6 Inspiring Money Lessons Women Can Take From Beyoncé’s Lemonadefeatured

by Jenni on April 25, 2016
Posted in Money

Whether she’s singing “depend on no one else to give you what you want” or pointing out how ridiculous it is that women are taught to “shrink themselves and make themselves smaller”, Beyoncé’s been telling us to be independent women with strong finances since way back in the 90s.

And with the release of her new visual album, Lemonade, comes a ton of new motivational lyrics from Queen Bey herself. Let’s take a look at some of the most inspiring money lessons we can take from her latest album:

1. Save a F*ck Off Fund

“And keep your money, I got my own

Get a bigger smile on my face, being alone” - Don’t Hurt Yourself

Have you reached a stage in your life where you don’t need to rely on other people financially? If so, congratulations! If not, what are you waiting for? Make it your mission to become the Independent Woman you’re supposed to be.

Whether you’re reliant on your parents or your partner, start planning now for a future where you can support yourself. This isn’t something that will happen overnight (almost two years after moving in with my parents I’m still working on becoming 100% independent myself) but the sooner you start making and saving your own money, the better.

Unfortunately, thousands of people are trapped in bad relationships and toxic workplaces because they don’t have enough money to leave. This is exactly why an emergency fund or “F*ck Off Fund” can be super empowering. Imagine having your own stash of cash that enables you to escape from a situation you don’t want to be in. Imagine being able to ditch your cheating boyfriend after you caught him with ‘Becky with the good hair’.

Even if you’re single, in a great relationship, or feel financially stable now, you just don’t know how your situation could change in the future, so it’s important to build a secret savings fund especially for you.

2. Diversify your income

“She’s stacking money money, everywhere she goes” - 6 Inch

When you hear Beyoncé sing these words in 6 Inch, imagine her telling you to diversify your income. By ensuring you have multiple sources of income at the same time you can increase your wealth faster and protect yourself in the event of job loss or an emergency.

With movies, properties, Ivy Park, and properties under her belt, Beyoncé is the queen of diversifying her income. Of course, we can’t all be millionaire superstars like Queen Bee but that doesn’t mean we can’t diversify our incomes on a smaller scale and run the world in our own way. Here’s a great post from Making Sense of Cents about diversifying your income.

3. The time to make more money is when you don’t need it

“She already made enough but she’ll never leave” - 6 Inch

In the words of money expert and blogger, Bridget Eastgaard, “the time to make more money is when you don’t need it” and I think you could definitely take this lesson in the lyrics above. Even when you think you’ve made enough, make some more. As Bridget explains in her post:

“You might reach a point where you look at your current financial situation and think: “I have enough money to meet my needs and enjoy myself, why should I bother trying to earn more? The short answer is for those times when you won’t have enough money to afford your lifestyle.”

It’s never a good idea to wait until you’re facing an urgent expense before you start making more money.

4. Make sure you’re worth the money you make

“She works for her money, she works for the money

From the start to the finish

And she worth every dollar, she worth every dollar” - 6 Inch

Make sure you’re worth the money you’re making and strive to be the best at what you do. By aiming high and giving your employer/client/customers their money’s worth, word will soon get around and you’ll find it easier to ask for a raise, attract new business, grow your empire, and take on the world!

Charging more than you’re worth may seem like a great way to get rich quick but it could earn you a reputation for not delivering on your promises.

5. Side hustle your way to the top

“She grinds from Monday to Friday

Works from Friday to Sunday” - 6 Inch

Obviously ‘6 Inch’ is open to interpretation just like any other song but for money-obsessed me, the lyrics make me think of someone who works the ‘daily grind’ in the week and a side hustle at the weekend.

If you don’t already have a side hustle alongside your regular job - get one! You’ll make more money, learn valuable skills, meet new people, and boost your CV.

Your side hustle could be anything from flogging vintage clothes on eBay to running businesses’ social media accounts. You could walk people’s dogs, clean strangers’ houses, cut your elderly neighbours’ grass.

You could teach people to play the guitar, help someone learn a language, build someone a website. Use your skills to your advantage and make money doing what you do best!

6. Don’t shy away from being the breadwinner

“If he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, cause I slay

Drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J’s, let him shop up” - Formation

In Formation, Beyoncé flips traditional gender roles and talks about how she’s the one who makes the most money. She’s the one who has the chopper and treats her partner to nice things.

I love this. Long gone are the days where it’s the norm for men to be the breadwinners and women to stay at home, raise the kids, and put tea on the table each night. This is no longer the default option and most of us don’t have to ask our men for pocket money. Women are increasingly becoming financially independent, setting up their own businesses, and climbing the career ladder.

Saying that, there’s certainly nothing wrong with earning less than your partner and being a stay-at-home mum if you like. You’ve got to do what’s right for you. Besides, with the gender pay gap unfortunately still very much alive and sky-high childcare costs, in many cases it makes more financial sense for women to give up their jobs or work from home while their partners continue to go out to work.

 

Have I missed any kick ass Lemonade lyrics? Give me a shout in the comments below and let me know what you think of Beyoncé’s new album!

Add comment