Giving Yourself Credit (Especially When the Bank Won't)

As one of my good friends would say, nose raised, with just the right of silver-spoon-fed inflection, "It doesn't matter if you have money as long as you act like it." Thank goodness he has a suburban housewife vehicle since it truly is the only way to go shoe shopping, a past time that I'm beginning to become so good at that I can pretty much walk in, identify exactly what's new and what's not in just under a 24 hr span.

One of the privileges of working for a non-for-profit is the sudden realization that not only do you have any money, but you won't either. Saving up for just a night on the town, shopping spree, what have you is such a work of diligence and desire that I sometimes wonder how I either afford my drinks, or my shoes. Granted I wonder how my fiscal ventures will be once I actually do get a profitable job, or I take the sucker way out and apply for grad school. I'm applying on the side just in case the dream job doesn't come along.

As of right now I have only a few credit cards, and want to keep it that way, since it's a miracle that I pay these off at all. Believe me when I say that it's a BLOODY MIRACLE that the minimum payments are even met at times. What with the shopping, the eating, the necessities of LIVING. That does include liquor, despite what you might think.

Where is this whole thought actually going? Simple, working for nothing makes you want to live for more. The sad fact is that as I've come to realize I can't really do a lot of the stuff I do, I'm still going to do them. Life is about living, which I intend to do, it just so happens that living also costs money.

Regardless of what you are doing for your vocation, it's always important to take the time out of the day to pour that glass of wine, buy that rack of lamb for that special someone. Spend frivolous amounts of money on christmas gifts even when you shouldn't. Working for nothing makes you appreciate everything, for the simple fact that you shouldn't have it, but need it.