Growth Of Personal Economic System
As a child, we are waited on hand and foot, given anything and everything we need. Granted, up to a point. Once we reach the tier of independence everything starts to change. We do chores, maybe get paid. Next, we get a job and spend our money on candy and goodies, still living at the house. Then, college happens, out all alone, balancing school and a job, paying for everything from rent to food and clothes, totally independent, and once out of college and on with our lives, the cycle starts all over again, with a new generation. It’s a part of life, a piece of growing up, that almost everyone goes through. My personal economic system will only grow from when I was a child, to how I am now, to once out of school.
Even from the beginning, I had everything I could ever dream of; a home and a loving family. Under my roof, my parents took care of me. They fed me three times a day, clothed me and kept me tidy and clean. They spent time with me, made me laugh and cry, and always believed in me. If there was something that I wanted, they would either tell me no or hand me the money so I could buy it. Money then seemed endless, like air. But even air can run out if you use too much of it, and it’s much harder to regain. Therefore, as I got older, they expected more out of me, I had to learn how to help out. After we ate, instead of leaving my plate on the table, they told me to put it away, whether in the sink or in the dishwasher. So, I did. Then I began washing the plate, and that is where I first started to become a little more considerate about my messes and money supply; at the time I started chores.
Now, not only do I wash the dishes, but I also feed and take care of our pets, as well as help clean the house and launder the clothes. If I do well, I might get paid. Then, on nights when my parents can’t be home, I babysit my sister, which in itself can be an impossible chore. Instead of buying anything I want, whenever I want, like I used to be able to do, I now must save my money if there’s something I truly wish to have. Shopping nowadays, is full of decisions, I may want something, but do I really need it? As I grew, I realized money is not a bottomless pit and it doesn’t grow on trees either, it is the benefit of hard work, and hard work pays off. However, I am still a kid, so I haven’t had to live on my own and pay for rent or food yet on a fixed salary, like I will once out of school.
After high school and into college, I will have to get a temporary job to pay for my meals, my clothes, where I sleep at night, and my college tuition. That is something just about everyone has gone through. I will have to be sparing with my money and use it only when needed, not for luxuries I wish to have. Once out of college, however, I will end up with a permanent, hopefully good paying job, which, in a sense, will be my life line. I will pay for my house, running water, electricity bills, and so much more, with the money I worked hard for and made on my own.
Over the years, I have grown and so has my personal economic system. As a kid, I was given everything, then I began to do chores, earn money for my hard work, and pay for the small things I may have wanted. Next, into college and once out, with a temporary to a full time job, my money will be saved and only spent on the necessities. Then, after many years, I may end up paying for my own kids’ enjoyments and the cycle will start over once again; when they are children and given everything, to when they start chores and work for their money, and to when they move away and start a life of their own, and as they grow, so will their economic system, too.
