*gets first ever paycheck today*

I was 17 when I got my first paycheck. I was stupid and always spent a lot of money, though I did manage to save up around $1000 in a savings account, but it was from my tax return (ironically that is about half of what I made in the entire 7 months I had been working!).

Well I already got a car, but its got a really bad transmission and the panel that has the
gauges on it is messed up. It acts all crazy when I go over 50 mph, the odometer is stuck, and the gas gauge is wrong. And the usual service engine soon light is on, but that is from the transmission which doesn't like to go into reverse often.

I also have a cell phone, though I don't use it much it is good to have in emergencies and makes a great alarm clock.

I'm currently at a 2 year tech school. I had a scholarship from walmart to pay for books and one that payed all of the tuition. I don't know if I still have the second one anymore (first one was a one time deal) due to a medical leave of sorts. Once I graduate from there I'm transferring to the local college to get a ba in computer science, I'm bad at math and so I choose a b.a. as opposed to a b.s. The only problem is that parking cost several hundred dollars a semester and if I do still have my scholarship it only covers most of the tuition, so my only option is to take student loans! I don't want to, but I want to get a B.A. in computer science so I have to.

After I had a tumor in my right leg I had to quit my job (well technically they just pushed me into medical leave). I got tons of bills from all sorts of doctors and hospitals and things. I filled out lots and lots of forms and sent in my income info and most of the charges were waived. I still have to pay the orthodepic surgeon's clinic that I have to go to monthly upstate. He is my surgeon and doctor so I have to pay him for every surgery, x-ray, and visit. Each visit is around $60 for him to be late and then only spend a few moments to look at my leg and take an xray (costs extra) and to tell me if there are any problems (usually are) then I either have to wait and see what happens, or get another surgery. As you can probably tell, this makes going to school and work a bit difficult.

At first I just went back to school, part-time, which is were the trouble with the scholarship begins. I went to the disabilities office at tschool and they helped me get something set up in each class to elevate my leg and I got a letter done up to sya I was not going to meet the credit hour requirements of the scholarship. According to the rules I shouldn't loose it, but I haven't heard back from the school, and I would have been informed that I had been awarded it two days ago. I may need to give them some more forms from my doctor or something.

Anyways the manager that hired me at my first job was working at the new big theater and she saw me when I came to see Meet the Fockers and so thats how I ended up going back to work after about three months of not working. Since then I have had a recurring tumor and had to leave for about three more months, and recently came back. I still have just enough time (and I get more hours than I want) to save up for my books for school (I already go the prices, and I konw some people that work there and can get a discount). The only problem is whether or not I got the scholarship, which if not I have to give them some more information and they could take a long time to get things sorted out, and of course if the tumor recurs then everything goes down the shaq-fuing toilet.

Anyways I did learn the hard way that it is important to save money because you need it for school and for whenever you have some weird medical problem like an osteoclastoma or whatever.
 
Whenever you go to buy something estimate how many hours it takes, of work, to pay for that item. EXAMPLE: Lets say you make $7.50 an hour (prolly an over estimate), and taxes lets say your clearing...$5.00 an hour. Next time you buy that $50.00 game, you gotta realize that takes you 10 hours of labor to pay for it. That game better bring you atleast 20 hours of fun :p.......I always use to do that when I was that age (5 years ago).
 
[quote name='jaykrue']A small but thriving real estate company.[/QUOTE]


Are you Keller Williams? ;-)
 
[quote name='Apossum']Are you Keller Williams? ;-)[/QUOTE]

Nope. Unless Keller Williams is 28, lives in chicago and is asian.
 
[quote name='jaykrue']Nope. Unless Keller Williams is 28, lives in chicago and is asian.[/QUOTE]

i think he lives in Chicago.....well, at least his real estate signs are every where.
sorry, i'm just being random as usual, carry on! ;-)
 
[quote name='Apossum']i think he lives in Chicago.....well, at least his real estate signs are every where.
sorry, i'm just being random as usual, carry on! ;-)[/QUOTE]

I doubt it. If you check his website, he's got realty offices all over the country... and that's not what I do. His company specifically sells properties while my company buys, sells, renovates and manages properties. The benefits of doing what I do is:

- little if any management (it's almost self-sustaining; the rent from tenants pay for the mortgage as well as the property taxes and my employees' wages)

- a profit which, when accumulated enough, goes into the down payment for another property, of which I will set up to be financially profitable like my current real estate

- little overhead such as employees (there's about 14 ppl total) and supplies (computers, office supplies, etc)

- many tax benefits that are only available to corporations that aren't available to individuals which allows me to be in a lower tax bracket since the company provides for all I need so I can set my own salary low

There are few, if any, major disadvantages I can think of. Sometimes I deal with an irate tenant but for the most part I keep'em happy. I sometimes deal with unions when making repairs on certain properties and sometimes it can be a frustration dealing with them but that's a minor inconvenience.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']Heh, when I went to college my car was probably the most important thing I had. I don't see why it wouldn't be a great asset at college.[/QUOTE]

Some colleges don't allow freshmen to have cars on campus.
 
As Cyprus Hill once said, "Save your money, man...save your money...A hit single don't last very long."

Erm....save your money! CAG is not the best place to come when you're a teenager with pure profit to spend. We're at a time in our liveswhen we have little or no bills to pay (save minor things, like cell phones [for some, at least]).

When I first got my job, I spent every penny I made. My original intent, two years prior to getting this job, was to get a computer. I still haven't got one, and I've been working there for a year. (I'm going to be getting one for a graduation present...but it's not the same.) Anyway, me spending so much money had a lot to do with CAG. "Look, it's cheap!" *buys the game* I have a stack of 30 games or so that I have hardly touched. Buy it if you need it, not just 'cause you want it.

Also: money adds up. Eating out at a place like Wendy's can be cheap, but when you do it a lot, save up. I know you're confident you want have problems holding on to this money...but you're just being naive. I was the same way. Save 20% of your paycheck or something. Even less. Just like when you spend it, every little bit you save adds up, too.

Good luck with your new job!
 
congrats..i was 15 when i got my 1st check..hopefully the work wont leave u with scars on ur foot :p! or infected fingers or customers cursing u out ...(no, not talkin workin at gamestop..lifeguard and janitor)!
 
Oh God, this job is incredibly easy. Today was really slow. All I really do is sit there, use the clicker so we can know how many come in, and use the register, which consists of three buttons. 1 for child, 2 for adult, and total for, the total. The hardest part is doing a cash-out, and when I mean hardest, I mean it's still easy but it involves the most work...which is still none.

Oh, I do have to take the flag down though.

And no I'm not being naive. You may think that, but I'm not. I'm an incredibly huge cheapass buyer. I hardly buy $50 games. Probably only 2-3 times a year I will do that. I know my mom will try to budget my spending though, haha.
 
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