Have you ever been so broke that everything annoys you? Well, this was me last year. I had so many screenshots of stuff I wanted to get but my account balance was sat in a corner laughing hysterically at me. It was then I understood the strong connection between being broke and depression because I almost fell into it. I thought of all the things I could be doing but couldn’t because I had no money.
I looked to the heavens and prayed for a miracle because it was the only thing that could get me out of the situation. Deeply lost in thoughts, I fell asleep in the process. When I woke up it was 6 pm and I decided to check my phone. I saw the sms icon notification and opened it, lo and behold, it was a message from my friend saying how she had been trying to reach me on WhatsApp but the messages weren’t delivering and thought to send an SMS instead. In my mind, I knew why the messages weren’t delivering cos, old girl ain’t got no money for data (Yeah, I was that broke). She went on to ask me to send my rate for a writing gig. Rate? Writing gig? Somebody pinch me! I gave her a rate of N100k for the job to be delivered in two weeks.
Upon completion of the job I got my money and at that point, nobody could tell me nothing! I felt I was on the same level as Tony Elumelu and Dangote. The first thing I did was to get data. Oh, how I missed social media. I went on Instagram and came across UBA Plc’s page rewarding people for saving as low as N5k. Hmm! N5k only? I had more than that in my UBA account already from the money I received from the writing gig and it so happened that the money was deposited when the promo started. I took N50k from it to sort out toiletries and data and left the rest in the account.
After keeping the money in my UBA account for 1 month, I got a call one random afternoon on my way to get some fruits that I had won N1m. At first, I thought it was scammers trying to take the little money I had in my account but after the introduction from the callers and how professional they were, I knew it was the real deal. Ehn! Me? A whole millionaire just like that! Of course, I forgot what I wanted to go and buy and headed straight back home.
Sleeping was hard that night because I kept on trying to process what had happened. I eventually managed to get some sleep and when I woke up the next day I brought out my pen and paper and a list of things that I needed and wanted was created. Here are the things I did with the N1million windfall.
1. Enhanced My Home
I had been wanting to own a vanity mirror and a book shelf in a particular corner of my living room. I went online with my UBA card and purchased those on Konga. I got a carpenter to come help me partition a section of my living room where I would put the bookshelf. I got some utensils and changed the wallpaper in my kitchen.
2. Bought Books
There was no way I wasn’t going to get books. I got a few self-development books and some Chimamanda Adichie, Dan Brown, Sidney Sheldon and John Grisham. They were good reads for the summer.
3. Started a Side Hustle
I am a lover of books with a wide collection that has taken up a huge space in my house. I got a ring light and then went online to announce that I would like to thrift books and to my surprise, 10 people indicated interest in that post. That’s how I started thrifting books and later added scented candles and diffusers.
4. Got a Gadget
As a writer, I needed to get a tab so badly and when the cash came best believe I got myself one. This helped me to be able to write on the go plus it helped me put ideas down immediately they came to me before losing my train of thought.
5. Enjoyed a Shopping Spree
The screenshots finally came alive. I bought every single clothing item, well, almost all the Items I took a screenshot of and to be honest, I felt good about myself. Shopping is indeed therapeutic.
UBA @75
This year the promo is back and better, tagged, the UBA @75 Legacy Promo and I will definitely try my luck again. It will run from July to December 2024 and all you need to do to win is to have a UBA account and save. Who knows, you might be the one sharing what N1 million did for you when you least expected it. Visit UBA Legacy Promo to get started.
