Black Girl Luxury: Creating my Dream Lifestyle
The Black Girl Luxury lifestyle I’ve created for myself didn’t happen overnight. In college, while most of the people I knew spent their weekends partying, shopping or brunching, I was working in order to stay at my dream school. While my friends would join clubs for pure interest, I chose ones for interest that included stipends. My breaking and humbling moment was during my junior year while studying abroad where I had to make $200 stretch each month because of a family situation. My overall experience was good, but there were days I cried because I didn’t visit all the countries I wanted to go to. From that moment on, I wanted to create a lifestyle for myself that I could be proud of.
Fast forward to today, I’m a 24 years old who makes more money than my parents which doesn’t feel too weird because I’m the first one in my family to have a Bachelor’s degree. There is more of a proud feeling for my mother who always wanted better for her children. I now travel anywhere from 3-5 times a year and treat myself to luxury experiences regularly. So how did I get here?
First, I re-evaluated my relationship with money. I wrote a list of my bills as well as the things I like to spend my money on. Since I live at home, my bills are relatively low which gives me more money to spend frivolously (if I don’t keep track of it). I asked myself, “What the most important things are in my life?” I understood that on the top of my list the things I valued included saving money, traveling and helping my mother out.
I didn’t grow up spoon fed, but my mom made sure we had the necessities. My siblings weren’t the best with money which motivated me to be good with mine. Because I always valued experiences over materials, it wasn’t hard to prioritize traveling on my budget. My Black Girl Luxury phase didn’t start until 2020 during the global pandemic.
When I started getting passionate about traveling, I set up a savings account specifically for it. I automatically deposit a specific percentage into the account from each paycheck. I travel almost every other month and never spend more than $1,000 on a flight, so it usually doesn’t take me long to “pay off” a flight. I book it on my travel credit card and then transfer the money from my travel savings account.
Secondly, I learned how to establish financial boundaries. I started spending my money on things I wanted more instead of bailing out family and friends who mismanaged theirs. Don’t get me wrong, if someone needs help, I will do it. However, I’m not going to cancel an upcoming trip because a cousin spent their rent money at the club. It is critical that I put myself as a priority, especially because of how hard I work for my life.
Lastly, I don’t let people make me feel guilty or bad about how I spend my money. Throughout my “luxury journey,” I’ve had friends and family members who try to make me feel bad because I want to buy a designer bag. When it comes to buying a designer bag, I buy one every October for my birthday. This is where I set up a certain savings goal throughout the year so I have the money by the time October rolls around. Everything in my lifestyle is funded by me including trips, drip and dining out. I’ve never asked my parents or anyone for plane ticket or designer bag money. I live within my means and save up for big purchases.
I have created and continue to create the life I wanted for myself and I’ve been having a damn good time!
One Comment
Claire
I love Bre’anna! I always wanted to know how she manifested this luxury lifestyle so early on. Glad this article came out!