This year  Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique celebrates 43 years of independence. We donned our national colours with pride, and Grenadians were treated to a free ride on all our Ariza Credit Union branded buses on National Colours Day ,giving away lots of Ariza prizes, now we are celebrating by sharing four ways you can reach financial independence. After all, financial freedom is a great feeling, and we want all our members to grow their wealth all year round.

1. Plan Your Way to Independence

As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once wrote, “A goal without a plan is just a wish”, which is why at Ariza we encourage you to start with a plan to reach your desired goals. Start by thinking about where and why you want to be independent. Do you want to move out of the family home to ease the financial strain on your guardians? Do you want to start your own business and fulfil your entrepreneurial dreams, or is it that you just want to be better at saving, so you don’t have to depend on someone else for your disposable income? Think very carefully about your goal and start to plan and prioritise how you are going to achieve it. Remember, we have a variety of products and services and qualified financial advisors at the Ariza Credit Union that can help you reach financial independence. Find out more via this link – http://www.arizacu.com/borrow/

2. Be Clever With Your Budget

Independent and financially free people are very smart. Why? Because at some point they would have been in the same position as you and worked to gain their independence. More than likely, they are very savvy with their finances and pretty organised. They may be your mother, father or even partner. If you are currently heavily reliant on someone else, look closely at the benefits of their financial support and how they can help you to achieve your goal of becoming more independent.

Let’s say you want to move out of the family home. Use the time that you are being supported by your guardian to budget and save money. For example set aside a fraction of the money you may be required to pay rent with and put it into a savings account or make a packed lunch with leftovers from dinner instead of buying lunch. Before you know it, you’ll be in a better position to move out and pay your own rent and utility bills.

3. Get Creative

We’ve all got some sort of skill that can help us earn extra money if we really applied ourselves. If you’re a creative person or skillful in a particular area. Why not use that skill to help you earn extra money. We all know that Grenadians take National Colours Day very seriously. Perhaps you’re really great at sewing and making your own clothes. Why not sell your skills by offering to design patriotic outfits for friends and family leading up to National Colours Day. Just like starting any business, think about the financial overheads you might incur, like a sewing machine or materials. If you think you can break even from your initial investment, go for it and you’ll be on your way to earning additional income and gaining independence through resourcefulness, creativity and entrepreneurialism.

If you’ve found other ways to become independent, share them with us on our Facebook page Ariza Credit Union.