Additional Coverage:
- I’m a single mom who lives paycheck to paycheck. I once made my son do food deliveries with me to pay for his dinner. (businessinsider.com)
For one Connecticut mom, the struggle to make ends meet is a daily reality. Balancing freelance work and education, she finds her paycheck stretched thin covering rent and the needs of her three growing children. The rising cost of living has only intensified her money anxieties, leaving her constantly juggling bills and worrying about how to provide for her family.
One evening, her son’s simple request for Chipotle became a poignant example of her financial struggles. Unwilling to disappoint him with another “I can’t afford it,” she proposed a solution: earning the meal through Uber Eats deliveries. Her teenage son, oblivious to the unusual nature of their dinner-earning adventure, embraced the task with enthusiasm.
The experience highlighted the author’s internal battle with guilt and inadequacy. At 46, she admits to feeling like she should be further along financially. The lack of savings, retirement plans, and even credit cards weighs heavily on her mind, stealing precious moments from her children’s everyday joys.
While her children’s father covers a portion of their expenses, she still carries the burden of providing for their needs during the time they spend with her. Simple trips to the grocery store become exercises in budget calculation, comparing her cart to the overflowing baskets of seemingly carefree shoppers. She envies their apparent lack of financial worries, a stark contrast to her own lived experience.
Despite the constant financial pressures, she finds solace in small moments of joy and gratitude. Overhearing her son describe moms as “magical” reinforces her determination to overcome their challenges. She cherishes the simple blessings of a home, food, and health, recognizing a different kind of wealth in these essentials.
Even the Uber Eats experience became a valuable lesson. What began as a necessary task transformed into a shared adventure filled with laughter and love. For this Connecticut mom, true wealth may not lie in financial stability, but in the enduring bonds of family and the resilience of the human spirit.