Back in the days when I was seeking accommodation post NYSC in preparation for marriage, I was looking for a room and parlour self contain as we call it here in Nigeria. The town where I targeted was just too hard to get accommodation because it was quite competitive and still is.
I decided to share with a woman in church that I needed to rent a room and parlour. Her response was, "You are bigger than a room and parlour. You should start with two bedroom flat"( paraphrase). The cost of a two-bed was over the roof for me at that time because my earning was meagre. Even the room and parlour I intended to rent required some support here and there.
What is the lesson in this story of mine? First, live your size per time and not try to keep up with the Joneses. If I had listened to that woman, I would be indebted trying to live up to someone's expectation of me that doesn't fit my financial reality at that time. This is one of the 101 ways to be broke and beggarly.
On the road to financial freedom, you must learn proper money management. What you make is not as important as how you manage what you make. There are people making big money yet they go broke before the next pay check because they do not have money management skill. Some end up borrowing from low income earners.
If you do not bring orderliness and discipline into your financial life today, being broke tomorrow is inevitable. One basic rule of money is that your expenses must not be above or beyond your income. That is, what you spend within a given period of time must not be more than what you earn. If you do, you'll have deficits to contend with in your finances.
Your basic needs (feeding, clothing&shelter) should be within the ambits of your earning. Do not wear clothes you cannot afford because it is trending. If you have to borrow money to buy it, then, it is not for you at that time. If you take loan to pay rent always, when will you build yours? It is obvious you are living in a house bigger than your income.
Why use a phone whose cost can buy a plot of land when there are cheaper and good phones that can still perform the basic functions you need on a hand held device? Bishop David Oyedepo says, "Life is in phases but men are in sizes". Do not try to live a life today that is meant for your tomorrow, live your size per time in the phase of life you find yourself.
It is not a sign of faith to live beyond your income. That is foolishness wearing the garb of religiosity. Financial experts often counsel that we live a step or two below our income so that we can channel something substantial into investment and savings. Isn't that better than blowing all your earnings as it comes?
Another important thing to learn in money management is budgeting. Live on a budget. If you don't have a budget, those who do will budget your income for their own expenses. It sounds unreal but it is what it is. The culture of budgeting and sticking to it with a little flexibility help to build financial discipline.
God doesn't entrust kingdom wealth and resources into the hands of people who lack basic management skill. Start doing this today to secure your tomorrow. Those who take the right decision today need not fear about tomorrow. The seed of the future is sown and watered today only awaiting harvest at the right time.
