Monday, January 14, 2013

Mind Your Own Business...Unless You're Giving Me Money, Then Feel Free To Mind Mine...

So the last few weeks Brody and I have been talking ALOT about our future, especially school. I have had a crazy opportunity to have a career in real estate. Once I brought this to attention I had alot of people react negatively towards the idea. Some of the things they had to say were:
  • You change what you want to do all the time: Yes I do, and I can. Why Because I'm 23 for Christs sakes. I'm allowed to change my mind. That is the beauty of being in your twenties. You learn who you are and what kind of person you want to become. I could change my mind tomorrow and guess what? It's none of your business or concern. I do what I need to do, you do what you need to do. If you don't like it or understand it that's fine, but if you won't support it, then there's no sense of being in my life. I surround myself with people who are positive and love and support me, if you do not do any of those things don't waste my time or your time. 
  • Real Estate is risky, you might not have a job in a few years: Uh....every job comes with a risk. You don't know if your job will be there tomorrow either. And one thing I have learned from people in Real Estate, the housing market doesn't define how much money you make, YOU do. Yes, some people do fall really hard in this field, do you wanna know why? Because they didn't protect themselves. Let's say someone was making $12,000 a month (that's just a loose estimate). Their living expenses is $5,000 a month. If they were stupid and spent the other $7,000 on toys and racking up credit cards and buying brand new vehicles and buying a house they can barely afford the mortgage payment, they are going to hit the pavement hard if they loose their income. If they were smart they would have bought the "not as nice" car with cash, that can save you $200 a month in car payments so when something on the older car breaks you're not putting repair costs on the credit card. If they bought the house that was under their max budget, put down a large down payment and went with a 15-20 yr fixed mortgage instead of the 30 yr, they would pay their home off quicker, and they wouldn't be paying a shitload of interest. So let's say if they did that, their living expenses became $4000 a month, if they spend $4000 for their living expenses and have $1000 for entertainment and put that extra $7000 into savings, if their income took a hit, they wouldn't be having the brand new car repoed and foreclosing on the home they could never afford. It's not about how much you make, it's about living within or below your means and setting up a safety net. Brody and I have big plans for our finances. And again, worry about yourself.

So the original plan for us was: Me to get my license quit nannying and start working, then we would send Brody to school in August. After that I would probably go back and study business. 

A few weeks ago I was presented with the possibility to start school sooner. The only issue was money. I needed a grant and a scholarship to cover at least 60-70% of tuition. Last night my mom and I, over the phone, filled out my FAFSA online. Because I am 23, the government still sees me as a dependent (which is the dumbest thing I have ever heard, if I'm allowed to vote for leaders of my country or go to war at 18, I don't think I should be considered an independent...just my opinion.) Because my mom was married last year we had to use her husbands taxes as well. Well, I wouldn't get diddly squat. I was pretty upset. My mom said she totally understand that I'm ready to get my life started and whatever is meant to be will  happen. After we hung up, I was still feeling pretty down about it. Brody basically said the same thing and said next year I won't be a dependent. We can see where we are going to be after he is done with school and then I can go back to college. Right now I will just work on getting my license and keep nannying. Which is fine with me. I love my job and when I think about eventually not doing it anymore it makes me really sad. Brody just reminded me to take it one day at a time. 

And now....a meme:

3 comments:

  1. I'm sorry you're going through this! I don't know why they make it so difficult for us poor people to get a college education...well, I do know, but that's a whole different post that would ho on way too long. Anyway, I'm here for ya if you need anything!

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    1. Thanks Lindsay! I'll get there, slowly but surely!

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  2. I have always hated the mentality that you need to know your entire future by the time you're a senior in high school! Or that you can't go to school without knowing what your major will be. Also, I think it's wise to take breaks from school if you need to discover more about yourself.

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