You Only Live Once (YOLO)!
If I were to draw a map of my life, the years 2011-2020 would definitely be a valley. The false facade of adulthood revealed its ugly face and became crystal clear:
It’s hard out here!
While trying to be this independent college student who only leaned on my parents in pure necessity, I seldom allowed myself to travel and have fun. I vowed, once I graduated, that would change. After being hired full-time at my first career job, I was focused on moving out of my parents’ house and being present in my friends’ monumental occasions. Once that first year ended, I began to go to more concerts, but life was still held at bay as it seemed I always had obligations. In 2021, I decided that life was going to change. For my birthday that year, my best friend and I decided to visit Cleveland, OH after COVID restrictions impacted our trip to California. Y’all, I absolutely loved it. I didn’t realize how much I missed flying in airplanes and visiting new places. (Cleveland is now a special love of mine.) After I got back home, the travel bug had infected me. I booked a cruise for my 30th birthday, traveled to Cleveland again for my best friend’s birthday and I have been on the go ever since. So much so, my parents were shocked to discover that I have been relatively still for the past month and don’t really have too much planned.
That is because I realized that while yes, life is short and yes, it is important to make memories by traveling, going to concerts, etc., it is also important to SIT YO BUTT DOWN SOMETIMES. (Y’all just don’t know how much it pains me to say that.)
Ballin’ on a budget is a real thing and is something I think God is demanding I learn. While somehow I haven’t been too stressed in the financial situation, my money did start to get lower than I appreciated and I had to realize that was because I was spending too much. I think as I arose from the ashes of possibly a 9-year depression, I tried to make up for lost times by going on every trip imaginable and unfortunately, I am unable to do that.
There are two main lessons I am learning in this period: it is important to be a good steward over my finances and there is a time for everything. According to the Proverbs 21:20 (NLT), “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.” Furthermore, Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT) says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” In addition to Ecclesiastes 3:2-8, there is a time to save and there is a time to spend. Right now, it is important that I save. As much as I dislike saving, saving is Biblical.
Genesis 41:34-36 (NLT):
“Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”
In the passage above, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams that Egypt would have seven good, prosperous years and seven years of famine. Joseph instructed Pharaoh to have his people collect 20% (one-fifth) of their crops and store it, so when the famine came, everyone in Egypt would have enough to eat. In today’s time, we call this an emergency fund. According to several advisors and banking institutions, it is important to save at least 3-6 months’ worth of expenses. Furthermore, it is encouraged to save for unexpected hospitalizations, home repairs, car issues and any other emergency repairs that may arise. Since we are in a “complicated recession,” still dealing with COVID and the increasing number of monkeypox infections, it is more imperative now than ever before to save and make sure that you are at least somewhat covered in case of an emergency.
Once your emergency fund is stocked, then you can start saving for vacations, concerts and other things. This will ensure that all of your bills are paid, emergencies are covered and you still have money to enjoy the finer things in life.
If you need an example of how to save, here is a resource I found helpful: “The High-5 Banking Method: How to Bank with Purpose.” In this blog post, she breaks down the five accounts you need to help keep your budget on track. (I would also advise to create a note/speadsheet that allocates how much money you can spend for each category, for example, $80 out of the $100 you put in the savings account is for future car repairs and $20 out of the $100 is for unexpected hospitalizations.)
In conclusion, I ask:
