The holiday season is here. So t'is the season to be with family and friends, shop, and create a budget! Being a college student, I love everything at a great price. However, I am a victim of high fashion shoes. My addiction to fashion items from BCBG, Jessica Simpson, and Vince Camuto, has led me to realize that my unhealthy shopping habits could affect me financially (in a negative way) in the future. Financial preparation has been an issue that seems to constantly cross my mind whenever I think of student loans and other expenses. Why isn’t financial responsibility a mandatory class that we have to take before we are pushed into the real world? STUDENT LOANS
Student loan debts are over $833 billion dollars which is higher than the credit card debt in America (ww.finaid.org). Saving for this heartache has to start while in college. I am now forcing myself to save a minimum amount of $20 from each check as if it is a monthly expense. Avoiding too many credit cards and paying off the entire bill instead of minimum payments helps to avoid paying higher interest. Paying bills on time is one of the most important things to remember when building credit. Another strategy that I plan to enforce as soon as I am earning a salary is to have my student loans paid off in no less than five years. I know some people may think that is an aggressive goal but the life I want to live do not include debt. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that I will occur good debt when I buy a house or purchase a car but those are investments. Student loans cannot be sold which mean they are only valuable to the person who had to receive them. Furthermore, I do not plan on purchasing a new or pre-owned car until I have saved for half of the car. The aforementioned financial philosophies might sound a little crazy but I believe that it works. Bottom line, I have learned that your expenses should not be more than your income. HOW TO EMBRACE THE NATURAL YOU ON A BUDGET There are many hair stores that allow you to buy essential hair oils at very low prices. For the holiday complete a DIY (do it yourself) project by researching which oils you can mix to create the look you are going for as oppose to buying a natural product that may be in the range of $10-35. However, if you would like to purchase a product without having to be an at home chemist, there are a few great products that don’t put holes in your pockets: · Shea Moisture $8-16 · Avlon Kera Care Essential Oils- $13 · All Kera Care products $9-30 (My favorite!) · Jane Carter products $7-30 Trial and error is really the only way in discovering your personal regime. It may seem a little expensive at first but once you find what works for you it will seem like a regular bi-monthly bill. Save at least $10 each month to purchase your hair products. Try avoiding products with sulfates or alcohols because that will dry out your hair. Using good products result in healthy hair. RECAP Last month I wrote about unconditional love for oneself as the only way to successfully complete the natural hair journey. I have met with many women who have completely related with the article because it is the truth! Beauty has to be redefined when a person decides to go natural. I will love more of you all’s feedback. Tweet me @NaturalMeColumn and use the hash tag #Naturimony or email me at renia@fasmarketplace.com Happy Holidays, Peace & Love from the writer of Natural Me Sources: http://www.finaid.org/loans/studentloandebtclock.phtml
1 Comment
5/29/2016 07:28:05 am
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