Growing up, I didn’t know more than essentially living paycheck to paycheck. My mom was a teacher in the south and a single mother of 3 girls. That doesn’t leave much room for savings and managing money. On top of that, money and numbers just isn’t my mom’s favorite thing to deal with like a lot of our parents.
When I got my first job, I didn’t know how to save the money. I didn’t even have a bank account so I just spent the money. I got a bank account the next year (sophomore year of college) and saved for a purpose but then kept spending. Soon after, I got credit cards too. By the time I graduated they were in collections. When I started graduate school I decided to pay off the cards and begin working on my credit.
My credit got better and better. I got more and more credit cards and I swiped more and more. I kept getting new and better jobs and more money. Instead of saving the extra money, I got more expenses. More money, More problems is very right. I didn’t know how to manage what I had.
I always thought when I got married or when I made $XXXk I would be fine. That’s not the case. It was recently that I decided that after all my debt from overspending, being ill, living above my means, and surviving…I had to make a change. I had to be a good steward over what I have now to hope to get more and do well with more.
How is your relationship with money?
Listen to the full details in the podcast below.