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RE: Ever had a -$1 checking account balance, no savings and a credit card debt?
Having been in those shoes myself, I think you nailed it with the food and booze. Those are the number 1 things that burn up your money because 1 drink and 1 meal eaten out ends up costing as much as a week of home cooked meals.
I'd used to go to bars and order water to stay away from drinking but still hang out with friends. It was a little bit embarassing, but guess who still had fun and wasn't in debt? This guy!
At the peak, I owed over 16k in credit card debt. I paid for my last 2 semesters of school on my credit card. Imagine how that felt!
I can only imagine... :/
It's true about the meals out. I'm not much of a drinker naturally but food was a big issue. It's so expensive here! In the last week I spent only about 35 dollars the entire week playing with mealpal but I already had plenty of food at home that will last me for a while. Polish stores are amazing in that sense.
But on the other hand, it's important to notice that it's quite easy to save money in the US. What we consider a temporary state of saving here, was regular life in Latvia, maybe even a higher standard. People just had different ways of spending free time which developed that way based on their avg income. My roommate was eating eggs for breakfast and sausage for dinner every single day, both items that he was bringing weekly from his home village - and he worked for the government. Another roommate, a vegan, ate pure oats with bananas for breakfast and rice with vegetables for lunch and dinner - everyday for half a year. And no one complained! Everyone was able to go out every now and then but the routine was similar every day. A Latvian friend once told me that his favorite dish is pasta with cottage cheese and sugar. It's all about being happy with having less, because it's not like they don't know you can have more... I totally admire that!
And then there are people in the world who would be grateful to have just a bowl of rice!
The differences are quite interesting to observe and even more so to experience and learn from them. :)
You don't know what you have until you don't have it. Some people have a certain standard and they don't know how to get away from it. There are plenty people in the world in a worst situation and continue to strive and succeed. I think you have the right mindset to save. More importantly, it's important to constantly look for a way out of your situation to make more money. Maybe become full time!
That's why I love being in the mountains also. Having almost nothing makes you appreciate everything you have. The one time I really felt out of place was when I had a 9 mile hike out of a bad situation because I was physically sick, and had zero food or water. Little to no sleep in over 36 hours. If someone gave me a plate of rice that fell on the floor and scooped it back up, I'd have no problems eating it and being happy. I'd also appreciate the person who picked it up and offered it!