About two months ago I and my friend, , decided to move to Ibadan from Lagos. I thought it was a nice and inexpensive idea but boy was I wrong.
Ibadan is said to be one of the cheapest places to live in southwest Nigeria. My goal for the past year or so has been to cut my cost of living. It hasn't been easy given the ever-rising inflation.
My friend and I were able to secure a place for about $1000 a year. Not what I intended to spend on rent but it was the best deal we would get for that particular location which is pretty safe and quiet.
The process of finding the house was tedious. I remember a funny encounter with an agent who asked if I and my friend were homosexuals. He hassled us about our source of livelihood.
how do I explain making magic internet money by sharing my thoughts and options on the internet?
Now that we've found a place, we face another challenge--fixing up the place to our taste (which is too boujee, unfortunately). The house is certainly not modern or aesthetic. We had to make some majors to the parlour and some minor electrical and plumbing work
I am a minimalist at heart, so I have tried to keep things as simple as possible but that hasn't worked out fine. We are most likely going to spend a lot more on appliances and furniture.
I hope to turn my room into a mini studio. I have got plans to start a proper vlog on YouTube (for exposure) and podcasts by September. That will certainly cost me an arm and leg but I think it is worth it.
The next phase for me as a content creator is to build and expose my brand (this jas been my goal for the longest time). I also have plans for the hive-naija community. I believe there is so much I can do with it outside this space and I am willing to put in the resources to make it work (I am done with settling for less).
So back to the discussion about relocating. I would be moving in by the weekend with just my bed (guess who is coming to see me? Just guess). The plan is to get furniture and appliances for the 2-3months, so it doesn't hurt our pocket.
This is my very first apartment (since uni), so I am looking forward to the experience of living away from my family for the first time in a long time and exploring a new city (much of which I will be documenting). I would be staying close to another hivian, (he would be my cameraman throughout the year. Just pointing this out in case he does not know it), so maybe finally we can have a successful Hive Naija Meetup.
It feels surreal moving into my place. Yes, my family owns a property in Lagos but this feels different. It is my place (temporary). For the first time in a long while, I have my actual space to myself. I am positive that this will be a thriving experience. Cheers!