Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. We never went hungry or had to worry about the heat getting shut off, but we certainly lived on a budget. I'm not ashamed of this, like most people expect me to be. In fact, I believe that growing up on a tight budget taught me a lot of important lessons that we all need to learn.
First of all, growing up on a budget taught me how to manage my money. I know people who have no sense of money management whatsoever, and, even though they are making good money, still end up living paycheck-to-paycheck because they don't control their spending. I learned that sometimes you don't get what you want because you have to get what you need. It's helped me successfully transition into college and managing my own paychecks, and resisting the urge to buy what I want until I know I can pay my phone bill first.
As a kid, I also learned to appreciate gifts and to have patience. A lot of times, I would have to wait to get that new toy until Christmas or my birthday. I remember how exciting Christmases were because it was the time of year when I would re-stock on perfumes, or get the new Barbie I had been waiting for. But sometimes, I didn't get what I wanted, and that really helped to teach me that patience pays off. I remember waiting years to get one of those cool saucer chairs for my room, but I never got one, until I got a job and bought one right after I graduated high school. After ten years of waiting, it seemed even more rewarding to earn the money and buy it myself.
Growing up poor taught me that name brands don't matter. The Great Value Fruit Spins taste just as good as "Froot Loops." The sweater you get off the clearance rack at a resale shop wears the same as the J. Crew sweater your best friend bought new. All three of my prom dresses were bought secondhand, and I still looked bomb at prom. I remember struggling so much with self-image in middle school, thinking that I had to have clothes with the Hollister label plastered all over them. Looking back, I'm glad my parents didn't spend a lot of extra money on name brand clothes, because I realize now that it wasn't that important. If those people didn't like me because I didn't wear a shirt that said "So Cal" on it, then they aren't the people I want to be friends with anyway. Bonds shouldn't be based on brands.
Lastly, being on a budget taught me that true love knows no bounds. Money doesn't mean anything when you really love one another. Our family has never been rich, but we have always been happy. Of course we fight, and sometimes get stressed, but we stick together through it all. My boyfriend of five years understands when I can't afford to get him an extravagant gift for our anniversary. He is happy to spend time with me, and appreciates whatever I can afford for him. Anyone who matters has never been judgmental or mean.
A lot of times, I start to think my life would have been so much easier if I had grown up in money, but then I remember everything I gained from growing up poor. It may have been hard sometimes, but I took so much away from the experience that it really made me who I am today. I know I said it before, but I'll say it again; growing up poor comes with lessons that everyone needs to learn.
