Technology while home....

Well, where are we? In this moment in time? We are “in quarantine”. The spread of COVID-19 has put us in our homes and away from each other physically but so close to one another digitally. We are learning how to make this work for the time being, because that’s all that we can do at this point. At the same time, there are some really amazing trending-traditions popping up all over the internet.

Questlove, musical director and drummer from The Roots, who was already an acclaimed DJ in his own right BEFORE we were all encouraged to stay home, has been having nightly spinning sessions on his youtube channel, instagram story, and band facebook page (simultaneously) every night since the quarantine started, most nights for around 4 hours at a time. Being a musician myself in Nashville, TN, several of my musician friends who depend on performing live regularly already and often play for tips, have been holding live streaming sets on facebook with their Venmo and Paypal tags on display to encourage tips. Families have been staying connected through video calls on the internet in order to stay connected while keeping their distance. Artists are finding ways to stay creative and get their output out on the internet. Teachers and even entire schools are making learning and teaching content available online so students can continue to learn while they are at home.

And even though some of us still have jobs where we leave the house in order to continue to make a living, many of us are learning how to work from home. Not just “work” in the sense where someone provides a service and is, in turn, paid for that service. But also to “make it work” while living at home. It’s definitely a different kind of vibe. But we are all doing what we can, at least I hope we are. The same technology that I was probably “bad-mouthing” in a previous blog post is how we are all staying connected now. Video calls with friends or family, playing online games with each other, posting creativity through different platforms, these are just some of the ways that we are staying connected. And that is what we have, so what can I say?

Financially, here I am...

This is the time. It’s the time to show everyone how they are doing financially and spiritually. We are all being tested. Nationwide, in fact! I bought in to the belief that I could be debt free. I worked REALLY hard at it, even to the point where it was part of the reason my engagement fell apart. From a financial stand-point, I have no regrets. It’s suffocating to be in a place where it feels like I’m powerless. It’s awful. I experienced so much more stress during the time that I was at my peak of debt while living in Nashville. So I chose to follow the tips that Dave Ramsey believes in. And I got there! I became debt-free in January 2020. And since I didn’t have any more debt payments, all the money that I was making went into my emergency fund (6 months of expenses) which I reached by March 2020. So then what happens? The economy crumbles and we are all stuck at home due to a major virus scare.

But I have a job! I work in grocery, which is considered an essential service. My job isn’t going anywhere (at least for now) and unlike a lot of other people, I’m continuing to work and able to provide for myself and build wealth. One of the customers in my line mentioned that it would be so hard for people who live paycheck to paycheck. I couldn’t help but insert my 2-cents about that is such a scary and difficult way to live and people should be doing everything they can to move away from living that way. As I was saying this, the look on this woman’s face told me loud and clear, “I am one of those people and I’m scared.”

I feel for her and everyone else who is struggling, I really do. Handouts, prayers, or good intentions are not necessarily going to help people in this time of uncertainty. I’m hoping that more people will recognize the risks they take by spending indiscriminately and without intention. Making a budget and being super careful about how you spend is the only way to manage money well. And this isn’t only about money, it’s also about finding the best ways to manage your own life. It’s about ways to take control of how you spend your money, your time, and your mental energy.

When I was drowning in debt, I spent A LOT of mental energy on how I was going to get myself out of the mess I was in. How was I going to invest in a house? How was I going to have enough money to retire? How was I going to save my sanity from constantly worrying about how much money I owe and how much interest I would pay over time? Life is all about decisions. Eventually, we need to make decisions to manage our money more effectively. We need to make decisions to set goals so that we are spending more time doing the things we enjoy while not working but being smart about how to use the money we are making to be more intentional in the present and in the future.