finances.
If you made it this far, congratulations🥳! You are now a financial wizard/witch🧙🏾♂️🧙🏾♀️. Don't stop growing and learning more about how to become better in matters of personal finance. Do you have any more tips you would like to add to this? What are you guilty of that I have mentioned👀? You could share them with me down below😊.