Cash Money

I'm an American. I have mixed ancestry from English to German to Irish to Native American.  I'm white.  I'm a college graduate.  I'm part of a family of 6 and a family of 2.  I've been a child through 2 divorces.  I have a little extra room in my finances.  I don't have hardly any credit card debt - and none I couldn't pay off today if I wanted.  I have my own car.  I fly to different parts of the country at least twice a year.  I pay for my own gas.  I plan on being wealthy when I "grow up".  Am I considered the 1%?  It seems like I am.

I consider myself an Independent, politically, I'd like to state that before I begin because what I'm writing may seem bent on the Republican side.  I'm in the middle for most things - I've taken several online "Which Political party are you in" polls to verify that I'm not just believing this.  I really am right down the middle.  I think what I'm writing is from the vantage point of an AMERICAN.  Not a political party member, but an AMERICAN.  One who believes in the American Dream.

I feel a wonderful sense of pride about the Occupy Wallstreet protest.  On the surface, some of the things they are doing is great - they're working to start a conversation and I think that's something that's key to helping our country.  I think their determination is the epitamy of American rebellion.  We were built on a rebellion.  I always feel so American when a rebellion is going on - even if I agree with what they're rebelling against or not. I love that I live in a country where people CAN rebel and not die because of it.  I appreciate their efforts, but the stigma that people who are just slightly above middle class and higher are getting is very hard for me to agree with.

The idea that anyone that makes $100,000 or more a year is lumped in (mentally at least) with CEOs raking in 100 MILLION dollars a year...really aggravates me.  It's not the same.  Taxes are brutal for those making $150,000 or more a year.  And while many people scoff, saying they should have to pay that...consider a family of 5 with three kids in college.  The AVERAGE tax for a family head at $100,000 is 20-25%.  Okay.  So let's take $20,000 off - not counting all the other fun little taxes you get hit with.  Just that takes you down to $80,000 a year.  Now.  Consider college.  Currently an in-state school with room and board, a normal full time student is $18,000 in my state.  That's $54,000 a year.  Suddenly that $100,000 has become $26,000 a year for parents to pay a mortgage, food, clothing and everything else.  Yet, when you hear someone say, "I make 6 figures" most people lump them in with people buying boats and going to the yacht club on the weekends.

This is where the dissonance lies.

I believe in the American Dream and frankly I don't feel even remotely guilty for planning on an income of at LEAST $300,000 a year.  That's the minimum I want to make.  I'm in graduate school, paying for it myself and get help from my parents with some of my other costs.  Still, I pay for my extra years of school, I pay for food, rent, clothes...all that.  I pay for it because I work for it.  I've never thought the government needed to pull money from those who built companies from nothing or who worked to get an MBA and worked up the latter (social or company) to get where they are to support me.  I can support myself.  I should support myself.  I've never learned anything from something that was handed to me.  I've learned everything from things I've worked for.  My parents worked hard, have a minimum of a 4-year degree each because they WANT to help me and my siblings get a great start in life.  I plan on doing the same for my children.  I don't plan on teaching my kids that the government is to blame for my issues or that these evil CEOs are sucking my money.  No...it's the 55" TV you bought on credit two years ago that's sucking your money at 15% interest rate...an interest rate you KNEW was there.  And you don't get the blame the credit card company for that interest rate when it's what you KNOWINGLY signed up for if you took the 10 minutes you should to actually read a financial contract before you sign it.  I can't stand that people max out credit cards, then two years later cry on camera to the news about how the "credit companies are getting them" because their debt is now outrageous.  Guess what...don't get the card in the first place if you can't afford it.  Not rocket science.

Do I shop at Macy's, Dillards, Abercromie?  No.  I get a few staple pieces at places with amazing sales, like NY&Co because I plan on being high profile, so I have started dressing nicer to get used to it.  I pay for gas and don't make a lot of trips and carpool with my roommate for basic errands so I don't fuel up as much.  I bought a nail care system and spent an evening watching Youtube to LEARN the skills I needed so I don't need to go to the salon but maybe once a year as a treat.  I get my hair cut at normal places, not high end salons when I just need a trim.  I MADE myself install my car stereo on my own so I know how to do it rather than pay an installer for something I was perfectly capable of doing.  I do this because I'm working for what I have and I realize the power of the dollars I earn.   I gave up a lot of 4th of Julys, Christmas Eves and other holidays to work retail to sustain myself.  

I just wanted to post this to put some things in perspective.  There are things I want, but don't have...because there's not room in my budget for them at the moment.  That's what saving is for.  Rather than buying it on credit now and letting it build in interest for the next few years when I finally get enough to pay it off (and by that time have paid for it twice over) I make do with what I can afford.  I bought an ipad because I saved money from extra hours at work, christmas money and birthday money for 6 months.  I bought myself a coach purse, on ebay where I got it 1/2 price.  I don't understand why that seems so very complicated and how people see that as the government's problem when they don't follow basic logic.

I know the job market is horrible right now, that is difficult.  I'm also a victim of corporate "needs" coming before employees when I made only a $1 raise in 4 years of working retail.  I get it.  But it's reality of our situation that overspending and greed - on the part of EVERY DAY PEOPLE - has caused...not only the government.  Yes, the bailout money going to CEOs who quit the next day...I almost took went down to Wallstreet myself...but that was 3 years ago.  We made a mistake not putting in stipulations and the smart thing to do would have been to learn from it.  To go "OOPS" and reboot.  It should have put people's spending in check...instead, people blamed the credit card companies who had "variable interest rates."  I'm sorry, you should have read the fine print and educated yourself on what you were getting in to.  I think it's very unfair that mortgage companies jacked interest rates to 25% or more, I honestly do...but I'm also smart enough to know that can happen and wouldn't have allowed myself that risk in the first place.  Understand why I have such an issue with it?

I get wanting things now, but having the same people trampling others get great deals on Black Friday, then going on to talk about Corporate greed is such a discord in my head.  You're fueling the greed you're talking about.  I participate in Black Friday...but I save up all year for it.  I don't max out credit cards to get things.  I don't sign up for credit cards with a 20%+ interest rate if I plan on keeping a balance on it.  I get the free crap for using the cards (points, cashback), but don't give them any interest money because I pay it off by ONLY spending what I can afford to spend.

That is my American Dream.  Working hard so I can have the things I want by paying for it with money I EARN.  Not money I expect to get from the government or breaks I expect because I want everything NOW.  One shining stat of hope is that 65% of credit card users under the age of 35 pay off their credit balance monthly - meaning they don't carry a balance.  That is staggeringly high compared to the over 35 year counter parts.

I just want to say that I'm not ashamed for wanting to make in the 6 figures to support myself.  I'm working on a graduate degree and working at the same time to do it.  I won't apologize for it.  I refuse to feel bad for driving a nice car, having a nice house and paying for my kids' college in a few years because I earned it by working.  That's my American Dream and I'm not ashamed of it.  What's yours? Live, Laugh and Above All...Love.