Inspiring Financial Responsibility
In a world driven by consumerism and the ever-present temptation to spend, one young woman is on a mission to make budgeting a simple and accessible tool for financial success. Meet Angelia Guy, a twenty-nine-year-old entrepreneur who has ignited a spark for financial responsibility by starting a small business centered around creating budget books for people, all while sharing the importance and benefits of budgeting. In this week’s Look on the Bright Side, she shares how to manage your money.
Angelia Guy
Angelia Guy, Owner, Budgeting Simplified
“I didn’t grow up learning about saving. Um, and I always saw a lot of borrowing happening. And I know that I didn’t want to be borrowing all the time. So saving was the root of how I started to budget. It all came down to saving and having money there for me to use when I needed.”
Twenty-nine year old Angelia Guy is on a mission to teach people the value of budgeting.
Angelia Guy
“One of the big benefits of budgeting is having peace of mind to know that your income can cover your expenses and once you have a plan or a goal, you can plan your action steps toward that goal and see how you fit your numbers in it and say okay this can work in this time frame, so I don’t have to be worrying about rushing or worrying that I won’t meet my goal.”
Guy’s journey began when she faced her own financial struggles studying abroad. Realizing the need to take control of her spending habits, she developed a deeper understanding of budgeting and stumbled upon an opportunity to share her knowledge with others.
Angelia Guy
“I was on a full scholarship when I attended UWI, and so I needed to manage my finance so that I can, so that I could have lived, you know, and so that was a big part of the budgeting, and I was only doing half of what a budget actually entails, so I was only writing out my expenses and making sure that I had enough money to cover it, and even when I started working, that was what I was doing. And during COVID, I learned more about budgeting due to watching a lot of YouTube and I learned that I was also supposed to be tracking my expenses so that I know if I met my budget, if I went over budget or under budget, I know and then what was I doing with that rest of money.”
Driven by her newfound passion, Guy decided to turn her budgeting expertise into a business. She created Budgeting Simplified, a small business and media platform to teach her followers the benefits of budgeting and the steps to do so.
Sabreena Daly
“What is too little to save?”
Angelia Guy
“I don’t think there’s anything else too little to save. Every dollar counts when it’s a hard time. So I think that’s where a lot of people fall, you know, and get discouraged because they have a high aim. Realistically, the income does not support that aim. So you have to look at your income, look at all your necessary expenses, your living expenses, before you can consider what amount do I have disposable and then what portion of that do I want to contribute to the savings, and what portion do I want to contribute to fun? And remember, you’re not working just to work and pay bills, right? You have to live your life as well. So, it’s up to you to know your numbers.”
She set out to make the perfect budget planner for herself. Later, it would be a primary product to her customers, providing custom-made budget books that cater to managing money and meeting financial goals.
Angelia Guy
“I was looking for a budget planner online and I didn’t find any that really suited how I work mentally. There were a lot on one page and I like clarity. So I started working on one for myself, and then I said, you know what, let me see how this turns out. And then I started doing more research. Found out about the disc bung planners, where with these discs you can buy, um, refills. So you can just invest one time with the planner and then buy the paper refills.”
Her clients, ranging from teenagers to adults, have reported significant improvements in their financial well-being. Ava Palacio, an entrepreneur and Budgeting Simplified customer, shared how learning how to manage her finances helped her to buy a printer.
Ava Palacio
Ava Palacio, Customer
“Before the budget planner, I was very terrible at budgeting. We heard about it but i didn’t have any basis on what to go by. Like, putting a little here for that, a little there for that, but it was nothing concrete. So I have my own small business and the budget planner helped me to set goals. I was able to purchase two printers last year because of the book.”
But Guy’s efforts don’t stop at creating budget books. She also conducts coaching sessions on financial literacy and shares her knowledge on online platforms. Her will and genuine desire to help others have made her platform grow significantly.
Angelia Guy
“The vision comes down to helping our community and our country as a whole to learn financial awareness. And financial awareness is a big umbrella. And budgeting is just one arm. But budgeting is the foundation of it all. I like building on foundations. I would, it gives me a lot of joy when someone says, you know, my planner helped them to save for something for their small business or for their personal life.”
Guy dreams of growing her business even further by expanding her audience to include children. As her story continues to inspire those around her, she reminds us all that budgeting is not just about numbers on a page; it’s about securing a more stable and prosperous future, one dollar at a time. Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.
