She's a Winner, Folks!



symbol for luck in kanji (image source)

If you've spent any amount of time wth me, you have probably heard me whine and cry about my lack of luck. I don't think I have bad luck, I just don't have any. My freshman year of college is the first time I actually remember winning anything in one of those raffle drawings, and it was at Zeta Day in Augusta. The trip had already sucked enough (my friend got a speeding ticket 5 minutes outside of Augusta, we had to leave Atlanta at 7am, you get the idea) so I was SO PUMPED when they called my number. The prizes had been neat stuff like tshirts, mugs, koozies, all the good sorority stuff that you are still excited about as a freshman. So I walk down to the front of the stage and what do they hand me? A basket the size of my fist with 4 plastic strawberries in it and some Easter basket grass. Seriously? What a joke. I was so pissed! That's how non-lucky I am. 



So imagine my surprise when, late last week, I received an email stating that I had won a contest I entered! Granted this had nothing to do with luck and everything to do with my writing ability (and apparently spending habits), but still. I won! I finally won something of value! Woohoo!

Taken directly from Schwab MoneyWise:



Congrats to Kathryn in Atlanta for winning our contest!

Don’t you hate it when your parents are right?

What’s the best thing your parents told you about money—that you ignored? We’ll post the response we think everyone should hear and give the winner $100. (Maybe you should split it with mom and dad.)

A. Winning Entry

When I graduated college I received quite a bit of money from family and friends—enough to create a 6 month cushion in my savings. My dad informed that if I had that same cushion in one year, he would double it. He was trying to teach me the value & importance of having a 6 month emergency fund. Six months (and many beers, pizzas, and shopping trips) later, my cushion was gone and I was broke. I was forced to admit my failure to my dad, but have learned my lesson and understand how important that cushion is.



Yep, that's a true story. It was a dark time in my life where I thought that Moe's, Moondogs, and the Gap could solve all my problems. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, but...it wasn't exactly a life I could sustain. I've moved on to bigger & better problems, kids!



But seriously, thank you Schwab and I guess... thank you Dad, too. That $100 I won will be wisely spent, I swear!