In December 2024, I almost took a ₦240,000 loan from Fairmoney to buy an iPhone.
I have been pricing iPhones since 2021. The XS Max was my “dream phone” then.
It was around ₦220,000 and that money looked like a million naira to me.
Shishi, I didn't have. 😂
There was a vendor I reached out to occasionally to ask for the current price.
That guy’s patience level needs to be studied, because each time I'd tell him “I’m coming”, “I’m saving up”, “I’ll make my first installment”.
My dear, I wasn't saving anything.
You know how everywhere you turn now, you see someone using an iPhone? It wasn't always like that o.
All my milestones, I literally had to beg for a phone to snap.
Matric o. Birthday. My sign out! (oh, this one hurt meeee!)
Project defense. I borrowed phones every single time. I was paineddd.
December 2023, I finally gathered my life savings, which was enough to buy an XR, but then I was caught between buying a laptop, and theXR.
I settled for the laptop, to support my remote work journey, even if I didn’t have a job.
Secondly, I was in my final year, and I knew it wouldn’t be funny begging for laptops for my project.
The plan was that hopefully before I sign out, I’ll get the money.
March 2024, sign out came, no phone.
I said no wahala. I'll buy before convocation.
Convocation was announced in December 2024.
Guess what? I was still broke.
I remember sitting on the floor that day thinking about all the graduation transitions I had planned.
Whose phone would I use?
And a stupid thought came to my mind.
“Should I just borrow from Fairmoney?”
I opened the app. Clicked ₦240,000.
The interest was almost twice the price of the phone.
Omo! With no stable job in sight, I knew it would be stupid to do that.
I had to “dead” the idea.
I went for convocation. Used my old 6s for content, then borrowed random people's phones for pictures.
Thankfully I could sew, so I made my own dress and it saved me a lot of money.
Morning of my convocation, December 20th. I’ll never forget that day.
I got a notification from a big creator on LinkedIn.
When I mean big, I mean BIG.
I didn’t open the message because I couldn’t believe it at first, and I was also in a haste.
Convocation finished. Everybody went home. I went home too.
Opened the message, and it turned out to be a job offer. (slide 3)
An actual job offer!
I had the interview, and by December 27th, I was hired. $15 per hour. 2 hours a day ($600 a month), that later turned into 6 hours a day ($1,800) a month.
Fast forward to March 2025.
On my 24th birthday. I walked into a store and bought the iPhone I had been dreaming of owning for YEARS.
Not the XR I almost went into debt for.
Not the XS Max.
A 13. ₦670,000. Paid in full. With peace of mind!😭
You know the funny part?
That day, with the money I had in my account, I could have bought a 16 if I wanted. But I couldn't justify spending over a million naira on a phone (I was like, “small girl like me? No o”).
Plus, I was relocating to Ibadan the following month for NYSC and needed all the cash I could keep.
Guy, I didn't even "save" for it.
Why am I sharing this?
Because I know how it feels to long for something. Not for months, but for years. To write it in your goal book every single year. To watch everyone around you have it while you keep telling yourself "I’ll buy it soon."
And now I know how it feels to just think about something, and the next minute you're ordering it on TikTok or walking into a store to wire the transfer in full.
I've been on both sides of this table.
And I want to tell you, that thing you think is taking forever to come, will come.
And it'll come with ease.
You'll have much more than enough to buy it, without breaking your neck.
Without debt. Without begging for it.
Just give it time.
-Dancy Ella
A lot of talented traders are putting in the work but still lack one key ingredient - CAPITAL‼️
And the truth is, limited capital delays progress for many people with real potential.
That changes this week.
I’ll be giving away some Stellar accounts to deserving traders. 🚀
If you need one for yourself:
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