10 Things In Life That I Fear I Won’t Be Able To Afford When I’m “Supposed” To

Over the past five years, I’ve somehow managed to graduate from college, secure a full-time job, move out of my parent’s home, pay rent all by myself, buy a car, and get kicked off my family’s cell phone plan. There was a point where I thought none of those things would be attainable, which has made me feel more confident about money and being able to support myself financially. However, there are a number of other things I still can’t afford in life and I spend a little too much time worrying if I will ever be able to afford them. I’d like to think that because, in five years, I went from being able to afford none of the above to all of the above, I will be able to do even crazier things in another five years, but I’m scared that won’t be the case this time around.

I’m currently in my late 20s, so I’m starting to think about bigger purchases and they don’t seem attainable with my current budget, or even my budget six months from now.  Only time and savings will tell.

Here are 10 things I fear I will never have the money for:

1. A House. I live in a major city and I can barely afford my rent. Now you’re telling me that at some point in the near future I have to own something and to do that I have to put down well over $50,000? I’m trying to save, but there’s very little left over after I pay all of my bills.

2. A Wedding. Even if saving up for a wedding were doable, I worry about being able to afford anything after the wedding, because just throwing that wedding would clean me out and then some.

3. Furniture not from Ikea. Seriously. I don’t want to have to figure out how to put this crap furniture with no directions together EVER AGAIN. Just once, I would like to be able to pick out a piece of furniture that I’ve been wanting for the living room and saving for. But here’s my issue: How do I buy that piece of furniture and still save for everything else on this list?

4. A Child. They will need clothes and shelter and decor for their room and a ROOM and, one day, college. I’m about to pass out just thinking about it. Financial preparation for a child is crucial and I don’t want to be unprepared. But even five years from now, do I really see myself being able to afford baby food and a nanny for said child? Let’s be real. Changing diapers? I can do that myself.

5. A phone (without a free upgrade). I’m pretty sure I don’t even have the funds to get a phone with an upgrade right now, so what if I dropped my phone in the toilet, or something, and had to buy a new one? This is the reason to keep an old phone, because if something happens to mine, I’d rather go with the old back-up phone that I secretly hate than shell out $600 for a brand new phone. Of all the things to spend on, buying a new phone would break my heart— and my emergency fund.

6. Unlimited data. Or just enough data so I can use Spotify whenever I am driving. I know it’s a little trivial, but I really don’t care for my shitty data plan. I just want to be able to buy enough data to stop getting messages that say, “Hi, you’re 2 days into the month and you have used 90% of your data.” Is that possible?

7. Freelance life. Health insurance, hi. You are one evil b*tch. I have been running a successful blog and freelancing for multiple publications for quite a while now, and am still unsure about going completely freelance. The additional expenses (have I mentioned I need health insurance?) add up so quickly.

8. A pet. Meow feed me meow. Animals require feeding (obviously) and constant attention. I barely have time to spend with myself. And if I don’t have the money to feed you, I don’t have money to own you. *Sigh.*

9. More than two haircuts per year. This one is a real struggle for me. Maintaining a fresh hairstyle is not cheap. I’ve been sporting my long locks for years and yes, it’s mostly because it saves me money.

10. A luxury item, like a Chanel bag. HOW DO PEOPLE OWN THESE AND STILL MANAGE TO FUNCTION IN SOCIETY? If I were to take the time to save for a luxury piece, I’d be too busy having a panic attack about it every single time I wore it out of the house to ever enjoy it. Also, while buying one seems like a tempting goal, everything else on this list seems a little more relevant to my life right now.