Starting to Care About Money

In college, I really never really thought about money. I only worried about having enough money to buy the things I wanted, and never thought beyond that. I spent years working without tracking my expenses, saving, or even making sure I had any money left at the end of the month. I remember when I was at one job I looked at the amount I had made that year to date on my pay stub.

“Wow,” I said, “I made that much?? Where did it all go?” I had no idea. I could kick myself for having been irresponsible about money all that time, but instead I will be glad that I avoided any serious debt and eventually started paying attention.

When I graduated I started worrying about money. I knew I wanted to move back to the city, but I didn’t know what my rent would be or if I would have a job when I got here. I started working every shift I could at my part-time job, especially the shifts that paid more – Friday and Saturday nights. My rent was very low over the summer, and I saved every penny I could.

I ended up not finding a job for about three-and-a-half months. I know now things I should have done, like asked for a raise, started a savings account, etc, but at least I was able to get by until I had a real job-almost. I worked some odd jobs here and there and had to borrow about $500.

Eventually I found a job. About four months after I started, I found out that I was going to be laid off. For the next month I worked and saved every penny in case I couldn’t find another job. Then I worked a temporary job and tried to save because I knew it was temporary. Finally I got a real job again. By then I had made a decision.

I had known vaguely for a while that I wanted to someday own my own home, which is very hard in a major city. I realized if I wanted to do that, I’d have to start really thinking about money. I started reading blogs and discussion boards. I saved where I could and learned new ways to save. Eventually I started a savings account, got my first real credit card, and started tracking expenses. Eventually, I started my own money blog.

Next: What happened and what I learned once I started paying attention and had a goal.