I’m sure some of you are probably wondering how I got this alias. My own mother said to me, “Are you sure you want to be known as Dolla Thug??? Do you know what a “thug” is??? Why can’t you be Dollar Diva or something?”
I just had to assure her that “Dollar Diva” just doesn’t quite do it for me…doesn’t quite do my mission justice. “Dolla Thug”…is perfect…and you’ll see why with this post.
Courtesy of www.superchefblog.com
IT WAS NEW YEAR’S DAY…JANUARY 1, 2008…
You may recall from a previous post that my personal finance revolution happened a few short months before this day. I was extremely focused and watching EVERYTHING I did with my money – from that $1.99 Snapple I shouldn’t have bought for lunch to that $6.99 cold medicine I bought when I felt a cold coming on. Every expense was just taking away from the money I was using to pay off my debt and build up my savings. EVERY.DOLLAR.COUNTED!
IT’S A CELEBRATION!
Now…when it came to celebrating New Year’s Eve…it was my first NYE in NYC so I wanted to do it big with my friends (don’t worry, I budgeted for it so I made it work!). Within the last few days leading up to the big event, my friends and I were all excited about our dresses and hair and shoes and the party and dinner and open bar and etc, etc, etc!
In the midst of it all, one of my friends needed me to spot her a little cash; it wasn’t too much – maybe $15-20 bucks. I can’t remember if it was to buy the perfect necklace for her dress or to cover the cost of the cab back to my place. Either way, I obliged because I knew she’d pay me back, it was no problem and I had it on me so I was fine helping her out. BUT…just like the $1.99 Snapple and the $6.99 cold medicine, I definitely kept a mental tally of the money I was putting out each day and this small loan was no exception…
IT ALL STARTED AT JOHNNY ROCKETS…
So my friend and I had recovered from the celebration of the night before. It was the first day of the year; we had just re-capped the previous night’s events to my roommate; and by the time we’d finished relaying the debauchery, we were STARVING! So the three of us headed to Johnny Rockets Diner down the street for lunch.
When it came time to pay the bill, my friend was just short in cash of what she owed, like a dollar or so. So I was like, “Here, I have a one.” So I handed it to her so she could put it toward the bill. Then…maybe a minute later, she said, “You know what, I’ll just pay with my card instead of paying cash.”
[Now...I'm not especially proud of what's about to happen next, BUT it is a critical point in history that set the foundation for Dolla Thug.]
As soon as she said she wouldn’t be paying with cash, my brain was INSTANTLY alerted to the fact that she no longer needed my $1.00 bill. BUT. She didn’t voluntarily make a move to give it back (it obviously just slipped her mind since it was only a dollar).
So…I took it upon myself to remind her.
According to reports: I looked up from my wallet, kinda cocked my head to the side and in a very mafia-like tone I said, “Well……you could give me back my dollar then.” [please see Marlon Brando's featured image for further illustration]
I’m not a very confrontational person but I was dead serious! It didn’t even occur to me how crazy I sounded over a ONE.DOLLAR.BILL until after the fact. It was a pure moment of me saying exactly what was on my mind, exactly how it was being said in my mind. No censor!
So what did she do???
She was completely taken aback by my tone, looked at me like I was crazy [completely warranted], and gave me back my dollar. “Here! Take your dollar!”
My roommate, witnessing the whole situation couldn’t stop laughing! I looked at her like, “What’s so funny???”
She said, “You should have SEEN yourself! It was like straight out of The Godfather! Bahahahaha!”
It was then that I felt a slight twinge of shame (like 1% maybe), but I brushed it off and put my dollar right back where it belonged. Not long after that we continued our NYE conversation and all was well with the world again.
AND THE PERFECT NICKNAME WAS BORN…
On the walk home from the diner, my friends were chuckling to one another and I asked them what they were laughing about. My roommate responded, “We just came up with the perfect nickname for you……Dolla Thug!”
I just smiled, shook my head and rolled my eyes and said, “Whatever, ladies!”
I was a little embarrassed by it at first, but over time, I began to embrace this nickname and really own it for what it meant in terms of my drive to reach financial freedom (outside of gangster movies). For me, it was the perfect title for my blog and what I want to share with the world.
Like I said, I’m not exactly proud of what went down – if I could do it all over again in the semi-sane state of mind that I’m in today, I wouldn’t have sweated the dollar (I promise!). BUT please keep in mind my not-so-stable state of mind at the time: my financial priorities ADDED to the fact that I had given her money very recently made it all very justified in my brain to get my 100 pennies back ASAP if she wasn’t going to use it!
MORAL OF THE DOLLA THUG STORY
It’s okay to be assertive with your money, but DON’T let money control your life to the point where you start to sacrifice your friendships and relationships.
Sigh…I’ll never live it down though. They are both still two of my best friends (and they even ask me for personal finance advice! AND my friend helped motivate me to start this blog when she began hers: Unlearning What I Have Learned).
To this day we still joke about it from time to time – that moment WILL go down in history! Without it though, my nickname would have never been born. Then what would I call my blog? Dollar Diva??? 
I don’t think so!!!
Thoughts? I’ve already been adequately made fun of for this, but feel free to take a shot if you like! 
Ms. Johnson? Ms. Moore? I think I was fair in my portrayal of the story, BUT there are 3 sides to every story so COMMENT and let me know if I missed anything! 
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Wow, I’m glad you didn’t have to resort to breaking her legs or putting a horse head in her bed to get back that $1!! I didn’t know you were so ruthless! I’m with your Mom and like the Dollar Diva title too though
@ Attila the Fun – yes, she got to keep her kneecaps…this time…
Cool! I was wondering where the name Dolla Thug came from. I like it! =)
Funny… but in all seriousness… lol…. yea… games and $$ don’t mix too well. So if one is aware that you’re serious about your bottom line, the reaction shouldn’t be shocking. Keep thuggin, dolla! Gully with the dolla bills!
@ youngandthrifty – Thanks! It took a little while, but it grew on me…
@ D-Monday – yes, yes…we keeps it gutter with the personal finance and investment options…all DAY!
But I do recommend making your mission known to your friends and family – it helps hold you accountable and it may even inspire them to think about why they’re not as serious about their own financial plan. I’m just trying to start a Dolla Thug Movement…it’s coming!
Hilarious! I love it! Great narrative of how Dolla Thug came to be. Money is just plain evil. In both extremes; having a lot of it or barely getting by can cause people to do strange things.
@ Dorise – you are very wise. It’s very challenging to escape the evils of money – no matter what your income!
Dollar Diva sounds catchy. Hmm… I think you can be Dollar Diva Dug – the 3Ds.
@ Sean Smarty – lol interesting combo name – Triple D! Nonetheless, I think I’ll stick with Dolla Thug. I already purchased the domains
LOL! you are crazy arms…but that’s *exactly* why i love you!
lmao this is funny. But how dare they question your thugnificence? Next time you might have to get up in that a**. You woulda got no love from the street with Dolla Diva so stick with it
This is funny! I was wondering where the name came from. I’m glad they were able to laugh it off with you instead of blowing things out of proportion! Yeah, I couldn’t imagine this site if you were the Dolla Diva! lol
Khaleef @ KNS Financial recently posted..12 Tricks to Make Us Spend Big
@ KneegrowsGatherDotCom – lmao @ the alias. And I love u too! Thanks for stopping by!
@ the QB – lmao, thugnificence…I love the Boondocks! And Dolla Thug def deserves some street cred. Gotta keep it frugal all DAY!
@ Khaleef – I completely agree – Dolla Diva just wouldn’t be the same…besides, I googled it, there’s already a Dollar Diva, Diva on a Dollar AND some 5 Dollar Divas!
But Dolla Thug is an ORIGINAL!
Dolla Thug I’m glad you shared this story because I am sure a lot of people have been wondering where it came from! But I think you left a teeny tiny detail and that was after we came home from Johnny Rockets, I asked you for my $20 (sternly since you pulled that sunt at JR) back and you claimed you didn’t have it and we can all guess what happened next….. thank goodness for your sake you found that 20 dollar bill!!
lol. You all are crackin’ me up, but seriously. Without those moments, the Dolla Thug movement would not have been born so, I give much respect to all parties involved.
This is how we lift each other up, by communicating and sharing knowledge. We are young in a time where the possibilities are endless and we have to be financially literate in order to seize all these opportunities or rather, the opportunities we want. I look forward to “moving on up” with all of you!
Ok, Ana–your rendition of the “dolla thug” web name was very humorous. Because I know you so well, I had a vivid picture of your body language, your facial expressions, and your tone. By the end of the story, I was sitting at the table with you and your friends. Now, I understand the name. As a mother, I wanted you to be protrayed in a positive manner.
Two Questions: (1) If one is able to get a debt consolidation loan, should your aunt do it? (2) If one has a $600 debt and can pay it with no interest by August 11 by not paying other bills, should your aunt do it? Remember she has a fixed income.
It’s taken me a while to get to this but let me address a couple things. As said roommate, I’d like to note that neither Marlon Brando nor Al Pacino had anything on Ana’s mug that day. Attila, don’t get it twisted, the Dolla Thug I saw was one nickel short of breaking Mo’s legs… and had Dolla not found Mo’s $20 bill, she would have certainly wished she’d broken her legs to get a head start. I’m glad you shared the story. We all do some crazy things to save money or reallocate money. I have my quirks (like snap judgments including soup + cereal only = $$ for trip to ___) but I’m in awe of the way you meticulously go about thuggin the numbers and understanding the short and long term consequences of your spending. Truly admirable. :)
@ Monique – yes…yes…’tis true, that $20 did slip my mind and I deserved the look of death, but everything happens for a reason!
@ Sceama – Glad you’re enjoying the conversation – it’s pretty entertaining! But I’m glad you recognize it’s all for a good cause!
@ Dorina – Hi Mommy – well it looks like a few of my readers like Dolla Diva! However, I’m sticking with Dolla Thug – it has a lot of history now.
With regards to your questions:
1) I would recommend a debt consolidation ONLY if the new interest rate will be lower than the current rate AND there’s no fee to consolidate. Otherwise I would say to just keep the loans the way they are because you’re not saving any money by consolidating. Can she not afford the amount of the current payments and that’s why she wants to consolidate to get a smaller payment (even if it means a fee and a higher interest rate)? I would recommend trying to reduce other expenses so she can afford the current payments if it will save her money in the long run.
2) Household bills are a priority – I would make sure all major bills are taken care of before she makes a payment on $600. One month’s worth of interest on $600 won’t be too bad as long as it’s taken care of next month after bills are paid.
@ NM – LMAO…I guess we were that bad…or should I say I was that bad!
And yes, I like your method of reallocating money – sacrificing one luxury (i.e. expensive lunches) in order to afford a more important one (i.e. a trip to Europe) is a good way to manage your money and control spending.
LOL, I love it! Dolla Diva is much too soft. Dolla Thug is JUST right…
@ SO – Glad you agree!
Love that story and yes the name fits you