Sunday night is a big night for reality TV. From The Real Housewives to The Kardashians, they keep us engaged with drama, but also the beautiful locales, fancy clothes and accessories that celebrities enjoy. With all of this excess so prominently displayed, do you find yourself trying to live like a reality show star?
If so, here is some truth about those reality shows; fancy vacations are a farce: When the reality stars travel to nice resorts and enjoy those lush accommodations, you should know that they usually get to stay there for free. They get to stay free in exchange for free publicity for the resort or hotel. That is why the hotel name and logo are shown every five minutes while they are filming there.
And those high-end spa treatments, handbags and clothes? All given to the stars in exchange for product placement and publicity.
Didn’t you ever wonder how the reality stars could still travel, drive nice cars and wear fancy clothes while going through foreclosure or various legal battles? I am sure most of us have heard of their woes and a large number of them have had significant money problems.
So if you are trying to keep up with the reality show lifestyle, stop it. It is not real, even for them. I am not saying that you can’t have nice things, but plan for them, save for them and make sure that all of your bills are paid first.
Understand that the show’s stars get a lot of free perks in exchange for publicity in addition to getting paid to be on the show.
So in your own reality, keep your priorities in order, make sure that you can afford everything that you buy, that all of your bills are paid and that you have an emergency fund intact. This way your reality won’t become a nightmare.
Black Enterprise Columnist Jennifer Streaks is a Financial Expert, Author & Pundit. Continue the conversation by following her on twitter @JStreaks or visiting her website www.JenniferStreaks.com.