I Think I Can Still Make This Work: The Money Conversation Nigerians Are Having Around the 21st

There is a particular sentence that starts appearing in your head around the third week of the month:

“I think I can still make this work.”

You check your account.

You remember the bills you haven't paid.

You calculate how much transport will cost for the rest of the week.

You remember that subscription you forgot about.

Then you do what many Nigerians have become very good at doing.

You rearrange everything in your head.

“This one can wait.”

“I'll handle that next week.”

“I'll just reduce my spending.”

“Nothing else should come up.”

And somehow, the numbers begin to look possible again.

You can still make it work.

But there is a bigger question:

Why does making it to the end of the month feel like a calculation exercise in the first place?

The month didn't suddenly become expensive

For many Nigerians, the pressure we're feeling right now isn't happening in isolation.

Fuel prices have risen again, with petrol reported around ₦1,400 per litre in major urban markets and higher in some locations. That matters because petrol doesn't only affect the person buying fuel.

It travels.

Fuel affects transport.

Transport affects the cost of moving food.

Businesses pay more to move goods.

Workers spend more getting to work.

And eventually, the extra cost finds its way into everyday spending.

So you can receive roughly the same income you received before and still discover that your usual month doesn't behave the same way.

Your salary didn't necessarily change.

The job your salary has to do did.

And that's where things get interesting.

One income can have too many jobs

Imagine you earn ₦250,000.

Sounds straightforward.

Until the ₦250,000 gets introduced to your actual life.

Rent.

Food.

Transport.

Data.

Electricity.

Family.

Debt.

Subscriptions.

Savings.

An emergency.

A friend's wedding.

A trip you didn't plan for.

Something your child needs.

Something that breaks.

Something that suddenly becomes urgent.

Now your ₦250,000 isn't just ₦250,000 anymore.

It is a team of ₦250,000 trying to do fifteen people's jobs.

And this is where many people make a mistake.

They look at the account balance and think:

“I have ₦120,000.”

But the more useful question is:

“How much of that ₦120,000 is actually free to spend?”

Those are not always the same number.

Your balance is not necessarily your available money

Let's make it simple.

Suppose you have:

Account balance = ₦120,000

But:

Rent              ₦50,000
Food               ₦20,000
Transport          ₦15,000
Electricity         ₦8,000
Emergency          ₦10,000
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Already committed = ₦103,000