Growing up without money means I never learned to manage it, but blowing my first paychecks was a quick lesson I never forgot

My family never had much money growing up, so when I got my first job I had no idea how to manage my paycheck.

When I started earning my own money (not pictured), I blew it on useless items or hoarded my checks out of guilt. Photo: PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images

By Faith Petrie

Growing up in a seven-person household, sharing almost everything from one bathroom to bedrooms was normal. My parents made sure they provided food and clothes, but by the time I was in the 8th grade, I didn’t bother asking them for small amounts of pocket change to get by in the day. I remember looking on with secret envy as my friends would flip through countless clothing racks, as the lone $15 I had for the food court sat deep in my pockets.

I don’t think I ever understood our financial situation enough to make sense of why getting a couple of dollars was such a task. With such a limited understanding of money, my views on its purpose and function in day-to-day life were skewed.

The author, Faith Petrie, age 17. Photo: Courtesy Faith Petrie

Our financial situation got worse when my mom had to stop working