The year 2020 was the first time I set financial achievements. I had no intentions to set them since my finances are always my priority and always have been. At a young age, I did the administration and bookkeeping of my mother's business, my granny kept a housekeeping book she noted every income and expenses in and if she found ten cents she searched for the legal owner no matter what it cost.
I learned the value of money at a young age and didn't go for the A-brands but what looked good, tasted fine and saved me money. It must have been in my DNA since my mother wasted ten times more than she could afford and this all coated a lot of stress at home. Scoldings, fights, molesting an included.
I was a young mother and took responsibility for the child(ren)/I had to raise. I studied and worked while being a mom. I had good jobs even two but my income was never enough. Most of what I earned went to babysitters and daycare. Although the law said a mother didn't need to work till the youngest turned 12 years old (later 4 years old) the lady behind the desk told me I could work since I always did. No one offered me help, an income.
If you have to manage you manage in some way. This has nothing to do with being strong but with a battle, you have to fight and hope to win. If not for you for your children. Thinking back I might have won if I started a case against the city but fighting for this right was not in me at that time. The lack of help, family, being forced me to think twenty times before I spent a cent and I started writing down my expenses.
If you write down every cent you spent it lose, tips, aid funds, etc included you will be surprised how much you give away but also how high the post for 'unforeseen costs' is. I wrote down everything till I came to the point I could no longer 'search for the owner of those 10 cents" like my granny did or break my brains about 50 cents missing. I already had enough sleepless nights.
Did all the work help me? No, it did not. Neither did all those courses, educations and professions. The more you earn the more expensive daycare is. I wasted a fortune on my ex, lawyers, moving and helping out friends, financially, and the only thing it brought me was poverty for my children and me, bad health and a lack of time for me.
What I did do from day number one was saving for my children and December 5th and their birthdays.
This year I will keep a closer eye on my financial situation again. Not only because one child will turn 18 years old and there's no child support but also because I never saved for me. Next to cryptocurrency I started a free bank account for me at the N26 online bank and will use it for me alone. It is motivating to have something for me alone after all these years and see it grow. I hope I have time left to save, to make my life a bit easier one day. That day that will be there faster than expected.
