I know when both my parents were growing up they were very poor. I know that even when they got married they managed to pay the bills but had to sacrifice things like being skimpy on food and living on potatos and bread for a few weeks when it got really bad. When I came around, things got a bit better, and my parents made a special effort to make sure I had the best. There might not have been the best furniture, but I always had new clothes, they wouldn't buy me secondhand clothes or toys.
As I got older, I remember that things relaxed a little. My Dad went driving trucks, and my Mom stayed home with me. Although I never went to Disney Land like alot of my classmates, or owned the newest SUV, we paid the bills and my friends were surprised at the number of toys I had. We lived in an apartment though, in the basement of a upper-middle class house.
When I was about 10, we inherited a house (without a mortgage) and I do remember things being a lot better. My parents started spending money on themselves as well, and did a lot of renovations on the bungalow. My Mom got a part-time job at home, because I was older as a customer service agent. We bought a brand new computer, and things just seemed a whole lot more relaxed. A few years later, my Dad quit his job and decided to stay home with the family. He couldn't find a job for a few months, so we lived off savings for about 4 months while he looked for a job. He eventually got a job as a refueller in the airport approximately an hour away. We bought two cars - a 2007 SUV and a 2005 car for my Dad to travel to work in. My Mom got another part time job working as a help desk with another company. We still don't go on big family vacations, but they are sending me on a school trip across the country. I know that we have to budget, but we're not living off potatoes or anything. I'm an only child, btw.
Do you think we're out of danger now?
Do I have any reason to worry?
As I got older, I remember that things relaxed a little. My Dad went driving trucks, and my Mom stayed home with me. Although I never went to Disney Land like alot of my classmates, or owned the newest SUV, we paid the bills and my friends were surprised at the number of toys I had. We lived in an apartment though, in the basement of a upper-middle class house.
When I was about 10, we inherited a house (without a mortgage) and I do remember things being a lot better. My parents started spending money on themselves as well, and did a lot of renovations on the bungalow. My Mom got a part-time job at home, because I was older as a customer service agent. We bought a brand new computer, and things just seemed a whole lot more relaxed. A few years later, my Dad quit his job and decided to stay home with the family. He couldn't find a job for a few months, so we lived off savings for about 4 months while he looked for a job. He eventually got a job as a refueller in the airport approximately an hour away. We bought two cars - a 2007 SUV and a 2005 car for my Dad to travel to work in. My Mom got another part time job working as a help desk with another company. We still don't go on big family vacations, but they are sending me on a school trip across the country. I know that we have to budget, but we're not living off potatoes or anything. I'm an only child, btw.
Do you think we're out of danger now?
Do I have any reason to worry?