To get rich is easy

When I was 21, having come from a family of very little means, I knew money didn’t grow on tress. As a teenager, I saw my Mom working hard for the only money that was coming into our home, and if I wanted anything more than the bare necessities, I had to get a job to buy those things. But for some reason, by the age of 21, I had become frivolous with my money, and blew every penny, usually two days before payday.

                           

I worked full-time as a receptionist for a C.P.A, managing to make ends meet financially, with some help here and there from my boyfriend. I worked with a woman, Kim, who was from Vietnam. Kim was a bookkeeper for the firm, was incredibly diligent about her work, brought her lunch to work with her everyday, and wore the same three outfits, rotating them throughout the days. I had heard her speak of her husband, and knew she had no children.
One day I asked her why she never went out to lunch. “I have to save the money!” she exclaimed. She proceeded to tell me that she saved two-thirds of her check each month to send to her family to Vietnam. Her hope was that one day she would earn enough money to bring her entire family to the U.S., so they could all become citizens. The one-third of her check went to support her and her husband. His entire check went into a savings account, to eventually buy a home for the two of them, and the family she was trying to bring to this country.
I had seen Kim’s check, and she made about double of what I made. The idea that she and her husband were living on less than I was became unfathomable to me! I asked her how she did it. She told me she had only a mattress and one blanket in their apartment, very few dishes, and I had seen all but one of her outfits, as she had one that she wore at home. No television, no couch, no dining table, no chairs. She said she would buy those things when she owned a home.

               

It took me years to understand what Kim was trying to tell me. And while I have never lived with so little as Kim, I do now understand that I can get by with less, if I have to. I now own my third home, made a killing on the first two I sold, own a houseful of nice things, and drive a good car. My husband drives his “current” dream car too. We also manage to help our parents. And we know how to do this, all while saving money. The difference is, we have the things we want, without looking like we are tight with money, and without enormous debt hanging over our heads.
Today, I know Kim and her family live in that dream house, have everything they want, and are proud U.S. citizens, because of all of her hard work and the sacrifices she and her husband made to “save the money.” And you can too.