I AM ADDICTED TO SAVING MONEY || HOW I STARTED SAVING AND HOW IT AFFECTED MY HEALTH.

    

This may sound strange but I am certain that I am addicted to saving money. 

It all started from when I was in primary school. My feeding money for the day was 100 – 200 Naira and I made sure that I saved at least 50 Naira each day. It was as simple as that. If I didn’t save money a particular day I would practically starve myself to make up for the previous day. 

I always had money. Any money my aunties, uncles and the friends of my parents gave me would instantly go into my savings box. I did not notice I was addicted to it then because I wasn’t using my money for anything. My parents paid for everything and the guys who crushed on me in school would buy lunch for me just to talk to me. 

Saving was a regular part of my life and I loved it. I loved the feeling when my siblings would ask me for money and I would make them sign a written contract stating that they would pay back. Thinking about it right now, it is actually quite funny because I was like six when all this started. 

I loved counting my money at the end of every week and feeling like a small madam with all my 10, 20 and 50 Naira notes scattered all over my bed. I was such an organized person when it came to my finances. Anything that would make me spend my money has to be extremely important or else I am not bringing out a single Naira.

Now this might sound like a cute story. I am certain most of you are already thinking “this is a really good habit”, but hold on. i will soon get to the bad part of my addiction.

I continued saving like this until I got into the university and I stopped saving as much. Probably because I had more responsibilities and the money I spent on data was outrageous and I was only surviving on my 50,000 Naira per month pocket money. The steaks were higher now. If a guy gave me money, he would always ask for something in return. Something I wasn’t quite ready to give up yet. So I completely stopped taking money from the other gender. So I was surviving solely on 50k and it made it hard for me to save. I still tried to save once in a while but it wasn’t as strict as it was when I was much younger in primary and secondary school.

I thought I had been saved from my addiction to saving not knowing that I only took a break and it was coming back stronger and deadlier.

Fast forward to 2018 when I graduated from university and one year before that I started selling perfumes as a side hustle and a way to make some extra cash in addition to the little I was getting from home. It was in 2018 that I found out about this app called piggyvest. Most of you who really know me must have at one point heard me talk about this app. 

It was called piggybank then but it is currently called piggyvest. I think I got to know about the app through twitter. It stated off so simple. I think the first amount I saved on the app was 5,000 Naira and on God, when I put the money in I felt this rush within me. It was like I should add another 5,000 Naira to make it a round figure. Any money I got, at least 80% of it must go into piggyvest.  Don’t get me wrong. Piggyvest is an amazing app to save, the problem is me and my unhealthy desire to save every single money I have while living like a pauper.

I never wanted anybody to know how much I had in my piggyvest because they would know I have a problem. I was constantly complaining to my friends that I was broke while I would have more than enough money in my piggyvest.

I have only now realized that I am addicted to saving money and this is because whenever I have to break my savings, I can fall sick. There was this day when I urgently needed 30,000 Naira for something that was very important at that time. It was even time conscious but I still made sure I exhausted all other avenue of getting money before withdrawing MY money from piggyvest. After I withdrew the money, I fell sick. I would go to the app, look at how my money had reduced and start crying. I knew I had to look for that money and more to put back into my piggyvest. Luckily I did and I felt a lot better.

This isn’t normal. Its not like I am saving towards anything at the moment, I just  really love saving to the point that if I don’t save, I wont feel alright. 

Few months ago when I had to withdraw over 200,000 Naira from my piggyvest because I really needed a new phone, you need to have seen me that day. I didn’t eat. I was in bed all day. Even after getting the phone, I didn’t use it for a few days because I was angry at it. It took my money. ruined the perfect amount i had in my piggyvest. I had to intensify my saving to get the money back.

Once I get paid, I transfer almost everything to my piggyvest, leaving only enough for data and transport money. Then i spend the remaining days of the month complaining about how broke i am.

This obviously isn’t right. I don’t want to go too deep into other times I have had to break my piggyvest and how it greatly affected my health.

Just recently I started a manual piggybank at home. I told myself that any money from 100 Naira and below would go into my piggybank (kolo). Now I intentionally look for ways to turn 1,000 Naira into lesser notes just so I can save it.

I am really struggling here. I want to spend my money on myself but I fear that I would fall sick.

I am only writing about this in hopes that someone out there has a solution to this problem that I have.