Coming from a family that's a family of immigrants, where we were three families
in a one-bedroom in Brooklyn, I didn't learn about money growing up.
My experience with money was seeing my family hustle and now everyone's doing
really well.
Hi, my name is Dijana Ilieva, I'm 34, I make $150,000 a year
and I live in Manhattan, New York City.
I started my agency
after getting laid off from a corporate job.
I've been pretty fortunate,
it really ranges when you're freelancing and working for yourself.
I mean, I would say my biggest expense every month is my rent.
I do have health insurance, I pay about $400 a month for it,
but even with that $400, you know,
prescriptions are a ton,
but I just have to have health insurance,
especially when you're in your mid-30s.
The challenges of having your own agency,
there's so many.
One, just being used to that
Friday direct deposit, having to really know where every single dollar is coming from.
Another challenge is just money management for me,
putting aside money to pay your taxes every year.
And also just knowing your worth.
I think that was something that I learned a lot. You start doing
designs for like $200-$300, and then you realize there's
people that are doing this for hedge funds that are charging like
$100,000 just for a logo.
My experience with crypto... I have to thank my little brother Jeton, he was on
it very early on, and he told me to invest in bitcoin a couple years ago
when it was about $1,000, maybe a little less.
And I liquidated at $19,000.
He called me and said, "Get out!"
And I was like, "What do you mean?"
And he said, "You will never see a return on anything like this in your life again."
Putting a little bit of money into it, you know, here and there, and kind of
having a very diverse portfolio.
I have a 401(k), I have a retirement plan.
Throughout college I actually worked at Safeway for five years, when they were
union and the No. 2 company to work for behind Starbucks, so that's all
been building since then, and every time I have taken a corporate job, whether
it's been for a little bit or been on my own, I'm always putting into that fund.
If I do an event and, you know,
I bring in $20,000 from it obviously I'll put aside
a portion of that, and then there's months where I'm not putting anything aside.
I was just so fortunate to be a hustler, like...
finding ways to save on everything.
I do go to a very expensive gym and provide them liquor for their monthly
mixers, and I'm fortunate enough to get a comped membership there.
And I think just that hustle growing up here in New York
and coming from a family that's a family
of immigrants, all of that was instilled in me at such a young age and really
preparing yourself.
Right now we are going to see Kristen, who is my partner in #HashtagLunchbag,
because we have a meeting about this weekend's event.
You know, you make sandwiches, we distribute them to the homeless.
We started with just making 100, now we're making almost 1,000 every month.
It's just nice to be able to do something that can put a smile on
someone's face that we take for granted.
Every dollar I spend, I think of how I can make like three dollars to cover it,
you know, and that's always in my head.
I buy a purse for $200 and I'm like,
"Where am I gonna make $500 tomorrow?"
My goal is to retire by 40.
I always say if you live in Manhattan, you have to hate yourself a little bit.
You know, it's not easy to live here,
so I'm really working up to taking everything I made here and
enjoying the rest of my life somewhere else.
So I never felt like I was great with money, and the more I talk about it, the
more I realize you hear where you can do better and where you can spend less...
The fact that I am debt-free and live alone in New York,
I've been pretty good with money the last couple years.