From Boston Progress Radio:

Once in a blue moon my mother will throw out the term ‘money sucker.’ It’s her derogatory label of those people who are all about the benjamins, baby. I don’t hear her rant about the money makers very often these days, but growing up she used to say it all the time. I remember these personalities in her life like zombies chasing dollar after vacuous dollar, bereft of virtue or worthwhile purpose. It instilled in me a distaste and discomfort with money and its zombifying properties, even as my mother’s opinions about money began to change.

It’s probably relevant that we were a lot poorer then. By the time I was in middle school she’d bought her first home, and the rants took a significant drop. We settled in a nice city with a good school, and I noticed my mother’s attitude about money had changed from something negative to something positive.

I find it interesting how attitudes towards money can differ in respect to financial standing. For my mother, not having enough probably sparked some of the anger that fueled the ‘money sucker’ rants.

I’ve never had much of a desire to make lots of money. I took my mother’s concerns around money to heart, and as I grew I saw how putting a price tag on things often confused its value as much as it defined it. I’ve lived my post-college years on a small salary, and it’s been great. Working with orgs like boston progress and making meaningful connections with folks has been rewarding in ways that are immensely satisfying. And it’s free!

That said, a lack of financial planning now means for more stressful times in the future. Expenses accrue w/age, as we pay off our student loans, buy our first home, have children, and take care of aging parents. When I think about this, I reluctantly admit I need to get more serious about my money. And an important first step in this process was changing how I thought about it.

If you think money is vile, you’ll probably stay away from it. And if you obsess about money, you risk sacrificing other important things to get it. For me, it was (and still is) about striking a medium between the two. Knowing that money isn’t all that’s important, but also remembering that I need to have a plan for the life issues that will come. It’s a relationship I’m slowly and begrudgingly starting to treat like the other close relationships I have in my life, with regular care and concern.

I like thinking about it as a relationship b/c it helps explain why my parents never really talked to me about it. When I was 19, my father walked into my room and brusquely asked if I was using protection with the girl I’d been steadily dating for a couple of years. This was our first serious relationship discussion, so many years too late. But I think would’ve been similarly surprised if he had come in and showed me his paycheck and his bills, and talked to me about how he went about planning his budget.

The lack of money conversations probably springs more from the fact my folks were still developing their views on it. Even somewhat recently, my folks read Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad series and began talking with me more constructively about money. In the series, Kiyosaki highlights the different educations he got about money from his parental figures.

When I think about what my folks taught me about money, I think of the money-suckers. It wasn’t an ideal education, but seeing them change has taught me that you can still learn and grow even after decades of bad habits. And that’s pretty good.

From Oakland Girls Speak:

Prices Going Up
I make money by doing stuff around the house, like washing my mom’s car or stuff like that. I used to have a job at Acorn Recreation Center, but that was just a summer job. Other people do stuff like sell drugs and girls go and prostitute, and people gamble. Some people have jobs that they go to everyday. Or some people just steal money.

Right now, I’m trying to get a job holding signs outside that will bring people to buy or rent new apartments. It pays good – ten dollars a hour. Some people sell other stuff not drugs … like clothes, shoes, or accessories.

I noticed that a lot of people are going broke or not having as much money as they are used it. I could tell because I see more dirty people on the street like homeless people or just dusty people. The gas prices are too high and the houses these days cost too much, I think that has something to do with why parents start complaining more about money. Most of the stuff at the liquor store went up on the prices to like little things like fifty cent sodas and candy bars. – LaTajh

Fast Money
Well, my people be getting money by anything they can do to get money. For example, I know people that sell weed on every corner in East Oakland and sometimes they even get high on their own supply, that’s why they be broke as a fucking joke, but that don’t stop them getting weed and drugs and shit. Some of my family, they be selling drugs, all kinds of them all over Oakland. Well, everywhere … but all they do is wait in their damn corner and wait for dumb-ass people to buy their shit and they do. That’s why people die every day, either an overdose or people don’t pay up. Another body was found on the streets. Either they die cause of that or because of gang banging … my life used to be all about that, but hmmmmmm … I have changed a lot. – Esa Chunky

Getting Money and Getting Rich, So If You Broke You Get Ditched
Damn, what’s poppin? Everybody and they momma broke. This recession shit killing us, slowly but surely. I can’t even get a hot dollar from my momma without her talking bout: “Where your job at?” And then I.R.S steal, taxes man. They getting over. So get rich or get ditched! Get money and act funny, feel me.

I’m making money by working at Youth Radio. I also do hair and make money off of that. I do about three heads in one week, since I work and go to school. I make at least $160 from that. Can you believe it? Another young black woman succeeding in life.

I ain’t selling my body or nobody else’s drugs – that’s the hustle over here in the West. You got boosters, hos, hustlers and I’m neither. I do not have close family or friends who does these things, but where I live you got a little bit of all that. I don’t think they make much money because it’s a lot of people on the same hustle they on, which is not good. And if the recession keeps going, every body gonna be stealing robbing and selling.

See me, I want to make a lot of money, like $300 every two weeks but how can I do that with everybody low on money? When I get the money, I buy things I like such as clothes, shoes and accessories because I’m into my fashion, feel me. Oh yeah, I ain’t holding up no signs, talking bout spare change. Fuck that, get on your job. Hahaha holla. – Young Keke (Free Teddy)

Making Money
This is how I make my money: I work for The Beat Within and they are taking taxes out of my check. Other people are getting mad because they are not getting paid enough. People sell drugs so they can have the amount of money that they want because they might need it for something. Hoing, some females does it because they are desperate for love and some do it just because they can. Stealing clothes – people do it because they need to provide for their family because they do not make enough money. – Shelkeia Green