When I think about my life and my future goals, I think about my independence and my wealth. The way I view my money now will impact my future.
For many of us, we never take the time to sit down and analyze the relationship we have with our money. Why not? Now answer me, what's the relationship you have with your money? Would you say it's good or do you think you can do better? Growing up did anyone sat down with you and teach you the value of a dollar? Well, for me, this was never done.
Growing up in a country full of poverty, and a Civil War, all my family could think of was how are we going to survive the next day. There were no big dreams of saving or thinking about retirement. Being poor was the only thing I knew at that moment. For the most part we lived out of tortillas and salt. It was all about surviving the war.
When I had the opportunity to leave my native country behind, I was able to discover more about myself, and understand the opportunity I was given. How blessed I was for this new opportunity. Actually, that's not true! you don't realize how lucky and blessed you are till you get much older....(more of that later)
Let me begin by sharing my financial story before I discovered myself.
My single mother left me in El Salvador when I was 5 years old, and came to California. She worked in the only available job an immigrant woman could get, cleaned houses and babysitting. Still, she was able to save enough money to bring my brother and I home with her. She was strong enough to save every penny she earned. This is a money blog, and I want to point out that when there is a will there is a way! A single woman making less then minimum wage, she was able to save enough to pay thousands of dollars to bring me here. I don't think she even understood how much of an effort, and dedication this took.
Let me talk about the many times I failed on this money journey.
I began working at fourteen, getting paid cash. Some of the money went to my mother who I saw struggling with money all the time, and some of the money went to shoes and clothes. I had no one to teach me the importance of saving.
I knew I liked to be able to buy me what I wanted, so I kept getting jobs that paid more money, and eventually I had money to buy the things I wanted but no money saved. I began applying for credit cards and I was over the moon when I got a Macy's credit account. I began making more money, but I was also spending more. I bought a BMW, got my own apartment. I was living my life! I was getting addicted to money that I kept taking jobs that paid me more. I had all these materials things with me and still no savings.
One day my boss called me to her office, and terminate me. I said to myself, "It's okay Rosa you can get another job" However, I was getting older, and the kind of jobs that made you money were the jobs that required a college degree. I eventually learned both values. The value of money and the value of investing in yourself.
…………to be continue