Friday. Just saying it sends joy and glee into your soul, doesn’t it? But that’s precisely the problem. The excitement we feel, the sense of relief and freedom we get from our work week ending means we are living in misery all week and hoping for a small reprieve from our jobs. Do you really want to live this way for the next 20, 30, 40 years? If the answer is no then it’s time to make some tough decisions and alter your life, for good.
You go to a job you hate because you need the money. Period. You don’t like it, you probably can’t stand it but you have to pay the rent/mortgage, car insurance, groceries and light bills. Whether you’d like to start your own business or just be in a position where you can actually be more selective as to who employs you, there are a few simple tricks you can utilize towards freedom.
Real Estate
Where do you live? How much of your monthly budget is allocated towards housing? If the answer is more than 35% then it’s time to take a hard look at other options. I have a family member who built a home from the ground up — a very nice home. It happens to be in a middle class Black neighborhood. The same home built in a white neighborhood would easily have cost six or seven times more. With the extra savings, that family member has invested in their own business and it’s working out quite well. Some of us just need to get over our compulsive need to be around non-Black people and our pockets would thank us. Also, consider getting a housemate temporarily — a year to three — in order to free up cash and increase your options.
Side Hustle
I know you love your weekends but perhaps a little sacrifice would help you in the longterm. You could sit around for two days and do nothing or do a little side hustling in order to free yourself. I personally deliver food on the side and with my car and smartphone, manage to make hundreds over a weekend. Heck, you can even do it on a bike! What would happen if you saved and/or invested an extra $500 to $1,000 each month from that? In a two year period you would have a nice chunk to put towards a new venture or create a serious investment portfolio that would allow you far more freedom, in the longterm. Whether you’d like to invest in restoring Black neighborhoods through platforms like Buy the Block or a batch of stocks, that extra money on the weekends would seriously change your life.
Bills Sweep
Take each and every bill that you have, sweep through them all. For every service, find an alternative. If you’re paying your cell phone company $100 each month, find another (preferably Black owned) that’s $20 to $40 cheaper. If you’ve been paying your car insurer with autopay for years, take the time to see if someone can beat their price. Do the same for EACH AND EVERY bill you pay. Surprisingly, you just might find an extra $200 each month. With the savings, again, you could begin investing in a new life for yourself.
It’s Friday and while that’s exciting, it shouldn’t be because you hate your life the rest of the week. Start making small changes towards something different. No, everyone doesn’t want to be an entrepreneur and that’s fine. Whether you wish to keep working for someone or not, the point is to be in a position where you have more control and freedom. You can wait to hit the lottery or take some control of your fate today.
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