“I only have $100 to last me the rest of the week,” I whined to my mom. My bills were paid, my car had gas, and I just returned from a Spring Break vacation in Mexico with my best friend.
In that moment, I forgot where I came from.
When I was a kid, my mom would count quarters at the end of the month. When I was a kid, we didn’t have annual family vacations. When I was a kid, my mom couldn’t take us out to eat if she was too tired to cook.
College students love to claim the “broke college kid” lifestyle. It bonds us together in a boat that’s floating on a sea of ramen noodles. Here’s the truth of the matter—the majority of us have no idea what it actually means to struggle financially. We sit in circles and complain about how poor we are, then we go into our gassed up cars and drive to dinner. After leaving my small town in Illinois and coming to Des Moines, I joined the brigade of college kids claiming that they’re broke because they can’t blow money at the bar. Ever since that conversation with my mom, I've been thinking of the aspects of my life that are not promised to everyone.
I don’t have to worry where my next meal is coming from
While I was complaining about the soggy pizza and the irritated cafeteria worker, 80% of Americans were suffering from some sort of food insecurity. Sure, the dining hall food got old, but I never truly worried about when I would eat again. If I did get bored, I could run through a drive-thru or get a group of my friends and go to our favorite Mexican restaurant.
I can afford to go to the doctor
I’m someone who takes 3 different prescriptions on a daily basis. I get tonsillitis twice a year. I’ve sprained both of my ankles three times within the past year. I'm privileged in the sense that I can afford all of my doctor visits. My health insurance isn’t top tier, but it’s still more than what 33 million Americans have. Some families have to choose between taking their children to the doctor or feeding them for the rest of the week. In addition, some folks who do suffer from mental illness are unable to afford their medicine because of the high costs.
I can go on vacation
It’s one thing to have no money after paying all of your bills, putting food in your belly and clothes on your back. It’s another to have no money after club entrance fees, margaritas and new clubbing outfits.
I can go to the thrift store for fun
Goodwill has become a hot spot for young adults to fuel whatever vintage or hipster image they’re chasing. The next time you’re searching for an appropriate outfit for the sorority of fraternity theme party, pay attention to the other customers. Are they there because the 90's are "in" right now?
I don’t have to rely on coupons
My mom would prepare for days before going shopping. She would spend hours at the kitchen table, double checking and triple checking expiration dates. If you can head to the store and pick up a few name-brand things, you’re doing a lot better than most people.
Look around you. Look at the people who are actually struggling to afford school supplies and tuition. Look at the people who are working, not because they want money for shopping, but because they need it to support themselves. Look at where you are at in your life and ask yourself if you are truly the disadvantaged.
