There are these little demons, in my mother's church they call them "emptiers". You can't understand this concept of emptiers unless you have been through a drought. My people, the number one pocket emptier in this our grown up lives is "unbudgeted expenses". How does an entrepreneur who has not attained some level of predictable income streams deal with these unanticipated expenses that come not in ones nor twos but in droves!
Here's my recent experience;
#Emptier no.1
As is the case with many remote areas in Nigeria, home owners have to buy their water because government hasn't gotten round to their zones yet, so we buy a tanker load every month and a half with proper management. Lately though I noticed the time was getting shorter and shorter and we tried to do some layman troubleshooting before we decided perhaps our usage had just gone up.
Then, we bought the last batch this fateful day, only for me to waltz to the tap the next day to get some water and zilch! Nada! Nothing but that funny sort of burp that comes out of the tap when all the water has been drained! Oti o. Owo j'ona. At first I thought perhaps it was just an airlock issue until my hubby confirmed that the tanks were empty! 9000 naira tanker load of water, drained overnight. I could not cry. We got the plumber to come in and trace the source of the leakage with no luck of course (Remember my post about plumber *rolls eyes*). Rather than trace the source he suggested we lay new pipes and do a whole new plumbing system. For what naa! N'ile merent!
#Emptier no. 2
While the bad taste of the water experience, a few nairas later with no solution was still lingering, I come home one day to find that everyone had power and we didn't. At first I just thought oh, we have run out of credits on the meter, but when I go to check the meter, alas the thing is blank, staring at me completely blank. I take the card to the estate office to complain and ask them to load the card and see if it'll load. They tell me they have to get a technician to come in and inspect the meter first. It's bad enough that this took about 3 days (diesel burning days), then they show up with a letter saying the meter is bad and no longer under warranty, "kindly forward the sum of 85000 naira to the estate management office for a replacement"!!! Say what?! I gave the letter right back because my brain couldn't even process that figure. While we are vexing and trying to sort this out with the estate, the filling station down the road is smiling to the bank.
#Emptier no. 3
I know some men will blame me for this, because I guess y'all are perfect and you write down the date of your tyre purchases and expected change dates..... Wureva! In my head I have an idea how long a tyre should last and so it is upsetting when your tyres suddenly just give up on you after a couple of nail accidents. At this point, I am tempted to scream WHY ME!!! I had to make unexpected tyre purchases all in this same season of unexpecteds....
#Emptier no. 4
You thought that was all right? Hmmmmm.... By now even you would be like, who did this girl offend? You won't believe, the same day I condemned my tyres, I am driving home trying to stay positive and not think I need 1 week deliverance when gbaga (that's a sound, in yoruba), someone hits me from behind! That's when the meltdown came. I was so upset I cried like a baby, even after I saw that it wasn't too major, I still cried all the way home, especially because my hubby just had the car re-sprayed less than two months before.
So my people, that has been my past few weeks in a nutshell. Why am I sharing? This is about the real everyday struggle of an entrepreneur in Nigeria, especially women who have to run their homes too. There's just so much to deal with. Perhaps you're out there thinking "WHY ME", stop! We're all going to be just fine in the end....... Hang in there.While you're at it, stay safe too #Ebola is real.
Cheers guys!
P.S
I stumbled on this, you might find it useful. It highlights a few tips on how to manage your expenses
Visit - Unexpected expenses budgeting
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