The value of a dollar

When I was a kid, I remember hearing adults talk about those who "don't know the value of a dollar." Fortunately, they weren't referring to me. The first born daughter of New England parents who had a strong "Protestant work ethic," I learned early on that things aren't just handed to me on a silver platter for the taking. Sometimes I remember wishing for that silver platter, that my life would have been so much easier...especially in my teens.

When I was 15, my first unofficial job (I got paid under the table) was making Blizzards, taking orders, and cleaning the dining area of the Dairy Queen with my (now ex) stepmother's family in Cherokee, North Carolina over the summer. Shortly after my 16th birthday, my mom practically pushed me out the door to get a part-time job. While my friends were having fun at a party on a Friday night, I was making Subway sandwiches and mopping the sticky floors to oldies tunes blasting from the speakers. A succession of customer service jobs ensued over the years, sometimes paying me so little that I had to work two jobs so I could pay my bills. I also had to get loans while in college and grad school, all the while wishing my parents could have helped me if only they were more financially secure themselves.

Having many bills and loans to pay back certainly isn't fun, but I have to say all these experiences have certainly taught me the value of a dollar. For one thing, no matter how stressed, embarrassed, or sad I feel about my financial situation not being what would make my life most comfortable (yet)....I am always taken care of in the overall scheme of things. If I really want something (within reason), I find a creative (or in some cases, practical) approach to help me get there. I see some people piss away money like it grows on trees (the same people who pay for expensive things they never use?), as if it's paper...which, it is...but lately I find that the more money I put into something, the more value I place on it. The quality of the product or experience changes in my mind's eye. It motivates me and pushes me beyond my comfort zone. And that, to me, is priceless.