09/05/2024
Okay, maybe "saved my life" was a bit dramatic... but I really want to share why it is so important to put debt repayment, savings, and investing before the rest of your budget. Let me explain by telling you a little about my financial story.
When I was 13, I had my whole life planned out. I was moving to Victoria and opening a salon. Sure, there were a few hiccups in my master plan. For starters, I had no money, no experience, no education, and next to no financial literacy. Oh, and did I mention I come from a family of 10 kids? There was no running home for help when things went wrong and so (like most of my siblings) by the time I was 17, I was completely financially independent. That meant working two full-time minimum wage jobs just to stay afloat, all while doing my apprenticeship, buying all my tools, and attending every class I could. It was a lot, to say the least.
Despite being fascinated by finance and the mystery of how money works, at that time, I was just scraping by. Savings seemed like a pipe dream when, most times, groceries were out of reach. But, being the rebellious girl that I am, I started reading about finance. Slowly but surely, the wheels started turning. Just as I was feeling the pressure to "pay myself first," a friend of mine who had landed a job at TD Bank needed some butts in seats to make a good impression on her boss. Being a girl's girl, I signed myself up for an appointment. At the time, $50 a month seemed impossible, but she convinced me to start auto-investing with two goals in mind: retirement and my future salon, that's right, $50 towards each!
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