Yes, absolutely. Thankfully, both my parents were always very supportive about me wanting to get my degree in theater. I got a high enough ACT score to get tuition covered; my parents paid for the rest (they saw getting tuition covered as “doing my part”). It was always kind of understood that provided I got as many scholarships as I could to help contribute, they would cover the rest.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Many, many conversations, ever since I was young. I was introduced to the Dave Ramsey envelope method at about age 12 (thanks Mom!) where you save some, spend some and give some. She made the stereotypical twentysomething mistake of ending up with a lot of credit card debt and as she got older, got very serious about being more responsible with money and paying off her debt/not going into debt ever again. My dad, on the other hand, is an accountant for an insurance agency who has a condo in Florida and a house/boat down at the lake. So coming from very different financial backgrounds there. He also talked about money to me a lot, notably the importance of working for what you have and saving for the future and the unexpected. I had a little kiddie-sized ATM piggy bank that I thought was the coolest thing ever and I saved up for things I wanted. I remember my first “big” purchase was a Nintendo DS Lite and a Hannah Montana game, which would’ve been about $130. I was so proud of myself.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I started working at Altar’d State in the mall at 16 for spending money. I LOVED (and actually still love) clothes so the employee discount was the most amazing thing ever, because I loved their stuff but it’s pretty pricey. My first paycheck was around $200 and I spent the whole thing on clothes. I remember telling my mom I felt rich.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Not really. I was conscious of money and how much things cost — for example, I went to summer camp every week for eight to 10 weeks in the summer, and I was responsible for researching it, including schedules and pricing — but my dad always paid for it all. We went to Florida yearly, I always got my big-ticket item at Christmas, and I had dance, voice and flute lessons weekly for over a decade. I didn’t get everything I wanted but I never wanted for anything necessary.
Do you worry about money now?
Much less than I did a year ago! Of course inflation is always going to be problematic and wedding planning is expensive, but I’m much more stable on the health side of things, which allows me to work more consistently and fear time off much less. I am also on my fiancé’s insurance so I no longer have an income limit. The “budgeting down to the last dollar” tendencies haven’t gone away though.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
When I was 20, I started paying for my own phone plan, healthcare, housing and other bills. My car is now switched to my name but my mom is still paying for it. I have a huge safety net in my fiancé — he gets paid extremely well and his job seems to continue wanting to throw raises and bonuses at him — as well as my mom, my in-laws and the rest of my family.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
My mom and I were in a car crash in 2017 and we were each awarded $40,000 in restitution. I bought my car then used the rest to pay for college expenses after cutting myself off from my dad. My aunt took out a savings bond for me when I was born that matured to $5,000 when I turned 21. I put $2,000 of it into opening my business and the rest was used for daily living expenses and put into savings. My mom took out $15,000 from her 401(k) to pay for my nerve decompression surgery in 2023. My dad contributed about $3,000 to cover the remaining cost of surgery and to supplement my income while I was in recovery. Due to medical hardship, I qualified for billing assistance through the local hospital network for 2024. All hospital bills left over after insurance are forgiven. I still pay for physician billing on a payment plan. Also, as mentioned, I was loaned $5,000 by my grandmother for business startup costs.
