Welcome to the real world, the world of supporting yourself
I'm 22 and have been working full time for only two years now. Its only been two years since I've found full time work and been on the grind. Three jobs, 38-50 hours a week...I know its not much, but it leaves me exhausted most days and with inadaquate time to meet with/do things with people when THEY are free. This last year I made $23,350-it feels like so little....and its enough to motivate me to save up and finish University so I can earn more. Money is a hard thing to manage if one is being as social as one can be. People cost so much money! I can't go on for much more working for scraps, for $11 an hour while trying to save for school and travelling.
Older WP'ers, do you have any advice you can give me...what helped you, or would have helped you? I'm thinking of setting my bank account to auto-transfer $100 -$200 a month from my checking to savings to avoid spending. Thatd leave me broke every month after rent, but it'd be a good step forward to financial cushion. I have less than $2000 to my name- its pretty scary since I havnt seen a penny from my parents since I was 17. life's tough eh- I feel so old posting this hah
auntblabby
Veteran
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,700
Location: the island of defective toy santas
Being broke is only normal for us younguns. I have found that a combination of slugging away money in an automated deposit savings account and taking out an additional amount as I can afford to put away in a physical fire-safe works for me. At any time, I have at least a few hundred for an emergency, either in bank or in house.
I like the physical savings because it allows me to SEE my savings. Though, this has its pitfalls, depending on your living situation.
Also, monetize your time. It's psychosomatic, but it works for me. This is especially useful when the desire to buy a dozen books "ON SALE" on Amazon, etc., kicks in. "Well, I had to work [Xhours] to earn [Xitemprice]. I don't need/want it so badly to waste that time on it." This helps keep "quality over quantity" in my mind. I save an assload this way, whether it's chips from the vending machine, Starbucks, or yet another book (my greatest weakness).
Set up a routine meeting with friends once a month/week [every other [Xday], we meet at Starbucks/[bar of choice]], and frugally splurge a bit then. That way, you're being social AND responsible. You might feel lame at the time, but you'll feel like better when you're not struggling in a financial emergency like your friends most likely do.
There is prosperity in moderation.
I like the physical savings because it allows me to SEE my savings. Though, this has its pitfalls, depending on your living situation.
Also, monetize your time. It's psychosomatic, but it works for me. This is especially useful when the desire to buy a dozen books "ON SALE" on Amazon, etc., kicks in. "Well, I had to work [Xhours] to earn [Xitemprice]. I don't need/want it so badly to waste that time on it." This helps keep "quality over quantity" in my mind. I save an assload this way, whether it's chips from the vending machine, Starbucks, or yet another book (my greatest weakness).
Set up a routine meeting with friends once a month/week [every other [Xday], we meet at Starbucks/[bar of choice]], and frugally splurge a bit then. That way, you're being social AND responsible. You might feel lame at the time, but you'll feel like better when you're not struggling in a financial emergency like your friends most likely do.
There is prosperity in moderation.
I am 37 I can't find any work because of a poor employment history and because of a poor credit history (many unpaid credit cards chargedoff as bad debt. I own a business that I need to sell because the contract likely won't be renewed.
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