For many people, saving is something they plan to start when they begin earning more.
The problem is that the bigger salary, the unexpected windfall or the “right time” often never arrives. What does arrive is another bill, another family obligation and another month in which the money disappears before anything can be set aside.
For Nyembezi Jere Phiri, the lesson came from starting small.
A teacher, counsellor, entrepreneur and creative, Phiri began her savings and investment journey nearly three decades ago, while working as a primary school teacher.
Her salary was modest and, despite having a working husband, meeting the needs of the household was not always easy. Rather than viewing her salary as the only source of financial security, she began looking for ways to build additional income.
She started with what she knew.
Having studied agriculture, Phiri began growing vegetables in her yard. As production increased, she went looking for customers, approaching restaurant owners and negotiating arrangements to supply them with fresh vegetables.
It was a small enterprise, but it introduced a principle that would become central to her financial journey: income does not necessarily have to come from one source.
She also tried other ventures.
She baked and sold scones, distributed soft drinks within her community and took on other small opportunities when they arose. Some worked. Others did not.
The important part was that she kept trying.
And she was doing much of this while remaining a teacher.
At around midday, the focus shifted back to the classroom.
The K150 habit
At some point, Phiri decided that increasing income was only one part of the equation. She also needed to develop a disciplined savings habit.
She obtained a stop order through her employer, instructing that K150 be deducted automatically from her monthly salary and put towards savings.
It was not a large amount.
But it was consistent.
The deduction continued for 15 years.
That experience shaped her view of personal finance: wealth building does not necessarily begin with large sums. It can begin with creating a system that makes saving happen before the money is spent elsewhere.
The principle is simple, but difficult for many people to practise — save what you can, invest carefully and give the process time.
From salary to seed capital
Phiri's experience eventually developed beyond saving. Through entrepreneurship, training and investment, she began looking at her salary differently.
Instead of seeing employment income simply as money for monthly consumption, she came to regard part of it as capital — a seed that could eventually create other sources of income.
This thinking forms part of the message in her book, Turning Your Job into Wealth.
The book grew partly from her own experience of seeing people with modest incomes conclude that wealth was beyond their reach.
For many households, the conversation about wealth can appear disconnected from everyday reality. There are school fees, food, transport, rent, medical expenses and extended family responsibilities.
Phiri's story takes a different approach: start with the resources available, however limited they may be, and build gradually.
That does not mean every small business succeeds. Nor does it suggest that saving alone automatically creates wealth.
It is instead about developing financial discipline, looking for productive uses of available resources and being willing to learn from both successful and unsuccessful attempts.
Patience is part of the investment
One of the less discussed parts of investing is time.
K150 saved once is unlikely to transform anyone's finances. K150 saved consistently over years is a different proposition.
The difference is not simply the amount. It is the habit, the consistency and what happens to the money over time.
Phiri's journey illustrates that wealth building can be less about finding one extraordinary opportunity and more about repeatedly making small financial decisions that compound over many years.
For people on low or irregular incomes, the starting point may be particularly difficult. But waiting for a perfect financial moment can also become an excuse for never beginning.
The first investment may therefore be less about money and more about developing the discipline to set something aside.
From a primary school classroom to agriculture, small businesses, savings and eventually writing about her experiences, Phiri's journey offers a practical reminder: financial progress can begin with modest amounts, provided they are accompanied by patience, discipline and a willingness to keep learning.
Her story is also a reminder that a salary does not have to represent the ceiling of one's financial life. It can be the starting point.
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