Last year, I had every intention of visiting South Africa. Not just visiting, but experiencing it, standing before Table Mountain, taking the cable car up, looking out at the Atlantic, and feeling that quiet satisfaction that comes from finally doing something you’ve imagined for years.
It was one of those “this is the year” declarations. Then I checked my savings.
There’s a particular kind of silence that follows that moment. You’re not broke. You’re not irresponsible, but you’re also not prepared. When I checked flights, accommodation, feeding, and the whole experience, Cape Town quietly slipped off the calendar.
Instead, I went to my village. The air was crisp. The landscape was generous. It was a good trip, but it wasn’t the plan.
And sometimes, that difference matters.
The Real Problem Wasn’t Money or Was it?
It was timing. I didn’t start early enough. I didn’t structure the savings. I relied on “I’ll figure it out,” and money rarely responds well to vibes.
The truth is, many of us don’t fail at our goals because they’re unrealistic. We fail because we treat savings like leftovers, something we’ll handle after expenses, after emergencies, after life, but the people who consistently take the trips, buy the gadgets, fund their side projects, or close the year strong? They reverse it. They plan first. They automate discipline.
This year, I decided I didn’t want to negotiate my dreams with my bank balance again.
So I started earlier.
Saving With Structure
That’s where the Accrue Savings options come in. There are different ways to approach it, depending on your personality and your goal.
Vault Savings
If you know temptation is your weakness, this is your friend. You lock your savings for 3, 6, or 12 months and earn up to 6% interest per annum.
Challenge Savings
Some goals are easier when you’re not alone. With Challenge, you save with friends, colleagues, or anyone at all, earning 5% per annum. There’s accountability. There’s momentum. There’s that subtle “I can’t be the one that defaults” pressure that actually works.
Goal Savings
You name the thing, like vacation, gadget, rent, December spending, and you save toward it while earning 5.5% per annum. There’s something powerful about attaching money to a defined destination.
The interesting part is that you earn daily interest while saving. So your discipline is rewarded over time.
Join Us
My colleague, Esse, has already started saving for December. This is not because December is urgent right now, but because she knows December will come with expectations like travel, gifts, detty December outings, family commitments, and you know, scrambling in November is exhausting.
To join us:
- Download the Accrue app on the Play Store or App Store
- Create your account
- Navigate to Grow on the homepage
- Click Savings
- Choose the savings option that works best for you
If last year taught me anything, it’s this: a dream without a plan is just a nice thought, and sometimes the gap between Cape Town and Calabar isn’t desire, it’s timing.
So if you have something in mind for this year, like a trip, a move, a purchase, a personal milestone, maybe the question isn’t “Can I afford it?” The better question is: “Have I started early enough?”
This is your cue to start saving. Join our savings challenge here.
I’ve lived many lives, but one lesson ties them all together: money is only as powerful as its utility. Through my work, I share stories about money and create guides for Africans who want to get the best out of theirs.