Tip No. I: Learn to Manage Your Money/Salary/Spending with Technology
Before you can build wealth, you need to properly manage the money that you already have. Use technology in order to track your spending habits and monitor your financial health as a whole. I use this however, there are tons of tools out there to chose from, like this one. Mint is a financial tool that you can get on your smart phone, tablet or even visit on the web. And the best part? It is 100 % FREE!
This can sometimes be the hardest part. Learning how to avoid over-spending. Learning how to say “No” to things that you don’t need (but want). But it is a necessary evil. You have to get disciplined. For instance, do you ever look at how much money you make a month Vs. How much you spend a month? If you are spending more than you make (via credit cards) that is a real problem. You will never be able to save. So let’s say you make $3000 a month and all of your bills (rent/ mortgage, phone) amount to $1900 a month, you will still have $1100 left as “spending” money. Instead of spending this money, why don’t you save it? If you cannot save all, save $700 of it and leave $400 for random things like going out to eat with friends, shopping etc. That is $8,400 that you can save in just 12 months. But without a budget, you could potentially waste all of the money away. Now imagine if you were disciplined enough to save the entire $1100 a month? You would have saved $13,200 over a 12 month period. which would you rather have in your bank account?
You may ask yourself why? what’s the point? Well, just like my example above indicates…You can save $1100 a month or look at is as saving 13 grand a year. which motivates you more? which makes you want to reach the goal? The latter right? This is what I do when I am saving money. I calculate how much my end of year amount will be and sometimes I even calculate what my 5 year savings would be. I do it just to get myself hyped up about the goal and It works like a charm. You can even go the opposite route for expenses. Let’s say that you are considering the purchase of a car. Let’s say the car note is $400 a month. That’s $4800 a year. Cars can get expensive. You might think twice about buying the car if it could cost you more than you expected. That $4800 could be saved or used to invest. Looking at things/numbers over a period of one year can help you make wiser decisions about your money.
- Do I really need to explain this one? Out of sight out of mind. When your money is not easily accessible, you’re less likely to try and access it. If your bank is in another part of the city and you have to drive 25 miles to get to it, chances are you will leave it alone. This is a great bank for these purposes. Mo Discipline, Mo Savings, Mo Money. Period. Ha!
- So, now your bank account has swelled up and you are thinking about what to do with your fortune right? well, studies show that home ownership is one of the best ways to grow your personal wealth and stake in the American Dream. Whether you purchase a Condo, a Townhouse or a traditional one-family home, It should work to your benefit. However, make sure you do research about the area you want to buy in. My old Neighborhood, (Williamsburg Brooklyn), is consistently listed as one of the top neighborhoods in New York City! Whooooo Hoooooo! one time for WillyB! I purchased my first home in 2009. Not to over endorse Brooklyn to the point of no return but, Brooklyn’s real estate market has grown substantially. If you purchased a home in 2008, (at the height of the market crash), chances are, you are sitting on some fat equity! If you know me, you know my deep love affair with Brooklyn. I did loads of research before I purchased my place. I look into the demographics of the neighborhood. What the median income was for those that lived there. How long homes sat on the market before they were sold etc. Why? Because I wanted to know what kind of market I was getting into. I wanted my money to work for me.
- If you own your own home, renting it can bring in annual income. and who doesn’t love secondary income?
- If you are trying to make quick secondary income, using your GOD given talents can prove much easier than trying to re-invent the wheel. Do you love to cook? Why not start a catering company? Are you really awesome at transforming women with your makeup skills? Why not become a makeup artist for brides on their wedding day? Do you know how to sing? Advertise so that you can sing at weddings and get paid for it. Are you an artist? offer people original paintings commissioned by you. Are you good with a camera? Start offering your services to people at your church or mosque so that you can build a following. Are you a graphic artist? Show your talents by doing logo and web design for folks who are looking for those services. Starting a business isn’t easy though. I have some tips on that here. But once you start a business and become an entrepreneur, you will find that your goals start to become more attainable as you continue to discipline yourself. Remember to ask yourself, “What am I naturally good at?” and “Can I use this talent to generate income”?
- One of the most important financial decisions you will ever make is Getting Married (more specifically who you get married to and when). By putting off the walk down the aisle for a few years, you can save yourself some frustration (although you can get married if and whenever you want). Before you start thinking about your life partner, you should think about how you can become financially independent all by your lonesome. With good credit, little or no debt, and have your investments in order. Once you have yourself in good standing order, only then can you build a solid foundation with another person. Then neither of you will be a liability to the other. You will actually be assets to one another. Both of your success rates in building wealth with be drastically improved by beginning your journey on a level playing field. Remember, financial trouble continues to be the number-one reason for DIVORCE. Get yourself right before you enter a marital union.
- What I mean is to save your money before it hits your bank account. If the company you work for has a direct deposit program, enroll up to 4 different accounts so that the money from your paycheck goes directly to that account before it hits your hands. you are more likely to reach your savings goals when you can’t see the money. 🙂
- You have got to keep your eye on the prize. Plant a seed of relentlessness. Don’t let anyone or anything distract you from your Year-end goal. remember that you need to start thinking annually not day to day or month to month. Stay Focused on the year-end prize!
- It’s true. Money costs Money. You have to Invest in order to get a Return On Investment (ROI). If I want to have a successful photography business, I need to invest in the latest technology and equipment in order to keep up with what will allow me to provide top notch services. Also, if I want to have millions of dollars in my 401K retirement portfolio as an Engineer, I need to make sure I am contributing at my max so that my company can match it. It takes money to make money folks! so invest wisely!
- I cannot stress this enough. Work Hard. Play Hard. Of course the goal of this post is to show you different ways to grow wealth and keep your personal finances in line. However, you have to have fun as well. Each time that you reach a financial goal or milestone…Celebrate! Enjoy!
Gift Onyinanya
January 9, 2019 at 12:26 pmVery insightful. Thanks for sharing. God bless you.
Additional point for tip V, ensure you don’t have an ATM or Mobile App for the bank account you use in saving.
Labake
January 2, 2019 at 3:36 amI totally agree with the locking away your money before it hits your account. I currently save using Piggy bank app towards a trip I want to have in April’19. I look forward to investing in Real Estate in the nearest future. Cheers to being financially capable.
Obiora
November 20, 2018 at 2:41 amThis article is full of insights. Thank you so much for sharing.
Jolaade
November 20, 2018 at 12:57 am????? needed to read this. Been having money issues for as long as I can remember because I wasn’t planning my finances well. Thank you very much for sharing.
Classicman
November 19, 2018 at 5:08 pmQuite insightful, thanks triple A.
Catchee Inspired
September 18, 2018 at 2:11 amThis was needed . Thank you Amin
Mayen
September 17, 2018 at 7:18 pmWhy do i feel attacked? ? I feel like the Lord is using you to scream this at me ?. I was beating myself up just yesterday concerning this topic. Thanks Amin. Now I just need to find an accountability partner…?
Odi
September 17, 2018 at 3:19 pmI just recently convinced myself to start saving and it’s been good so far but I never thought to look at things in an annual perspective so thank you .On my way to apply all the tips you’ve shared.
Thank you Amin ❤️
Onyinye Cynthia
July 30, 2018 at 4:41 pmThank you for the top, i learnt alot
Dominique
June 22, 2018 at 9:16 amTip 9 is definitely an eye catcher ?? I love the idea of purchasing real estate and wish I got the hang of it sooner ( no time for regrets tho ). Thank you for the tips, the use of Mint and having my money hitting my saving account before it even gets to my checking have been AMAZING
Chimamaka
June 1, 2018 at 1:06 amThank you so much for this!!! I’ve been here thinking about how to save more.. God bless you
Chidiebere
March 16, 2018 at 5:28 amhi mama, so i had to come back and drop my comment again after reading for the third time. lol dont blame me.
tip 1: This has helped me alot. here in nigeria we have Piggybank.ng. Its also a financial tool that you can get on your smartphone(andriod ios) or visit on the web. It is 100 % FREE to and you get reward points. you can even do autosave with as low as N100. (the point is no excuses)
Tip no 3: i am still a work in progress on this.
Tip no5 : doesnt work for me anymore because we access to our account like crazy; mobile banking, internet banking, banks everywhere. you see.
Mayen
September 17, 2018 at 7:21 pmSisss. I opened an account in Wema thinking that since it doesn’t have branches everywhere I wouldn’t be compelled to use the atm.. Movile banking laughed in my face ?
I’m quite unsure of piggybank though…how secure is it please?..
Amaoge
November 19, 2018 at 10:07 pmWhat I did was get a First bank account, not download the mobile app, (actually I downloaded the app in the bank- cos they make you download it so they can set it up for you, and deleted it when I got home), called one of trusted close friends and mentor and gave her the ATM card to that account. Since I didn’t use the bank mobile code for the first time with my debit card, I can no longer use it.
To access that money now I need to queue and get charged extra money for each transaction. That alone motivates me to not bother. With it I’m winning gradually.
Had to do this when I had no financial evidence in my account for having worked for a year and earned reasonably each month.
Sarah Enuwa Audu
March 6, 2018 at 6:36 amThis post was very helpful Amin. I’m more of the work hard play harder type but lately, I’ve been trying to disciple myself more in order to save at least half of my income. Now I’m not exactly one to budget but I really need to check where I spend all my money. I’ll try out the tip you said about adding expenses on a yearly basis and see. Love your blog so far, looking forward to more awesome content.
everythingnaart
March 6, 2018 at 7:22 amThank You so much Sarah! yes try it out. i think you’ll see a difference!
DIDDY
March 3, 2018 at 7:42 pmLoved reading this.
Didn’t read flat – felt like someone was talking to me.
…and most importantly, very relevant points in here.
Big ups.
segun
March 3, 2018 at 8:02 amMy favourite tip would have to be #4 – look at things on an annual basis! I’m very big on psychology, and this tip is based on that. We automatically/subconsciously place more value on anything that is greater in size or amount (this could be positive or negative). Looking at the annual amount of what we can potentially save becomes a greater motivator, and vice versa the total spend on the car being the bigger amount becomes the greater demotivator.
Thanks for sharing Amin, great read!
Vanessa
March 2, 2018 at 12:01 pmAhhh very insightful the average person is afraid to talk about money or give advice on money which I don’t understand why. Getting another source of income is a good way to make extra money for savings. As someone who travels a lot I recommend getting a credit card that gives miles reward for every dollar you spend. That way you spend money from your credit card as per usual but you also get miles that you can use towards a trip. Some credit cards give between 20,000 -50,000miles when you get a credit card with them.
Share, stocks and bonds are good way to invest your money and get good ROI but please talk to an investment banker or stockbroker before doing this….
I think thats all before I unleash the finance geek in me in your comment section.
P.s Congratulations on the website Amin.
-Vanessa
Chinonso
March 2, 2018 at 5:38 amCurrently using tip 5&8.
Shona
March 1, 2018 at 11:15 pmThis was q very insightful post. I learnt a lot Thanks!
Chidinma Amogu
March 1, 2018 at 6:02 pmWow
Really workable tips
No. 9 got me curious until I read through.
Love this blog but I wish the font could be bolder for less stressful reading. I hope you can take that into consideration if you don’t mind.?
everythingnaart
March 1, 2018 at 6:21 pmSure I can! are you viewing on a phone or computer? I used black text and standard font. Glad the tips helped you! thanks for reading and thanks for your feedback!
Ade A.
March 1, 2018 at 5:37 pmLove love love this! Very informative!
Thank you!
everythingnaart
March 1, 2018 at 6:03 pmthanks my love! Happy Birthday again!
Alexandra Zion
March 1, 2018 at 12:34 pmThis is such a great post. Thank you for pouring all of the wisdom in here for us. Have a wealthy 2018 too!
everythingnaart
March 1, 2018 at 5:30 pmThanks for visiting and commenting Alexandra! more to come! I am glad you liked it!
http://www.EverythingNaArt.org
everythingnaart
March 1, 2018 at 6:05 pmamen! thanks so much.
Yabbi
March 1, 2018 at 8:07 amThis one was helpful. Everyone is almost afraid to talk about money because it’s such a sensitive topic to some. Thanks for the tips!
everythingnaart
March 1, 2018 at 6:21 pmanytime Yabo! 🙂
Mo
March 1, 2018 at 12:33 amWork Hard. Play Hard.
everythingnaart
March 1, 2018 at 6:21 pmthanks, lol