I didn’t grow up with a lot of money or things. If we could visit family in another state every other year, we were saving the whole time to do that. Birthday and Christmas presents were mostly things we needed like clothes and shoes with one fun present like a book or game. We did have a lot of toys, but we never bought them. We received them second hand, which I still think is the right way to pass along unused toys, sometimes from family friends, sometimes from community donations.
But growing up in an environment where you have to figure that out as a kid is very interesting when you become a self-sufficient adult and then even more so if you are able to break out of that income level.
I have worked very hard and am fortunate enough to have broken out of the income cap that I grew up in. Looking back on it now is a trip. It was a special occasion when we had a babysitter and could have pizza. Now pizza is an option whenever if I just don’t feel like cooking. I don’t think I’m middle class, but then I look at the neighborhood I rent a house in where there are a bunch of stay-at-home parents with nice homes and cars in a gated community. That is very far from the neighborhood I grew up in where I carried weapons to walk the dogs and we tried not to leave the house after dark. I rarely invited friends over. Now I invite my friends over for dinner and game nights.
Hard work is definitely a huge part of the equation but I also found some really great opportunities at the right time. There were a lot of years I lived off my credit cards and barely made it to the next paycheck. Some of the jobs I found that helped me immensely I thought were fake postings and I almost missed the opportunity they provided.
Looking back, both of my parents struggled with money and money management. I like to think I learned a lot from them and I have been able to change my trajectory in like because of it.