C.R.E.A.M.

This uh, blogging daily here thing is really working out isn't it?

The other day my friend expressed that she found it sometimes difficult to hang out with large groups of people because big bills tend to mean that money comes up short -- in her experience. For my cohort, that's actually been a declining problem over the years as everyone is making more money and meals tend to be divided by head count, as opposed to what each individual ordered. I like the family attitude of this sort of bill splitting, and think of it as a sign for growth and closeness. A few extra beers and appetizers aren't enough to squabble over the check right?

But for my friend, she says that because she oftentimes ends up throwing in the extra cash out of a sense of obligation -- when she's definitely the person who can least afford to -- she's hesitant to join in group activities. Something about that makes me particularly sad, because don't people recognize that (a) you know what you owe, you should pay it and (b) don't give the short end of the stick to the people who are broke as hell.

This isn't to say that people should feel like they have to split the bill evenly, but just be aware of making sure you cover your fair share and even a little more. It's just polite right?

Another night a few weeks ago, another friend expressed how thankful she was that I bought her like a coffee or something. Her friends rarely do that I guess, even for something as incidental as a drink. Part of me is probably discounting the anxiety that having no money brings, but really, counting each tiny exchange is exhausting. And maybe because I'm a horrible budgetter and money tends to flow in and out of me like the tides, but being cheap is so not an admirable trait.

For the past year or so, I've been reading this blog: A Story of Debt. Ashley was in some serious credit card debt and her blog goes into some detail about how she rose out of it. Sometimes it's meant she can't go watch a movie with friends, or it's meant she can't ever eat out, or sometimes the weight of all that owed money is just super depressing. This is also compounded by her having to work multiple jobs while in grad school. But the admirable thing about both Ashley and her blog is her responsibility and openness with her journey. The good news is the has shut down -- just this week -- because she reached her goals and is now debt free. Pretty awesome right?