When I was a kid, I thought "money trouble" was when my tooth fairy dollar wasn't enough money for 20 five-cent candies because of sales tax.
Now those candies are far more than a nickel each and losing one to sales tax has got nothing on the feeling of dread I get as the income tax deadline approaches.
No, now it's a choice between working more overtime this week or subsisting on bargain ramen noodles just so that I can maybe retain a semblance of work-life balance.
And frankly, compared to a lot of people, I'm doing okay. I have a roof over my head, two dogs that I love, and a full-time job.
Not everyone can say that, especially right now.
There is just so much else in the world that we feel like we should be focused on, and yet the mental stress of watching bank balances drop is impossible to ignore.
We're constantly being told that if we don't have X amount of money saved in case of emergencies, that we've somehow failed at adulthood, but you know what? The world is one constant emergency these days.
So you do what you need to do, the best you can, and try not to sweat those small bits of self-care that are getting you through the hard times.
