Saving Up for Tomorrow

My grandma used to think she was going to win the Publisher's Clearinghouse. Everytime I went to her house she would have the forms piled up ready for me to fill out and send, in the hopes that Ed McMahon would arrive at her door with a big check and multi-colored balloons. I feel that I take after my grandma. I too have a feeling that any day my ship is going to come in, that I am going to win the Powerball or that my long lost great-great-great relative will reveal that I am actually the next in line to be the ruler of some foreign country. However, it has come to my attention via my older brother that this is unlikely. This harsh reality mixed with the fact that I am not money savvy leads me to entertain the thought that maybe I should quit relying on the non-existent fact that I am seconds away from a becoming a bazillionaire and accept that any money I do have should be used toward things like new tires or dentist bills.

The fact that I'm not good with money, except for the art of spending it, isn't new information. I never kept money in a piggy bank. I felt nickels and dimes were much more fun jingling in my pocket then in a ceramic pig. I pay for Taco Bell with quarters on a regular basis and the last time my mom saw the insides of my refrigerator, which contained a tub of butter, eggs, and a Brita pitcher, I thought she was going to cry. I realize that it's nice to have a plan for the future, for retirement, for the fact that one day I may have someone other than myself to think about; however, none of that is happening right now. It's hard for me to wrap my head around where I'm going to be in ten or twenty years when I don't even know where I'll be next week. It's confusing really when everyone is assuring me that by being in my 20's that I'm considered young, yet I'm feeling the push to hurry and become responsible, settled and financially sound. I mean do I have to have it figured out right this minute? What if Ed McMahon is pulling up in the parking lot as we speak?

There are some people who if they were down to their last ten dollars they would save it, fill up their tank with gas or buy ten dollars worth of groceries. If I was down to my last ten dollars (and I have been many times) I would grab a drink, go to a movie, buy myself a milkshake. Because the truth is, I can be poor and miserable or be poor and happy and if I die tomorrow you know I'll be thankful I bought that milkshake and not a freaking loaf of bread. I know most people think this is a naive way of thinking, that of course they too would want to spend their money on impractical, instantly gratifying things but what about bills, groceries, rent? What about them? They don't go away because I stay in every weekend or eat the same thing for a week. I've already tested that theory.

Granted there is something to be said for saving and building good credit. I do want to have a house, a zero balance on my Visa and a nest egg and I'm sure I'll have that. Some day. But why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? I can hear the scoffs, the groans, all the lectures now but can I tell you a secret? Not to be a complete brat but, it's my life. My choices. My mistakes. I'm not going to start a 401k to appease my brother. I'm not going to stop ordering milkshakes. I think by this age you are expected to have a budget, savings plan and a credit card to be used in case of emergency only. I have none of the above. I see the timeline of events and I feel that I got tripped up and I'm still trying to find my footing.

So maybe I'm financially behind for my age group. Maybe I'm not going to win the lottery. And maybe my tombstone isn't going to read 'Here Lies a Money Saver'. But here's the thing, I don't have to map out my financial future and turn it in for review. Money won't ever be on my list of achievements or on a list of my failures for that matter. I don't believe in an in case of emergency plan so don't hold your breath that I'm going to figure this out today. That is what tomorrow is for. And if tomorrow never comes, well then, none of this will even matter.