I don’t normally write about this topic because I feel there’s already been so much said about it that I don’t need to add to the noise, but after watching this video, I just had to say something. A friend of mine posted a clip of a Cameroonian recording artist named Irene Major being interviewed recently by two talk show hosts in London. The topic of the interview was Major’s … [Read more...]
Are Black Women the Solution to Preserving Intergenerational Wealth in African-American Community?
A few months back, I had the opportunity to view a film called “Black Heirlooms” which chronicles the financial and emotional impact that a lack of proper estate planning has had one African-American family’s legacy of love and community. Watching the short documentary was so moving that it inspired me to speak to my 74-year old mother about her affairs. Luckily, I learned … [Read more...]
19 Tips on How I Lived on $11.30 Discretionary Income Last Week and Loved It
Last week, I challenged my Frugal Feminista community and myself to a $20 Cash Crash Diet 5-Day Challenge after noticing that my spending had become a bit reckless for recent months. I created a Facebook closed community for support and accountability and this structure worked wonderfully. I was able to be more mindful about my purchases and truly forced myself to choice … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Make the “Cooling Off” Period in Your Marriage Less Stressful and More Productive
Early in our marriage, I used to think that the world was coming to an end when my husband and I would fight. I would get so sad and despondent. I would cry, lose sleep, and let my work suffer because I thought we were on the brink of divorce in that “in between time.” Even though my husband and I rarely have big fallouts, I have learned so much about our marriage, our … [Read more...]
The One Thing I Wish I Had Done Before I Got Married
I’ve heard it said that most people prepare more for their wedding than they do for their marriage. In my case, I’d have to say it was true. Weddings are usually exciting, fun-filled events that get everyone caught up—so much so that, often, we don’t take a minute to stop and think about what happens after the honeymoon. I got married at 23. I had just finished college the … [Read more...]
Why “Paying Yourself First” Isn’t Always About Saving Money
I had a sobering realization a few months ago. I realized that I care more about money than I do my body. YIKES! While I never walked around tapping strangers on the shoulders to say, “Excuse me, Miss, but I really don’t care as much about my physical fitness as I do my financial fitness,” all of my actions confirmed it. The data did not lie. I am in better … [Read more...]
How to Release Self-Doubt So You Can Live the Life that You Want
My mom always told me that I was a sensitive child. Being sensitive has its benefits: I am perceptive; I look for peace, not war; I try to live and let live. On the other hand, being a sensitive child that turned into a sensitive adult, I struggled with the fear of getting hurt and being rejected. For decades, I would avoid situations that would force me to grow because I … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Increase the Level of Financial Intimacy in Your Marriage
I define financial intimacy as a couple’s ability to communicate how they will jointly use money to run their daily lives, as well as, meet their short term and long term goals. Even though we crave emotional intimacy and insist on spiritual and sexual intimacy in our marriage, we sometimes fail to see how a lack of financial intimacy impacts all other intimacies. Think … [Read more...]
Should Husbands Object to Their Wives Wearing Bikinis?
I know a lot of ladies made up their minds that 2014 would be the year that they get their fitness game right. Instead of just talking, they committed to working out, eating healthily, and monitoring their stress levels to ensure that they could be svelte for the spring and summer. They created vision boards, maintained fitness journals and even enlisted the emotional support … [Read more...]
5 Easy Ways to Make an Extra $1000 this Month
Click Here to Download a FREE Copy of the BMWK Generational Wealth Pledge for Black Families! I know that if you are a frugalista, like me, you are always looking for ways to increase your income. You have two ways to do that: increase your streams of income or decrease your expenditure. I am going to share with you how I did the former without stressing myself out. Here … [Read more...]
I Had to Die for My Marriage In Order for It to Live
As of September 2014, my wife and I will have been married 9 wonderful years. We communicate everything, we are 100% honest at all times, we share our fears and support one another. But, in the beginning we were both selfish, manipulative, disrespectful to one another, and downright ignored how the other person felt. We were headed towards that downward spiral called divorce … [Read more...]
Start, Stop, Continue: 3 Ways to Improve Your Relationship
In my work in the technology field, we had an exercise we called, “Start, Stop, Continue.” The premise was for individuals to work with their supervisor or manager to decide what they needed to start doing which would enhance their work, what could they stop doing as it relates to the job and what they agreed the employee should continue doing as a best practice. Since I … [Read more...]
10 Websites That Will Make You Smarter, More Interesting, and More Marketable Without Spending A lot of Money
Looking for a career change, but know that you need new skills and dread the idea of going back to school and paying all of that money? Do you miss the learning of college, but not the pressure, cost, or deadlines? Well, here are ten sites that will give you access to pursue your life-long learning and career goals on your own terms without the financial stress in … [Read more...]
Don’t Hate, Emulate: Use Facebook As Your Motivator
Two days ago, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw a picture of one of my former professors. She had moved to Abu Dhabi to teach and was standing in a mall and surrounded by a number of ex-pat sorors that she had met since moving there a few years ago. “Wow,” I told myself and I immediately texted my girlfriend that had just returned from living and teaching in … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Safeguard Your Purchases and Wallet While Doing Your Holiday Shopping
The holiday season is not only a time for giving; it’s also a time for taking. Yes, it’s sad but true. While you may be thinking of ways to spread holiday cheer, there are those among us plotting and scheming of ways to separate you from your money and all of your holiday purchases. But don’t fret! Here are some tips to keep those sticky fingers from ruining your … [Read more...]