Finances in my household have always been difficult. Having to wait for pay-day every month to be able to buy anything for our daily lives. As a kid growing up—seeing this and being told I had to wait for next month for mom to buy me something I wanted—felt kind of sad. Because I knew by just seeing my classmates—bringing cool toys and new stuff to the classroom—I knew my mother's financial status was not the best. Still I was truly grateful for every little thing mom bought for me to "spoil" me. Regardless of the financial status of us, mom always wanted for me to go for a better education. Matriculating me in private schools even though I know that must have hurt her pockets. In the end I ended up in a Public high school. Now it might seem like she does not pay anything—because it is a public school—but no. You see, the high school I study at is an Specialized in Visual Arts. Meaning mom has to buy me art materials now, those are a monthly spences that substitutes the annual pay my mother used to do in private education. All that just so that I could continue practicing art with professors and grow as an artist. A little later after becoming a pre-teen, I realized by looking at my friends in hangouts—when we order food in hangouts—they choose whatever they want carelessly. In other hand I pause, and not only check what I want but also the price of it. I tend to compare prices in restaurants, fast-food restaurants, shopping, when I have to buy my own art materials because mom can't afford them. And if it passes my budget I just don't buy anything because I know that there are things that are more important. I ask myself: Do I need this or just want it? That's where I make the decision, that way I control myself from making non-intelligent decisions. In 10th grade our financial status was affected even more because my mother gave birth to my sister. Now our house contains 3 people and 2 pets: Mom, my little sister our two cats and I. Mom had to fix her priorities for what to spend money in and whatnot. Making her salary tighter. And I came to a realization—I knew we had little money, I knew we had to wait for pay-day, but I did not know the actual struggle mom used to went through. I realized the difficulty in living with financial problems and debt. It made me a little more understanding of mom's struggles with money. I became more patient, caring, offered a little more help in what she and my sister needed, I try to make the weight on her shoulders a little lighter. Even if the money problem does not disappear, I know I can help in other areas to make her feel less worried and stressed. I also learned something from her errors in life with money. She truly cares for us, and I want to do the same, but I try to be even more delicate with the money spent. And just like now, I am trying to help her not worry for my college tuition and assistance by selling art and other class activities where they offer me sell stuff to pay my graduation costs and prom. Even though this makes me sad and frustrated, I can be thankful for it. Because now in life I will be able to manage my money better and not commit the same mistakes my elders did.