Nowadays, the lifestyles of the rich and “famous” pollute our lives—mostly in the form of reality tv shows, tabloid articles, social media content, music videos, and most recently in the United States White House vanity fair. As a result, many of us—the aching conglomerate of once middle class and ever-expanding lower class singles and families have been cast aside: left to scavenge what’s left behind—the droppings of the rich and so-so famous. 

Yeah, ok, but no. I am not the one. My bank account could be on E, all bills needing to be paid, and you’ll never catch me sweating—Frank either. I am, We are always rich. Rich as fxck to be faithfully correct—even without a dime to my name in sight. Thus, you’d best believe when I have a few coins to rub together you can call me Lakshmi.

See, when Frank and I began planning our Malem ceremony (wedding) we agreed that we wanted to spend as little as possible, but I desired a gold affair and all the beautiful and necessary trimmings, and Frank desired to make sure it came to fruition. So we sat out on a mission with a $1000 dollar budget, a 50 person guest list, and our list of wedding day necessities and honeymoon expenses included. Long story short we received our gold affair with almost $200 dollars to spare, and at least $150 worth of unused [but later repurposed] purchases.

Nevertheless, the leftover promissory notes were not what made my heart sing gloriously, it was the overflow of love that surrounded us that day—and amongst other sentiments Frank’s co-worker who barely knows our story; yet, she took one look at our photos and exclaimed: “Oh! You are a really rich couple.” So, today I laugh with great majesty, for the Almighty is truly All and Mighty. That is why I can say no matter your budget, wherever there is will, there is a way. You create your own future. You decide what your lavish life looks like, then you take your hard-earned pennies, a bit of your creativity, and a dash of your love sprinkled intentionally into your mix and on my honor, I can promise you your heart’s desires will be manifested.