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“I learned how to budget, I learned how to invest, those were things that my parents couldn’t necessarily help me with because coming from Nigeria, they didn’t have a 401k, they didn’t have a credit system,” she said.

And while she did make some initial mistakes, Bola said she saved over $100,000 in about three and a half years.

“I saved every raise that I got, I saved every tax return that I got,” said Bola. She even created a side hustle wedding photography business to help bring extra money in. “I got really lean and mean with my budget,” she added.

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Simple tips for big impact. How are you working on your self-improvement? . Stop by clevergirlfinance.com - we have tons of great content on our blog! Check out our videos and listem to our podcast! || Join the tribe. || LINK IN BIO. . . . . . . . . . . . #selfimprovement #financialplanning #dosomething #winning #moneygoals #financeexpert #debtfreecommunity #financialsuccess #debtfreejourney #budgeting #millionairemindset #moneytips #financialexpert #personalfinanceforwomen #financeblogger #accountability #clevergirlfinance #clevergirlsknow #moneygoals #financialgoals

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In other words, stay focused on your focus. || Join an epic community of women, turn your finances around - Stop by Clever Girl Finance. || http://CleverGirlFinance.com || Link in bio.⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ #moneygoals #financeexpert #debtfreejourney #howtobudget #moneytips #financialexpert #personalfinanceforwomen #budgetingtips #clevergirlfinance #clevergirlsknow #brainsandbeauty #getmoney #stayfocused #moneytips

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It’s time to check in fam!!!!! How did you do this week? Remember no wins are too small to celebrate! . P.S. Stop by CleverGirlFinance.com || Take a course, join the tribe, stay a while. || LINK IN BIO. . . . . . . . . . . . #financialfreedom #financialplanning #moneygoals #financeexpert #financialsuccess #debtfreejourney #howtobudget #womenintech #womenwithmoney #moneytips #financialexpert #personalfinanceforwomen #budgetingtips #clevergirlfinance #clevergirlsknow #mindset #buildwealth #financialliteracy #motivation #spendingmoney #youcandothis #theweekend #friday

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Bola said that when it comes to personal finance, it involves 80% mental game and 20% strategy. While she may offer tips and other financial tools exist to help tackle debt, the biggest hurdle is your mindset and she says that you have to be willing to change your habits and stay on course.

Now, with over 200,000 followers on Instagram, Sokunbi has been inspiring women like Cindy Zuniga to take control of their cash.

Zuniga, a New York-based attorney, used Sokunbi’s tips to pay off $215,000 worth of law school student loan debt and was intrigued by Sokunbi’s engaging Instagram feed that made managing finances look fun.

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I DID IT!!! I AM 100% DEBT FREE 🎉 I am writing this with tears in my eyes and endless gratitude. 4 years ago I had $215,000 of debt - about 90 % law school debt ⚖️, 5% undergrad debt 👩🏻‍🎓, and 5% credit card debt 💳. I‘m the daughter of immigrants 🇪🇨 🇭🇳 and was born and raised in a low income community in the Bronx. I didn’t know much about personal finance growing up, but I couldn’t let that be an excuse for not becoming financially literate. In 2016, after discovering personal finance gurus such as @daveramsey @clevergirlfinance @missbehelpful @journeytolaunch @chrishogan360 @rachelcruze, I became empowered and encouraged that I too could achieve #financialfreedom. I created this account to document my journey and hold myself accountable, while also sharing information I learned along the way. Thank you to my family, friends, and ZBB Fam for your endless support and encouragement. 💜 ▪️ All glory to God 🙏🏼 The journey has just begun and I truly believe that the best is yet to come ✨ . . Photo cred: @quicknsteady #budget #debtfree #debtfreecommunity #debtfreegoals #debtfreejourney #debtfreeliving #debtsnowball #debtsucks #financialfreedom #finances #personalfinance #minimalism #wealth #zerobasedbudget #zerobasedbudgeting #youneedabudget #everydollar #studentloans #studentloandebt #lawschool #lawschooldebt #lawschoolloans #FIREcommunity #earlyretirement #entrepreneur #womeninmoney #ZBBCposts #moneymondays

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“I’m a millennial. Where do I go? Social media,” Zuniga told “Good Morning America.” “And so for me, the appeal was here’s a female content creator that’s just delivering this in a fun way, creating a colorful and lively feed full of actual substantive information that I can take and apply to my everyday life.”

After following Sokunbi’s tips and reprioritizing what she spent her money on, Zuniga said she learned how to refinance her loan, automate payments, and cut back on expenses like eating out.

She was even inspired to create her own personal finance coaching business called Zero Based Budget.

“In a world full of makeup influencers that are encouraging you to buy, buy, buy, here’s a personal finance influencer encouraging you to save, invest, pay off debt and reach your financial goals,” Zuniga said.

Here are some of Sokunbi’s tips to go debt free:

1. Forgive yourself for your financial faults

While paying off debt may seem daunting at first, Sokunbi says to recognize that everyone’s financial journey is a work in progress, so “take the mistakes, forgive yourself, take the lessons and then keep moving forward.”

2. Set up an emergency fund

Sokunbi suggests that an emergency fund of about $1,000 for unexpected expenses will cover the most basic emergencies. One way to build that fund would be to automate payments weekly or monthly in your bank account to reach that goal.

3. Aggressively pay down debt

To reach your debt free goals, Sokunbi advises to “create a plan to pay off that debt with a focus” by using the bulk of your money to pay off more than the minimum payment on loans or credit cards every month when you can.

4. Create a splurge account

Tackling debt may seem like people can’t enjoy their life, like getting a manicure or getting your hair done, but Sokunbi suggests to create a monthly splurge account which can be $20 or $50 set aside just for yourself so when you want to treat yourself, you have the funds in place to do that.

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