Before we get into the post, I’m sharing “What’s bringing me joy this week?” It’s a new intro that I’ll start occasionally integrating within my posts. Joy is so important to me and I’m intentional about finding it no matter the season of life that I’m in.
So, what’s bringing me joy? Another season of the Netflix series called “High on the Hog” is out! I’m so excited because I absolutely loved watching Season 1. High on the Hog explores African American culture through food. The host of the show travels across the country to explore the origins of food within different regions of America and their connections to Black legacy and history as well as its connections to the African countries where enslaved African American have roots. I’m African American born and raised in the south and this show definitely hit home for me. It felt so personal.
This show has taught me so much and not just about food but African American history in general. The show also confirmed what I’ve always known – Black folks have always made something out of nothing. It’s apparent through the cuisines that we were able to create with scraps and the communities we built to nurture our collective souls. I can’t wait to try some of the restaurants and recipes shown on the show. It’s such a powerful series and I recommend that everyone watch it no matter your race and ethnicity.
Now let’s get into the post…
Money. It’s such an elusive word. It means so much to so many and so little to others. It can be triggering to some and exciting for a few. We have all developed our perspective on money based on our upbringing, community and current state of being. I know one thing, it’s important and no matter what you believe, money will always be an important part of society and how we create the lives that we live.
One thing that I think doesn’t get talked about enough is aligning your money with your values. There are so many things in the world competing for our attention and dollars that it gets difficult to know how to spend your money. My philosophy is that you should spend in alignment with your values not what seems easy or popular. Let me make a disclaimer that in some ways this is a privilege. There are some people that cannot always buy in alignment with their values because of their financial situation. I respect and acknowledge that.
With social media being so present in our lives, we are constantly bombarded with messages on how we should spend our money. We are constantly shown visuals of lavish vacations, luxury homes, luxury clothes, fancy cars and the list goes on. If one is not careful it’s so easy to get trapped in the cycle of consuming these visuals on social and then attempting to pay for them IRL even if it doesn’t align with our values and goals for our money. It’s important to truly assess what’s meaningful to us and spend it in that direction. Is it becoming debt-free, furnishing your home, buying a vacation home, traveling? The fact of the matter is we have to tell our money where to go so that it doesn’t tell us where its going.
A few ways that I spend according to my values:
- Spend according to what’s important to me. I have identified that I love spending my money on travel, high-quality food, my home and experiences. I also like being able to regularly donate to causes that I believe in.
- I budget according to what I’ve identified above. That means I set aside money in all of these areas to make sure that I can spend how I want here. This also means that I may have to decline or deprioritize opportunities or expenses that don’t align with these. In practical terms…maybe I’ll skip a random fast food meal out because I want that money to go towards my travel fund. Or maybe I can’t go on that girl’s trip because I have a room that I want to decorate. Or perhaps I pass up that mid-week latte because I want to get a professional facial at the end of the week. It’s all a balancing act.
- I try my best to spend my money shopping with small businesses, black-owned businesses, and women-owned businesses above all else. I also like to spend with businesses that have high-quality products, great customer service and an overall great shopping experience. It’s also important that the company has values like respecting all people no matter the race, origin, sexuality, creed etc. Point blank: I want to feel like my dollars are valued when I spend and this is applicable whether I’m shopping for furniture or finding a restaurant to eat at. Am I perfect at this? Absolutely not but I try to follow these principles as closely as I can.
- If I “mess” up and buy something that doesn’t align with my values, once I come back down to earth I don’t mind taking that item back to the store for a refund. This serves me financially but also personally because I don’t have to keep something around my home that will take up unnecessary space. We need to release any shame that we might have about taking something back to the store.
Our dollars are so powerful and we must spend them in a way that serves us and represents what we believe in. What are some of the ways that you align your money with your values?
