Written By Alice Richardson
I was lucky enough to be born into what I would consider a very comfortable, middle class family. I grew up in a detached 4-bed-house, we had two cars, took fortnightly family holidays abroad each year and I pretty much got everything I asked for. However, even though this was the norm for me as a child, I still believe I am truly grateful and appreciative of what I have, earn and am given in life.
It's only as I've gotten older and definitely since I've hit my mid twenties that I've realised how blessed I was and how hard my parents worked to give me and my sister those things in life. I chose my career, which is in dancing, because of my passion to dance but as it’s not particularly well paid, I never truly understood how difficult this would make it to save for a house, a new car, a wedding, travelling...the list goes on. I mean my second job out of college, I earned a mere 600 EUROS a month. In hindsight, I now realise that it was practically slavery, especially when I was working 60+ hours a week.
So now I understand how privileged my childhood was, where does that leave me?
Well, I try to save as much as I can, while still doing day to day activities and treating myself to nice things occasionally. I'm getting there with the house deposit but if my car gives up the ghost that money will then go towards a new car, and unfortunately, as we all know, savings can only be used once!
I find I'm very conscious about money and it's something that my partner and I tend to disagree on a lot. I prefer to work hard, save up and then spend the money I have saved. Whereas my partner would rather take out credit and, for example, get the new car now and pay it back later. I'm not saying I'm right and she's wrong but sometimes it can be hard to agree or understand the other persons point of view.
My partner and I also differ when it comes to gambling. I never gamble my money, I don't even buy scratch cards or play the lottery. On the other hand my partner will happily spend £40 on the fruit machines within a matter of minutes. Again, this often causes disagreements and friction in our relationship.
So, at 26 I've learnt that people have completely different ways of managing and spending money.
What I've still got to find out, is if a relationship can work between 2 people who treat money so differently? Perhaps I'll know by my mid thirties...then again perhaps not.
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