Act Your Wage

"Wage - a sum of money paid to a worker in exchange for services, especially for work performed on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis"

People are always telling other people how to spend their money and how to manage their finances. I'm one of the people always getting told what I should be doing with my money, so I know exactly what it feels like. In this blog I'm about to tell you what not to do with your money and say some of the realest shit ever. Don't blow your money.

Last year I paid $19,753.40 in federal income taxes and that's after dumping 16% of my earnings into my 401k tax deferred. Yeah I'm in whole other other tax bracket. I live in the hood in a 2 bedroom apartment with a rent of $800 a month and I have ZERO debt. With that said I sleep in on my couch (I have bedroom furniture though) and my most prized possession is my entertainment system including my 51 inch flat screen TV. Despite all my inferred frugalness I'm currently wearing a $200 cardigan, $700 shoes, $350 belt and $200 jeans but still manage to support a child, ride on 20 inch rims and live well below my means. I've found the perfect balance between doing what I want to do and not going broke also known as acting my wage.

July was crazy
If I was on that check to check shit I'd still be in the process of paying back payday advance loans and shit. Everything just went bad in July. On June 29th a 2 hour thunderstorm fucked my city over, knocked my power out for week and to top it all off it was a heat wave. I had to pay holiday rate for my 3 day hotel stay, restock my fridge, and eat all 3 meals a day out for a week. My fish died and my house smelt like it I had to replace those and the tank too. Then I had my daughter's birthday on the 17th and of course I had to get her all the dope shit she required.  Just getting my house back in order and the cost of eating out, I easily spent 1200. I was prepared for such a situation by not spending every dime to my name and I didn't have to turn to my daughter then tell her "Sorry, daddy can't you the iPad 3".

You want it one way but it's another
In a perfect world all my beautiful all my lower-middle class and below black people would have 40 acres, a mule, a luxury car of their choice and a yearly all expenses paid trip to South Beach because coons love Miami. Life isn't that way; chances are your life isn't shit like a verse from "Niggas in Paris". Since only 29.3% of the black households make 50K or better that means most of you coons are poor despite all of that crazy financial magic Eastern Motors performed to put you in that 2002 C-Class Benz. (Side note - if you're paying a car note on a vehicle that's 10 years old or older and you consider yourself an adult you've failed at life.)  If you had to move back in with your parents for any other reasons than saving up to buy a house or losing your job obviously you're not winning financially no matter how many pairs of Jordans or Michael Kors bags you own.

Being broke is immature
If you're 25 plus and gainfully employed phrases like "All I got is 20 until Friday" and "I got you on payday" shouldn't exist in your lexicon. I know life happens but you should be sitting on something. You're far too old to be living check to check. Something like having to put new tires on your car or replacing a broken cell phone shouldn't put you in financial disarray. You can't be eating Top Ramen and planning trips to Miami at the same time homie.

Seriously cut the shit
Who you living for? Who you stunting for? Why you buy that Lexus when that Camry would have flown you in knowing you got rent to pay and kids to feed? Why you financing a TV from Rent-A-Center when that tube TV was still working? Why you turning your nose up at Coach bags when that Louie cost more than you make in two weeks? Stop letting your wants exceed your funds. Those likes on Instagram won't fill your fridge. The comments on FaceBook won't keep you lights on or stop the repo man from snatching your whip.

Handle your money correctly because God will not provide
They say God looks out for babies and fools; that might be a mean embellishment. Being grown and failing to spend within your limits will have you back on your mother's couch or worst. It's homeless niggas out in the streets right now waiting for Jesus to come thru. You can't satisfy your champagne taste with 4Loko money without coming up short somewhere else. You should only use credit to buy big purchases i.e. cars, houses, major appliances and emergencies. Don't let Best Buy trick you into financing that big screen; if you can't buy it in cash don't get it. Ideally anything under 3k should be paid for straight up. I would honestly lose sleep knowing that I still got payments to make on my bed. "Only 10 more months and this 2 year old living room furniture will be mine"... That's crazy talk I'd sit Indian style in front of the TV before that.

You make Jenkins money don't keep up with the Jones's
Jean DeGrate has spoken