Changing Your Mindset
I wonder how long it takes to go from being food-stamp poor to being upper-middle class rich, in your head.
Tonight I rolled $26.50 worth of coins. It took about 20 minutes. I know a lot of people who say they don't have time to roll coins. I think what they truly mean is that they don't want to use their time to do that. So they are willing to spend money to have a machine sort and count their coins for them. I am not. I never have.
It's the principle of it. Who the fuck am I, a doctor? What am I so busy doing that I can't take the time to roll coins every few months? Granted, I grew up with a dad who worked full time, and took an active roll in parenting his two kids, and was a husband who I routinely saw sitting on the edge of his bed rolling coins some weekend mornings.
Recently my brother told me the grocery store near him will count your coins for you, and then give you a gift card to their store in that amount. It's a chain I use, and sounds like a great idea. Except it'd cost me $2 to get to that store. I'll have to look and see if the one near me does it. It's a little satellite store, so they don't have all the bells and whistles.
But I wonder how rich I'd have to be to let a machine count my coins even if it charged a fee, or a percentage. I wonder if I'll ever not get a rush when I see that a product I use is on sale. People say being poor builds character and shit like that. Sure, but it also changes your mindset. There's nothing noble or good about feeling insecure about having a roof over your head, enough money to eat. It doesn't build character to be sad at having to put on shoes that are wet because it's been pouring for three days in a row and your shoes haven't had a chance to dry before you have to wear them again.
The Turkey handed me some crumpled up papers today, to throw out for him. He was standing right in front of the garbage pail. Literally, his shoe was touching it. He is exactly the type of person who I bet has never rolled his own coins.
Tonight I rolled $26.50 worth of coins. It took about 20 minutes. I know a lot of people who say they don't have time to roll coins. I think what they truly mean is that they don't want to use their time to do that. So they are willing to spend money to have a machine sort and count their coins for them. I am not. I never have.
It's the principle of it. Who the fuck am I, a doctor? What am I so busy doing that I can't take the time to roll coins every few months? Granted, I grew up with a dad who worked full time, and took an active roll in parenting his two kids, and was a husband who I routinely saw sitting on the edge of his bed rolling coins some weekend mornings.
Recently my brother told me the grocery store near him will count your coins for you, and then give you a gift card to their store in that amount. It's a chain I use, and sounds like a great idea. Except it'd cost me $2 to get to that store. I'll have to look and see if the one near me does it. It's a little satellite store, so they don't have all the bells and whistles.
But I wonder how rich I'd have to be to let a machine count my coins even if it charged a fee, or a percentage. I wonder if I'll ever not get a rush when I see that a product I use is on sale. People say being poor builds character and shit like that. Sure, but it also changes your mindset. There's nothing noble or good about feeling insecure about having a roof over your head, enough money to eat. It doesn't build character to be sad at having to put on shoes that are wet because it's been pouring for three days in a row and your shoes haven't had a chance to dry before you have to wear them again.
The Turkey handed me some crumpled up papers today, to throw out for him. He was standing right in front of the garbage pail. Literally, his shoe was touching it. He is exactly the type of person who I bet has never rolled his own coins.
Labels: Interactive, Shock and Awe, Therapizing, Turkey
3 Comments:
1. $26.50! that's awesome!
2. there are poor entitled assholes and rich entitled assholes. i don't know Turkey's income, but he sure sounds like an entitled asshole anyway.
3. have you tried drying your shoes in the oven? don't turn it on, the pilot light will dry them for you (faster than air-drying for sure). just don't pre-heat the oven without checking for shoes - learned that one the hard way...
It's been ten years since my income rose enough that I didn't, strictly speaking, *need* to buy only house brand frozen vegetables, or always bring leftovers for lunch, or order a cafe au lait instead of a latte when I treat myself to coffee because it's cheaper- but I still have those habits. My mindset has shifted in other ways, but I suspect you'll be a coin roller forever. (I am.)
I don't even roll coins, I spend them. What does that make me? (I grew up pretty poor, and I've been everything from poor to able-to-save but never approaching typical middle class. Or, at least, I've never owned property, anyhow.)
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