Mandla (32) is one of Bayport’s consistently best performing consultants when it comes to helping customers solve their debt problems. He also describes himself as a money-savvy person – but that wasn’t always the case. We conclude Youth Month with Mandla’s story.
In 2020 I was broke. I was behind on my rent and I had no money for food. Although I was earning a reasonable salary, I was blowing my money on impressing my friends – which means living above my means. One day, I got an email about a course about money that Bayport was giving. Because I was broke and I realised I needed to understand what was going on with me and money, I clicked on the link and completed the module. That was my turning point. I started to downgrade my life. I gave up my own place and went back home, and for the first time I started to think about rainy days and the need to save for them. I changed my lifestyle, I changed friends and even the things I used to enjoy. I stopped spending like I used to and got honest about my situation. At the time, there were also workshops at my church where the older people would educate us youngsters about life, about money and about making commitments and seeing the purpose of your life.
At work, working with customers to understand their credit records, taught me to manage my own living expenses so that I can save money, not only for my own emergencies but also to leave my family, especially my child, something to live on after my passing. This includes making sure my funeral will be paid for. All of these things combined to help me understand that one must respect money. For me that means that your lifestyle mustn’t be above your income, and you must save so that money can work for you. Respect is to understand that money can bring value, no matter how little of it you have.
These days, if I haven’t planned for something, I don’t do it. I plan and I keep my commitments because I know what I want in life.
When I was growing up, I didn’t have the knowledge to save, budget and live within my means. I wish I had learned these things earlier, but there is no point in looking back. I am grateful that along the way I have learned discipline and the importance of having an extra income and not depend on my salary alone.
The biggest lesson I learned was that money can add value to your life because it can move you from Point A to Point B if you have a plan, and that if you respect money it will respect you. That gives me a sense of security when I think about money.
