Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Wednesday Factoid: Money

Today's Wednesday Factoid is: Do you come from a family "of money"?

Well, not really.

My family was never rich and we did not grow up with extravagant vacations or expensive possessions. And I remember when times were tight here and there. But by some standards, we were probably pretty wealthy, and I certainly know that my family was the well-off one in my friend group.

We always had a house from the time that I was a young child; we always had at least one car but usually two and on a few occasions three; we got spoiled on our birthdays and present-giving holidays; we did not worry about where our next meal was coming from. When I was in high school nearly all of the parties with my friend group happened at my house because we had a big house (five bedrooms, three baths, with a dining room, living room, and den area).



I wasn't particularly aware of the differences between me and my friends when I was in school, but I did know that my dad had a good job and that we could afford services like cable television, extra phone lines, and basic expenses whenever emergencies came up if we wanted to. And when I went to college, I got a scholarship to pay for my tuition and my parents agreed to just pay for me to live off campus because I wanted to. They spent four years giving me nearly $500 a month (though that was contingent upon my staying in school and getting good enough grades to keep the scholarship; they didn't want me to have a job because they thought it might threaten my schoolwork). We were able to afford medical costs and occasional big purchases like a computer for me to take to college and all that.

I don't feel like I come from "a family of money," but it's undeniable that I had a ton of privileges and comforts that many of my friends did not.

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