In the Beginning, There Was Money

I suppose I should start at the beginning.

It was a dark and stormy night (no really, it was). I was born to a happily married couple, living in the comfortable suburbs outside of Washington, DC. Life progressed, and though I was kept mostly unaware of my family's financial status, it was a nice life. A very nice life.

We weren't rich by any means, but there has never been a moment in my life where money was ever an issue for anything. Not opulent, but definitely cushy. I lived in that same suburban area I was born in my entire childhood, and I'm still there. I don't plan on leaving any time soon, either. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through the twelfth grade, and spent my freshman year of college at one of the great, expensive universities in the city (no, I wont tell you which one). I'm 19 years old and I've never held a real job, because my parents were content to provide me with the spending money I needed.

But then, something happened. A lot of things happened, actually. The details of which aren't currently important--though they will likely come to light later. Nothing dramatic or tragic, so stop thinking like a Hollywood writer.

The bottom line, though, is things changed for me. And are currently changing. Drastically. I dropped out of my wonderful university, moved out of the big lovely house I've lived in since I was two and into the tiny apartment with my dad halfway across town (yeah, my parents are part of that alleged 50%).
I've enrolled at the community college and have been taking classes part time this summer. Repeating them, actually. I have to repeat a lot of my freshman year courses, embarrassingly enough. But don't judge my character or my intellect for that because I assure you the past academic year is in no way reflective of who I am.
I've been (sort of) trying to find a job (unsuccessfully). My parents aren't giving me $400 a month to live off of anymore. Of course since I don't have a job yet and they can't leave me without money, they've set up a temporary sort of allowance system. Its just enough to squeak by on for now--the fact that at least half of my food is still provided by one parent or the other helps. But its incredibly different than what I'm used to, and incredibly hard.

So here I am now, going to community college (something that is quietly frowned upon in the circles I run in), trying to find a decent-paying job (not easy for a sheltered, inexperienced 19 year old), eating Ramen for the first time in my life, and filling up my gas tank ten dollars at a time (not even three gallons).

It's terrifying but its good for me. Its time for me to grow up a little bit and learn how to make it in the real world.
So this is my journey.