If you have rich friends, you can relate to the occasional enjoyment. However, it can get really awkward at times. Have you ever received an expensive gift that was hard to maintain or replace? Well, these five Nigerians have, and they told us their struggles with receiving expensive gifts.
Abike, 24
In early 2020, a man who liked me bought me perfume. I later Googled the name of the scent and found out the price. It was then I realized that after smelling like a daydream, I’d go back to Nivea and Smart Collection. It’s 2022 now, and there’s still some left. I’ve been using it sparsely ever since because, omooo. Perfume wey predate pandemic till now just because of sapa. One day one day sha.
Vivian, 28
My older friend got me my first Bath and Body Works bundle a few years ago, and I loved them; only for me to go looking for them in Nigeria and find the shock of my life. The products were way too expensive for me, but I closed my eyes and bought them anyway. When you start using luxury, it’s hard to go back. I kept buying them for a few more months until I realized that my income was suffering as a result. I had to go back to using Dove until last year when my income shot up and I could afford Bath and Body Works again.
Uchechi, 23
My current phone is an iPhone 11 Pro Max, which my three sisters contributed and gifted to me at my graduation. I treat it like an egg because if the screen breaks, I’ll just go back to Infinix. I won’t carry my house rent to replace the screen when I’m not mad. I’m just begging my Chi and my screen guard to understand our days of little beginnings so that we won’t go back to the gutter.
Mike, 32
Someone I used to be friends with went and bought me skincare products that cost almost N100k. I rejected the gift because I would not be able to afford new products after exhausting the one she bought for me. It did not make sense to me to go from using Irish Spring and vibes to spending half my monthly salary on skincare. It caused problems between me and her because how she go look me reason say I fit afford that kind thing? All she needed to do was ask me what I wanted. That’s what rich people never understand. They’re so all up in their world that they think everyone must like expensive gifts even when the gifts are not functional. Abeg.
Lydia, 28
An uncle gave me a smartwatch in 2017. I was in NYSC then, broke as a church rat. The straps fell off, and I couldn’t replace them because they were too expensive. I also couldn’t find them in Nigeria. I had to abandon the smartwatch for years. Last year, I found something that could hold the watch, but it wasn’t a perfect fit. I managed it for a short while, and then one day, the watch fell off and got lost. Losing the smartwatch hurt me so much, even till today.
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