Princess on a budget seeks her Prince Charming

Ahhhhh I was thinking today that life sure has changed and how much i grew in my 20's. Gone are the days when I used to call my dad up and say "Daddy I need money", or "Daddy did you get the bills I posted to you to be paid". I know, I know I sound like I was spoilt (note I am talking in past tense), but you know what I look at it this way, I was my dad’s little princess and he liked to tell me that whatever his precious daughter wants she gets!

Ok I am sounding like I was one of those spoilt brats on "Sweet Sixteen" programme on MTV, but do you know what I admit that I was slightly princess like throughout my early 20's. My father paid my rent and bills, my mum popped into London to pick up my washing and then drive back to London to drop it off.... okay I can so hear your tutting and I know you are shaking your head in disgust and thinking what a spoilt cow, what the hell is she whining about. Well there is a point to this blog entry and here it comes...

I remember when I left my job as Editor Assistant, a job I got straight out of University, after lasting 2 months. I hated it, so when I left to my mum and dad’s disappointment they told me that if I leave I would have to learn to financially support myself. With my stubborn streak in full force I took them on the challenge and told them I can support myself, after all I was 24, and it was then that my life lessons began!

I started to learn to look at prices when food shopping, I found out where my local launderette was, and the word budget came into this ex-princess vocabulary! Admittingly I found it hard, but I must say after the nights spent eating at home rather than going out, taking the bus instead of cabs, was worth the penny pinching because it made it easier to accept and accommodate the one thing in my budget strict life that could not be changed and that was my love for clothes, shoes and luxury food shopping! I found it hard to utter the word "budget" when it came to shopping for shoes but I did learn the words "window shopping"!

Okay have I made my point, probably not! But do you know something I am happy my parents took the harder road and enforced some independence on me back in my mid 20's because I came to enjoy living the life of a princess on a budget that was set on my terms (instead of my parents who then held the purse strings). I guess my mother was always right, money doesn't grow on trees- and what a way to learn that fact!

LSGS