On Being an Adult...

I really never realized how much I took growing up under my parents roof for granted until it was time to put a roof over my own head. College, while it may give us the knowledge to succeed in a career, definitely did not prepare me for all the bills that come after college. Heck, why did life have to get so hard?

When you're a student, you're most likely living in the residence halls, eating cafeteria meals, and working part time to pay for outings to the mall or for beer for a Friday night party. You didn't have to worry about student loans, insurance, or a mortgage. When it came time for Spring Break, you booked your tickets to Florida and Mexico using your credit card or left over loan money and you thought "have fun now and pay later." Well, let me tell you, it's no fun to pay later. When you decide to "pay later" then that trip to Mexico your senior year of college is probably the last trip you'll see for a long time. Five years later, you're still probably paying it off :)

Because of the recent recession coupled with the fact that almost all markets suck right now, interest rates are higher than ever, APR's on credit cards are at a freeze, etc. It's becoming even more difficult to pay back the loans and debt that you created while having "fun" in college. And do not forget that the job market, while improving, probably has not provided that full time job making six figures a year. Even though you may have paid 40,000 dollar a year for your private education, you definitely didn't get the big shot job that you thought you would. Instead, you're working hard to pay the bills month to month and you're lucky to budget enough to order take out once a week.

I wish I could go back to the days where I had it good. I didn't have to pay an electric bill, cable and Internet were free, and the fridge and pantry were always stuffed with delicious food. I never had to write a monthly check for rent or a mortgage, and my dad would throw me a $20 every now and again for a movie or dinner with friends.

Even though I've been on my own since 2002, and I never ask my parents for money, sometimes I do wish that I could just move back "home" and reap the benefits of the "good life." ha!