Someone said, “You’d be forming hard guy – hard guy, until you watch the movie ‘From Scratch’”  

Really, this movie will pull on your heart strings and tug vehemently, until your tear ducts give in! Nevertheless, it was a beautifully told and heart-wrenching love story. It is also based on true events!  

Amidst all the life lessons in this drama series, we found some valuable money lessons and we thought to share. We hope you find them useful.  

• Lesson 1: Build independent wealth to make bold moves   

A lot of individuals are unable to pursue their dreams because of lack of funds. For some, they are restricted because they are dependent on someone else, who calls the shot. In Amy’s case, it was her father.  

Amy’s dream was to become an artist, even though she was still dependent on her father (who didn’t approve). She still went on to explore art in Florence but only for a short while. 

What’s your passion?  

It is important to build an independent wealth base so you can make the life choices you want, without having to take permission. You can pursue your big dreams and make those bold moves when you intentionally build funds towards them. Give yourself a chance to connect with a part of you that you’ve been ignoring for too long. Whether you wish to leave your 9-5, start a business, japa, go on a vacation… you can build your Fall-back funds to help you make these bold moves whenever you want. See more details on how you can achieve this here. 

• Lesson 2: Plan for the worst but roll with the punches  

Sometimes life would just be lifing, dishing out gbas gbos to you without warning. This movie gave us a subtle reminder about that. Seeing Amy and Lino move to Texas to stay with Amy’s sister before they found their feet… the Nigerian in you must be screaming “noooo, it can’t be me!” Well, you never know.  

Let’s forward to when Lino fell ill, and Amy had to go back to her former boss to request for a job, so they can keep their insurance. That was so demeaning! Even the humblest person wouldn’t want to find themselves in that kind of situation. Either way, this was their way of handling the situations they were faced with.  

When the punches come like it did for this couple, you shouldn’t feel too proud to move back in with parents, or ask your old boss for a job, etc. You should roll with it and punch back if you can. 

Life will happen no matter what. No one asks to be ill, to lose their job, house, etc., but being proactive is key! You can be proactive when you build your emergency funds, aka., Sleep-well money. Although your emergency funds might not be enough sometimes, but it is safer when you have some funds stashed away. This better prepares you for any surprise life brings, and you can go about life with more confidence.  

• Lesson 3: Go faster by going with others 

The saying “the journey is shorter when you don’t go alone” holds true! Let’s take a cue from Amy and Lino. With their joint savings, they were able to launch their pop-up restaurant. And if life didn’t happen, that could have been their big breakthrough! 

It’s always good to go-together. But it is also imperative that while you’re building your joint finances, you don’t forget to grow your personal finances. Lino’s dream had always been to become a chef. Although he was a chef in Florence, moving to Texas put his career on pause. Amy’s dream to be her own kind of artist was also put on hold because their joint savings could fund just one person’s aspirations. This might likely not have been the case if they were as intentional about their personal savings as they were their joint savings.  

The makers of ‘From Scratch’ may not have known this but this movie was loaded with a lot of money lessons! When you build a better money habit- you can make bold moves whenever you want without being financially dependent on anyone; and you can also live a more prepared and confident life. There’s no better time to do this than now. Let Vested hold your hand through it.