This one is going to be a little different.😁 This post is going to be completely based on my own experiences and opinions. I want to talk about living without money.
I know it sounds crazy to some people, but it IS possible. Obviously, the way things are now, it is hard to live without at least a small amount of money, but do not have to be rich to live a happy life.
As a child, we always had a home and a vehicle. Never anything fancy, but it was shelter and a way to get from point A to point B. We always tell silly stories from when we were younger about how my friends and I used to tell my sister that a bucket full of water was a pool. As an adult, I do not remember everything from my childhood, but I do remember that I was a very happy child and I had a WONDERFUL childhood. It was not until adulthood that I found out my parents were not rich, by any means.
When we are children, we just assume that if our parents buy us things they must be rich. 😂 In adulthood, we realize that is not the case. Quite often I hear people talking about how they will not help others if there is nothing in it for them. That always drives me crazy. But I suppose that is what most people think life is about these days.
So, I want to tell you about how my adult life has been since my kids were born and I have lived on my own...
Shortly after my daughter was born, her dad and I moved back to PA to live with my parents until we could afford to live on our own. A few months after our son was born, my now ex husbands mother bought us a house to live in. We moved in, he got a new job making a little more money than what he had been making, and we made sure our kids had shelter and we could get them from point A to point B. They were very young, so they did not ask for much, but we did the best to make sure they had what they needed. When our son was a little over a year old, we decided it was best that we separate and go back to being friends, while taking care of our two beautiful children together!
It still to this day can be very difficult raising our children together, separately, but we do the best we can. The kids and I moved out, and we eventually ended up in a low income based housing area. I was unable to hold a job because I was the sole physical provider for my children. We were on Welfare so I was able to buy food with our food stamps and get them medical attention with medical insurance from the state. We shopped for clothes at thrift stores with the money I received from their father as child support. Anything I could buy from the dollar stores I did. Luckily, I am creative so I was able to make a lot of the things I needed from inexpensive materials.
Yes, I heard the whisperings and saw the faces when I went to the store on my own while the kids were with their dad, and pulled my WIC papers or food stamps out while dressed nicely and having my hair brushed and sometimes straightened or curled. It bothered me a little, but not having money does not mean you have to look dirty with torn up clothes and never have your hair nice.
Now, I live in a beautiful house with the man I am dating, with my two children and his son. I went back to school for two years to receive an associates degree in psychology. I paid for it almost entirely with grants and scholarships. I will be getting a job soon but it will not change the way I think about money. Even if I get a job making a lot of money, I will still only use the money for things we NEED. Extra's can be nice, but I would rather save and take my kids to travel and let them experience the world, rather than buy everything we want. I will continue to help others and "sell" my crafts for free or for trade. I do everything I can to help others in need in any way I can.
I know there are people who have a lot of money and can understand where I am coming from, and I know there are people without money that still wish they had more. There are so many ways to live without being rich.
Jason Aldean - Amarillo Sky ... pay attention to the words :)
No comments:
Post a Comment