I’m 25, I Make $36K & Teenage Me Was An Overstrung Artsy Lil Prick
Yes, though some of that pressure I put on myself. I think I was “that” teenager who went hard at school, watched Scorsese and thought reading On the Road made me an intellectual. Basically I was an overstrung artsy lil’ prick. Both of my parents went to college and my dad went back to school when I was young in order to become a teacher. We definitely grew up in a very academically driven environment. I definitely ran myself ragged at times trying to be the best possible student in high school, thinking that my grades were my worth. My mom taught at a university that had tuition support for students of faculty and staff at certain schools, so I only applied to schools on that list and ended up getting a partial dance scholarship to one of those schools. My mom switched to a different university part way through my time in school, but the increase in her salary, as well as the amount my parents saved, still covered the costs of school. I took out no loans and graduated debt free. This is one of the things I am most grateful for. It’s a privilege I cherish given that I know my dad and many of my friends will be paying or have been paying their loans for decades.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My family didn’t talk about money super often. I attended public school, we lived in an apartment, we never owned a car, and my parents are not excessive spenders, but also we took vacations and my sister and I never worried about money or being able to do activities like dance and soccer. My family is definitely upper middle class, and my mom’s career has grown as I got older. I would say it’s launched us all collectively into an extremely privileged space. I wish they had talked a bit more about money and budgeting. As a teenager, I kept all of my money from my jobs in an envelope in my bedside drawer like a dragon hoard. I didn’t open up a savings account until I was 18 or get a credit card until I was 22 and have only just started my retirement. My parents are both good at using credit card points and other hacks that I wish I had learned sooner. My mom especially worked extremely hard from few resources to become financially secure, and she’s sometimes expressed that she thinks figuring it out for yourself is part of adulthood. But sometimes I wish they had given me a bit more guidance about some of these things. That being said, they are extremely supportive and given all the privilege I had growing up, I’m not in a place to complain! I just sometimes dream about all the credit card points I could have saved…
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I started babysitting at 12, and continued to babysit throughout middle and high school for money for clothes and hanging out with my friends. Eventually I began teaching dance at my local studio when I was 16 and made cash under the table. My first job that actually required signing a W-2 was doing nude art modeling my freshman year of college. Weird job.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I didn’t really worry. At one point when I was in elementary school, which is when my dad went back to school, I was aware that we had less money, but my parents sheltered me from that a fair amount. I was mostly just aware that we had more money than some of my friends and less money than others. As I got older, I realized how privileged we actually were to be able to live in New York City, do extracurriculars and take a family vacation now and then. I don’t think I understood that I was comparing myself to the literal 1%, and though we’re in the 99%, we’re wayyyyy up there.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes. I know I have a lot in savings and am generally quite capable of living frugally, but I’m scared because my industry is getting slashed federally and there’s not a lot of jobs for entry-level environmental non-profit workers. I also know that my career will never really make me a lot of money, so I do have to be conscious about how I spend. I also worry about not being able to find a job with health insurance, and I’ll be turning 26 this year and will be graciously booted off my mom’s wonderful health insurance. I also don’t have much in investments or retirement because investing and risking financial loss freaks me out, but I’m aware that it’s probably the only way I can passively make income. I dogsit and donate plasma on the regular to supplement my current income as well as working two jobs, and it rarely feels fully secure.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became responsible in stages. At 19, I got off my school meal plan and paid for my own food and general living expenses while attending school. I stopped living at home at 18 and have been responsible for my own rent whenever I wasn’t attending school. However, having been on my mom’s health insurance and still being on the family phone plan (which is shifting because my parents recently separated and are starting to split finances), means that I would not consider myself 100% responsible. My parents are also both incredible, generous people who would definitely support me or help me out if I ever needed it. I could move in with either of them if I needed a landing spot, and they would also definitely help me if I was in over my head.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
My parents helped me purchase my first car by contributing $3,500 to the cost (I only ended up paying about $1,000 myself) and my mom helped me buy my second car this past year: she contributed $3,500 which ended up being about half the cost of the car.
