Today, we’re sharing not just one but several Broke Millennial No More moments in this roundup special.
Stories have been edited for clarity and several submissions came to us anonymously and therefore are under a nom de plum or just a first name.
For years I lived on less than $20,000 – $25,000 while attending grad school often working one or two jobs on the side. I was always the guy insisting on the most frugal possible option so that I could cling to my cash and minimize debt.
I value friendship and camaraderie a lot, and one of my small financial goals has been to be able to pick up the tab for myself and a small group of friends without it compromising my quality of life for the next 3 months.
I have achieved this goal in the past year. Maybe once a month I can just say “Guys, I got this one.” And the best part is that some of my friends are also getting to this level of comfort; which results in us casually taking turns throughout the year without needing to keep score.
– John T.
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One Wednesday we tried to leave through our garage and the door refused to open more than three inches. After we tried everything to fix it ourselves, my wife deflated from that defeat you feel when you are just getting ahead in life, I reminded her that this is why we have an emergency account if we need it. After shopping for quotes, we were able to pay cash to repair the door without dipping into our emergency savings. Her relief was palpable and it was barely an issue that we had a nearly $400 surprise repair bill. Success.
– Elizabeth
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The moment I realized I wasn’t broke, it’s not really one single moment, but a series of moments. I grew up poor. There was never really money to pay for hobbies or anything like that. Now, as an adult, I have a stable job as a government employee that pays more than what I need for bills. This enabled me to sign up for dance classes (which I always wanted to do growing up). I don’t have to just immediately look at the price and say no, which is still, even after all these years, absolutely mind blowing.
I am so lucky. There are so many people who don’t get to have the chances that I got. Maybe they’re born in a country that doesn’t have the same opportunities. Or maybe they have made the same decisions as I did, but still didn’t end up where I am right now. It’s not like I have my own company or anything fancy like that, but still, every now and then, I stop and think about the difference between my money situation growing up and now. I can choose to buy food that’s from a brand, if that’s what I want! If my friends invite me to go to a restaurant, I can actually go and not have to worry about which item on the menu is the cheapest. And believe it or not, I am actually thinking about buying my own place next year. Amazing.
– Laura
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I no longer felt like a broke millennial when I put my credit card down after dinner/drinks/dessert when my parents were visiting from out of town.
– Mary
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Photo from Pexels
Edited by Bridget Dennin
Love reading stories like these. The garage door one is one I can relate to really well. Having to pay for repairs recently (we just bought a home) really had me feeling down until I realized, we actually had the cash to cover it and cover it COMPLETELY. No credit cards, no getting into debt, nothing like that. It’s an incredible feeling.
Change does come! So glad you are in a much better place financially now!