Is this a safe space? Is it?
Okay, good. Because we need to be honest with ourselves. We are currently in the middle of the longest month in human history and I am tired. The calendar claims today is January 16th, but it feels like the 64th.
If you are staring at your ceiling fan wondering how the December salary vanished so quickly, you are not the only one. We all had a great time last month. We ate, we traveled, and we bought things we probably didn’t need. It was worth it. But now the holidays are over, the harmattan dust has settled, and the reality of the new year is looking us dead in the eye.
The silence in the group chat is loud. Everyone is counting their pennies…after all the oblee.
But panic is not a strategy. We still have about two weeks before the next batch of credit alerts starts rolling in. We need a plan to cross the finish line without wrecking our finances for the rest of 2026.
Here is how you handle the rest of this month.
Rip the Band-Aid Off You are avoiding your banking app. We know this because we do it too. You don’t want to see the number because you don’t want to ruin your day. But you have to look. Ignoring your balance won’t make it grow. Open the app, check the figure, and divide it by the number of days left until payday. Once you know your daily limit, the anxiety actually drops. You stop guessing and start managing.
Stop Giving Away Your Lunch Money When funds are low, you become hyper-aware of costs. You notice things you usually ignore, like transfer fees. It makes zero sense to pay a bank 50 or 100 Naira just to move your own money around. If you do that five times a week, that is literally a meal you just handed to a financial institution for no reason. Use your meCash app for your transfers. The fees are low enough that you won’t even feel them. Keep that change for yourself.
Don’t Let the Inflation Bug Bite If you actually managed to save some money (congratulations, by the way), do not leave it sitting idle in a regular local account. We all know how the rates fluctuate. If you keep your savings in Naira while the rates dance around, you lose value without spending a dime. Swap that spare cash into stablecoins on the app. It locks in the value. You sleep better knowing your 50k is still worth 50k (in value) when you wake up. You can swap it back instantly when you need to pay a bill.
Talk to Your Landlord This is the season of rent and school fees. If you can’t pay the full amount right this second, say something. Don’t ghost your landlord or the school bursar. People respect communication. Tell them when you can pay, and offer to pay a portion now via meCash so they get it instantly. A partial payment is always better than a silence.
We are almost there. The year will pick up speed, the money will flow again, and we will forget how long this month felt. Until then, keep your spending tight and your mind at peace.
See you on payday.
