Tags
broke, college, comic relief, funny, garbage, insightful, jobs, life, losing your job, poor, reality, twenties, unemployment, young
Just a few things to sum up my last few weeks:
Tried to buy Christmas gift for small brother
Bought Christmas gift for small brother
Got suspended from work
Went back to work
24 hours later got fired from work
Can’t afford gift for small brother
Currently unemployed and feeling lousy
So I figured that the rest of the world might want to be reminded of what its like to ACTUALLY be in your prime. Because let me tell you folks, be happy you’re 30 or older, be happy you have security, what you used to imagine as the best days of your life were just figments of your imagination. Yes, if you’re lucky your twenties are a hoot and the world is your oyster. Has anyone ever told you how infectious and nasty oysters are? No, they didn’t. This period of college times means you have to get with it in the real world, which also means you’re probably going to have no money. You’re probably going to be flat on your ass broke.
Being broke means listening to noises in your car and completely ignoring them.
It means that all of a sudden, your parents have become your best friends and also your reluctant ATM.
It means you squint at your pantry trying to decide if peanut butter, pasta, and applesauce might work.
Being broke makes your cat love you, because it’s the only one eating three balanced meals a day.
It means that every day is kind of a bad day, therefore you want a drink.
You spend money on drinks you can’t afford and justify them by a lame excuse, “I deserve this!”
When buying gas, you are also deliberating on how much to put in based on how hungry you might be.
The dollar menu is appealing, but after consumption you have zero motivation to do anything, ever.
Going to class does not make you want to finish your degree, it makes you want to stab someone in the eye for dressing up to a lecture.
When you’re broke, your rich friends on Facebook make you wish you won the lottery.
If you live on your own, bills have become subjected to the eenie-meenie-minie-moe game, to decide on which one gets paid first.
You make the irrational decision to stop paying car insurance because you think you’re a good driver, what could happen?
Leaving your house only adds up to dollars and cents in your head and you would rather mope in your living room.
Craigslist has become your new best friend in “Get Rich Quick” pyramid schemes.
Being broke makes you wish you had better credit to get a credit card.
When you have good credit, you max out your credit card and loathe the monthly payments.
But most of all, being broke makes you value a dollar like you never had before.
Suddenly, all of the parenting you’ve received about finances is starting to ring a bell and you can hear your parents saying, “I told you so”.
Because being broke is the crappiest, most useful learning experience you might ever have.
As Always,
This was certainly a profound bit of writing, Ciara! Not only well written ( as always ), it also shows that you’re gaining even MORE emotional & character backbone ( as if you didn’t have more than enough of that already )! Times and experiences like these are what I call “the emotional gym”. Had we not gone through “this” now, we would never handle “that” in our future. I went to college as a boy and came out with the solid underpinnings of the man I am today, and the same will hold true for you. You obviously will not be a man, though. : ) May I suggest that you view ANY AND ALL money that you spend on your education and what it takes to get where you want to be ( rent, food, bills, etc. ) as INVESTMENTS, not expenses. You’re not wasting your money on lottery tickets, designer clothes and 60 inch TVs – you’re doing the right thing, and in my opinion, integrity always has the last word in the long run! Your “car noises” comment made me laugh, because when I was in college ( and cleaning toilets from 9pm to 1am, as well as working 4 hours a night at a sign painting shop ), I drove a piece of crap ’75 Nova that left pieces of itself all over Pittsburgh. When the muffler developed a cavernous hole and was loud as a semi, I bought ear plugs. I couldn’t afford a new muffler – are you kidding me???!! How will I buy my Ramen noodle soup and spam for the week? I also remember my roommate wanting to get a pack of cigarettes one Sunday. We pooled ALL of our money, took the last coins out of the “loose change” jar, and eventually found enough to get his cigarettes by delving into the underside of the couch cushions. And you know what? Like you said – it teaches you and helps you appreciate even the most insignificant convenience that you have! To this day I am thankful, SO very thankful, for every single nice thing in my life, because I went through a lot of hell to get here. Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, KEEP GOING!!” Very wise. In my own words – how could one possibly appreciate the beautiful view from the sunny mountaintop if they had not once known the cold and pain and loneliness of the dark valley? Where you are is a good place, Ciara, and I am SO proud of you for realizing that! Also – here’s a bit of encouragement. What were you doing in February of 2008? Did the time since then fly by? Well, think about 2016. You will have graduated, you’ll be doing YOUR thing, making good money and reaping the benefits of everything you’ve done! Now THAT is something totally worth looking forward to! Go for it, kiddo, and give it everything you’ve got. The view will be worth the climb – trust me. – Gary