Fiance?? Finance? Let’s Fix One First.

💃Hi, I am Sameeksha...professionally broke in both love and finance...and here while the world around me seems busy making fiancés, here I am struggling to even spell fiancé correctly. So I have decided to leave that romantic tragedy on “read” and focus on fixing my finance instead. After all, there's only an 'n' separating me from a better bank balance...soo let’s fix the finance part first. As for the fiance part, I will need an English class first and then  maybe  I will finally gather the courage to make one.😑

Well my fellow broke souls hold hands (digitally, of course) and walk this bumpy road of financial literacy together, because misery loves company and so does money!✊

💥Classic Saving Strategies (The Good Old Reliable Friends):-

🌈 PPF (Public Provident Fund)

Think of this as a relationship with your future self. You invest your money in a PPF account for 15 years, the government showers it with tax-free interest, and you come out richer, older, and hopefully wiser. It's basically a long-distance relationship with your own money, and the returns are totally worth the wait.

🌈 EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund)

Your salary's quiet side hustle. A portion of your monthly salary is whisked away before you can even miss it, matched by your employer, and tucked away until retirement. Future-you will send you a thank-you note.

🌈 SIP (Systematic Investment Plan)

SIPs are the gym subscription for your money. Small, regular investments in mutual funds, and if you stay consistent, you end up financially fit. The sooner you start, the fatter the wallet.. because here is where the real magic happens :- Compounding..

In plain English: compounding is like earning interest on your interest, and then earning interest on that interest, and then... well, you get the idea. It’s basically your money dating more money, and their kids bringing in even more money. A full-on family reunion of cash, if you stay patient.

The trick? Start early and let time do the heavy lifting. Because honestly, your ₹500 today might look small, but give it a few years and it’ll be flexing in your account like it just hit the financial gym..

🌈  Fixed Deposits (FD)

The “Grandma” of savings. Park your money, forget about it, and watch it grow at a steady, predictable pace. Not flashy, but trustworthy.

🌈  Recurring Deposit (RD)

Think of this like a re monthly EMI to your future bank account. You commit a fixed sum every month and the bank rewards your loyalty with interest.

🌈 Liquid Funds

For the commitment-phobic. Want slightly better returns than a savings account but still be able to withdraw when needed? Liquid funds are your go-to, especially when you don't want your money to sit idle but aren’t ready to lock it up either.

💥Modern Day Saving Strategies (Because We're Not Cavemen):-

👌 NiyoX

A modern digital savings platform that gives you higher interest rates than your lazy old savings account, paired with no-maintenance charges and swanky app features. Because your money deserves to be both smart and stylish.

👌 Fi Money

Think of Fi as your tech-savvy buddy who tracks your expenses and savings while you scroll memes. They offer flexible savings plans, rewards, and insights into where your salary actually disappears.

💥 How Instagram Highlights Are Stabbing Your Wallet (And How to Stop the Bleeding):-

😕Why we fall for it:

You open Instagram.

Someone’s on a Maldives trip.

Your bank balance says ‘Mal’ while the ‘dives’ part has already drowned.

😎How to deal with it:

Unfollow people who vacation more than they breathe.

Accept this golden truth: Social media shows their vacations, not their credit card bills. (Thanks to Broke Millennial for that gem.)

Before you swipe your card or book that trip, ask yourself: “Am I earning for me or for my Insta followers?”

Chill at home, sip some coffee (from your own kitchen), and let your future bank balance thank you.

💥Books That Changed My Wallet (And Life):-

📚Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry

A brutally honest, hilarious guide that’ll stop you from treating your salary like a Netflix subscription: spent before you even notice.

 📚Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The classic. A reality check between working for money and making money work for you.

Sameeksha’s Note: Read both, but only after finishing this blog, or I will haunt your financial dreams!👊👻

💥Schematic Plan: ₹30,000 Salary - Broke Soul Edition:-

Let’s break it down:

50% Needs (₹15,000) – Rent, groceries, bills, and basic survival.🍲🏡

30% Wants (₹9,000) – Occasional Starbucks, Netflix, birthday gifts for people you don’t even like.🎂🥮

20% Savings (₹6,000) –

     👉  ₹2,000 SIP.⭐

    👉  ₹2,000 PPF.👼

    👉  ₹1,000 Liquid Fund or RD.🪪

    👉  ₹1,000 Sovereign Gold Bond or Index Mutual Fund.🪙

Future You: If you save ₹6,000 monthly via SIP at an assumed 12% return, you will have around ₹7.2 Lakh in 7 years. Future You can finally afford that Maldives trip..with cash, not EMIs.🏖

💥When To Take The Leap: Savings Vs Investments:-

The other day, I had the longest debate with someone who said: “Old-fashioned saving to get rich is slow, you need to earn more to get rich.”💁

And as always, we were standing at opposite poles. If they say right, I will point left..they say north, I am already packing for south..that’s just the natural law of our conversations... Harmony?? Well never heard of that word..

So what I said:-

Invest in stocks and high-risk assets only when:

1. You have an emergency fund.

2. You have cleared high-interest debts.

3. Your classic savings are on auto-pilot.

4. You can handle the emotional rollercoaster (and not cry every time Sensex falls).

First, stabilize. Then gamble

💥 In Conclusion: Finance over Fiancé (For Now):-

Look, managing money isn’t about being rich. It’s about being wise. Your future self will either thank you or haunt you depending on what you do after reading this. So, start slow, be consistent, and for heaven’s sake, don’t let Instagram stories decide your financial worth.

Fiancé can wait. Finance shouldn’t.💢💬

Well here me..👀

Broke in love, broke in cash,

          Broke in luck.. life’s a crash. 

Woke in wisdom, fixing all the rest,

          But love? Yeah, that’s my unpaid test.💔

Until next time, broke but learning ---) Sameeksha.

Money Jargon for Mortals

 Welcome to adulting, aka "Why is my salary lower than expected, and where does my money disappear?" sooo if you are asking these questions, congratulations! You have joined the 73% of Indians who are financially lost but socially rich in Instagram filters.   WELL..Let’s fix that, one witty breakdown at a time...

If you have ever:

✅ Felt personally attacked by tax deductions

✅ Been excited about payday until you saw your bank balance

✅ Heard the legendary "Beta, shaadi ke baad sab set ho jayega" (while you're still figuring out how EMIs work)

…then hooray! WELCOME to the great Indian middle class struggle, and if financial terms sound like an ancient spell to you, don’t worry..you are not alone. Let’s decode the money mumbo-jumbo without putting you to sleep.

1. Savings – "If You Don't Save, Are You Even Middle-Class?"

💰 Definition: Money you save for the future, but primarily to spare your mother's disappointment.

👴Parents: "Beta, save at least 50% of your salary!"

😶 Reality: 50% of my salary is already spent on taxes, rent, and existential terror.

💁 Middle-Class Reality:- you wish to save, but life has a way of coming up with surprise expenses—doctor bills, weddings (since a no is not an option), and that one relative who believes you make in dollars.

You don't enjoy your salary,your landlord does.

💡Survival Tip:If saving is impossible, begin small. Consider it an EMI for your future self.

2. Debt – "Congratulations, You Now Owe Your Future to the Bank"

💳Definition: Money taken to spend now and weep about afterwards.

 Debts You wll most likely have:

📚Education Loan – So that you can study diligently, get a job, and repay the loan till retirement.

💃Personal Loan – Personal Loan.. Usually taken because "Salary isn’t enough, but Instagram aesthetics must be maintained."

👀Credit Card Debt – The game of spending money you don't have on things you don't need (because cashback sounded too good).

 ⚠Warning:--- Middle-class individuals borrow money for anything but therapy.

3. EMI – "Installment Plans That Own Your Soul"

📉 Definition: A mechanism that makes costly things appear cheap, until you calculate.

 👉How EMIs Trick You:

            ₹50,000 phone? Too costly.

            ₹2,499 a month for 24 months? SOLD!

 🙅Red Flag: If you are putting half your salary into EMIs, congratulations...you are now working for the bank.

4. Taxes – "Your Salary? Well Not Really Yours."

📑 Definition: The government's lingo for, "We like your sweat, now give us a share of it."

🚨 Middle-Class Tax Math:   

                   Gross Salary: ₹50,000

                   Tax, PF, Deductions: ₹10,000

                   Rent, Bills, EMIs: ₹30,000

                   Remaining: A entire ₹10,000 to live your best life (for 30 days).

  🤡 Meanwhile,relatives: "When are you getting married?"

     Me: "Bro, I can’t even manage my own expenses...how will I afford a wedding?"

5. Mutual Funds – "Because FD Rates Are as Exciting as Dry Toast"

📉  Definition: An option to invest your money without knowing the stock market.

⚠️ Misconceptions:

👴   Parents: "Son, mutual funds are risky"

🙄   Me: "Papa, even going out of the house is a risk these days."

👊 Reality Check:-

            FDs = Safe, but slow (like Indian trains).

            Mutual Funds = Risky, but rewarding (like dating).

💡Bonus: The Rise of Digital Investments

Traditional investments are dull and slow, and that is why increasing numbers of people are considering digital assets. Even crypto, as volatile as it can be, has yielded greater returns than most traditional assets (if you do it cleverly and don't YOLO your rent money into it).

6. Inflation – "Why Your ₹500 Feels Like ₹50 Now"

📌  Definition: The mechanism whereby things cost more but your wages remain constant.

 📊 Simple Explanation

            2010: ₹100 could get you a full meal.

            2025: ₹100 can get… a 500ml bottle of water at the airport.

📢  Moral of the story:-  If your money isn't appreciating at a rate higher than inflation, you are actually losing money by being alive.

7. Retirement Planning – "Yes, You Need to Think About This Before 60"

👴 Definition: A plan for how you will survive when you are old, retired, and stuck choosing between paying medical bills or giving "blessings" at every relative's wedding.

🔴 Middle-Class Reality:

      👵 Parent's Retirement Plan: "Son, you will earn and handle everything."

      😶 Our Retirement Plan: "Survive now, panic later."

⭐Future You Will Thank You If:

       ✔️ You begin investing early, not at 50 and in a panic.

       ✔️ You don't count on "my kids will handle everything"

Last Thoughts:- Finance, But Make It Middle-Class

If you have read this far, well done! You now know that:

here is your concise, financially-flavored recap:

✅ Saving is essential—its a safeguard against life's unexpected surprises.

✅  Taking loans is normal—just don’t become an EMI slave.

✅  Investing isn’t just for rich people—it’s for those who don’t want to work till they drop.

✅  Wedding is an expense—and if you are still figuring out rent, tell your relatives to chill.

Finance is not intimidating—it's merely adulting with more math. The earlier you begin, the less anxious you will be when your best friend unexpectedly buys real estate, and you are still covering last month's Zomato bills.

👀What is your greatest financial challenge? Share with me in the comments or send me an email at samneuro630@gmail.com (I promise to respond before your next paycheck gets withdrawn).