Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.
I never really wanted for much when I was young. My parents were good people, responsible and never let me go too long without something I wanted.
My dad usually made me do stuff if I wanted something big, like I mowed the grass and did that whole job for the entire summer for a Playstation 2.
I had, not an allowance, but a deal with my dad. He said if I made A’s he’d give me $100 dollars a week. So I made A’s until high school. So I never really understood how difficult and important financial wisdom dictates practically everything you’ll do after 18.
My dad used to say that to me a lot, though. “If you can’t buy 5, you can’t afford 1.” It’s a pretty good rule. I follow it for the most part today. Sometimes not, but I always remember it.
Those words rang like a bell through my head when I had lost everything. Sitting on a curb in front of a corner store, with not enough money for the hotdogs they have on the spinning roller cookers. And I make it my first rule when I have to buy things or need to prioritize the list of shit I need for the day. I call it life math. The algebraic formula you need to thin the number of items on the list of stuff that your life calls for daily.
Anyway, yup. That’s what I learned too late in the cycles of life. I guess I had to learn the meaning of “necessary supplies” before I could learn to save money in the correct ways…
