$$ MAKE A DOLLAR HOLLA.COM $$
courtesy of The Smart Spender
My passion is consumer advocacy and financial literacy.
"Financial Literacy is the New Civil Rights"
"Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; debt is the money of SLAVES."
Why is it that notorious spenders and non savers are always complaining about not having enough money or crying broke? My people are amongst the most unsophisticated consumers, spenders, savers or investors. The Common Sense (¢) Coach is here to change that paradigm.
Black people today for whatever reason do not know how to "MAKE A DOLLAR HOLLA". It's been said that black people in America lack a certain amount of financial sophistication. The phrase "Make a Dollar Holla" harken back to an era when families of that time were force to use creative financing in order to survive and keep their families moving forward. Woman like my dearly departed mother who had limited means would find ways to save money in very tough times. "Making a Dollar Holla" is the modern day equivalent of stretching your dollars, making your money last, getting more bang for your buck or pinching pennies. These dollars were said to be stretched so far and clenched so tightly that if you listened closely you could hear old George, Abe, Al, Andy or Ben say "please lady let me go". For those of you out there who think you know how to stretch a dollar, continue reading and you will learn how to "Make A Dollar Holla". If your dollars are far and few between, don't worry, there are Still a lot of opportunities for you to save a great deal of money.
Lets now talk about "Drowning in The Red C's" not seas but C''s. With all of your debt, I bet sometimes you feel like you're drowning in The Red Sea. What we're talking about is curtailing some of your bad spending habits and saving some dollars that are going out the door. The Red C's represent dollars that can be controlled and/or redirected. Making these dollars holla could mean the difference between drowning and staying afloat. Too many Red C's will put your finances in the red. The Red C's can sink you and take you under.
1. Credit Card Debt
2. Cable TV Bills
3. Cell Phone Bills
4. Car Payments
5. College Loans
6. Charges, Hidden Cost and Fees
7. Carryout Meals
In this day and age it is imperative that we prioritize our spending habits and learn to separate our needs from our wants. We need to adapt a mindset of deferred consumption.
Calming and controlling The Red C's represent only a small portion of our overall savings strategy.
Just like GOD parted The Red Sea, The Common Sense (¢) Coach is here to help you navigate The Red C's and make those hard earned dollars work harder for you. If you are living from pay check to pay check and you're having a hard time saving money please be aware that help is on it's way. Let us guide you safely away from the treacherous waters of The Red C's.
I now want to address the subject of black people in the community who are financially unsophisticated or financially immature. The first step towards combating financial immaturity is to understand your needs verses your wants. The next step is to understand that financial sophistication or maturity is independent of how much money you earn. Number three you don't have to have a PhD in economics to be financially sophisticated. You have to begin by saving a portion of every dollar that you earn. Let's go back to the post World War II era. During that time black families struggled to make ends meet and dollars were few and far between. The women of these families were charged with the task of making something out nothing. The little money that did exit had to be precisely proportioned in order to make ends meet. There were no discretionary funds to speak of. In order to make it from one day to the next, pennies were squeezed and dollars were stretched. The late great Lou Rawls immortalized this era in his 1960's hit record entitled "Tobacco Road" Southside Blues. The black people of this period knew that by tightening their belts and living within their means, they could not only survive but they could strive. They were very aware that saving money was a sacrifice worth making. The reality of poverty was quite evident but the "Spirit of Lack" was not in the hearts and minds of the people. Black people either lack the will or are unable to make their dollars holla.
We're not saying that you should not enjoy the fruits of your labor. We're saying that there is a more sensible and thoughtful way to go about acquiring your goods and services. Reality dictates that if you're on a beer budget, you have to defer your champagne dreams. As my dearly departed mother would often say, "if you're not careful money will burn a hole in your pocket", meaning that it will disappear very quickly. I find that many black people are notorious non-savers and thoughtless spenders. Our mission is to reverse that dynamic in a big way.
Now lets talks about the basic principles of individual and personal financial responsiblility.
1. Living within your means is the first step towards personal financial responsibility.
2. You must make it a priority to seek out and study all aspects of personal money management.
