Confessions of a PF Blogger: $0.25 per Quart

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Confessions of a Personal Finance Blogger Welcome back to CoPFB!

I’ve always been a worker.  To this day, I don’t recall a time in nearly two decades when I haven’t been juggling multiple jobs.

Looking back on my employment history, I remember a plethora of odd, random experiences that always helped to boost my bottom line.

In order to fully understand the magnitude of my love of work, one needs only to rewind a mere 19 years.

First Paying Job at 11 Years Old

I was eleven years old, and I managed to land my first paycheck-bearing position in addition to my standing babysitting appointments:  I was hired to pick strawberries at a local farm.

Despite the state mandate that farm help must be at least 12 years old, my mother was able to convince the farmer that he should hire me (thanks, Mom!) because ‘I was a worker and he wouldn’t be let down.’

And So it Began

Every morning at 5:30AM, seven days a week, one of my parents would schlep me over to the farm and drop me off.  I would spring from the car and immediately ask the farmer which rows we’d be picking that morning.  As soon as I grabbed my trays and empty quarts, I was off to find the “perfect” row.

No matter the slugs, bugs, rain, and straw rashes on my legs, I was a strawberry-picking machine.  I found great satisfaction in knowing that the faster I worked, the more money I made (I also seriously enjoyed competing with the boys and seeing their faces when they found out I had picked more than them at the end of the day).

25 Cents Per Quart

Each week I received a “paycheck” that reflected my $0.25 per quart salary (it was a personal check written by the farmer).  Being too young to have a bank account, my mother would cash the checks for me and subsequently deposit them into a separate savings account.  I had my first savings account “passport” at the age of eleven, and I carried that damn thing around like it was my personal Bible.  Watching the balance grow in that book was as liberating as I currently feel while watching my Net Worth grow.

I held this job for 6 consecutive summers, and I firmly believe that this experience was the catalyst for a life of hard work and dedication to my finances.

While I’ve had some struggles and mishaps along the way (to be shared in future posts), I know that my dedication to maintaining a healthy financial life is literally rooted in the farm…

This post is part of my Confessions of a PF Blogger series.  Other posts include:

 

 

 

Jen

Freelancer; reformed spendaholic; risk taker; adventure seeker; world traveler; rose smeller; debt destroyer. My mission is to inspire others to live a healthy, balanced life one cent at a time.

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Confessions of a PF Blogger: $0.25 per Quart — 14 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehappyhomeowner.net%2F2011%2F08%2Fconfessions-of-pf-blogger-025-per-quart.htmlConfessions+of+a+PF+Blogger%3A++%240.25+per+Quart2011-08-02+15%3A31%3A00Jenhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehappyhomeowner.net%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fconfessions-of-a-pf-blogger-0-25-per-quart.html

  1. I worked on a farm as well. It was hard work, but so worth it when you're 12 and can't get hired anywhere else. Like you, in addition to babysitting, this helped beef up my "passport" savings account. I loved the farm! The fresh air was great. I picked cukes, squash and beans. I used to fluff up the bushel baskets so they looked fuller than they were though. Those things took forever to fill! Thanks for the walk down memory lane :)

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  2. Hi HappyHomeowner,I had to post a comment. I've been reading PF blogs for a while now and just stumbled across yours today for the first time. I enjoy your posts and appreciate where your upbringing! Mine was quite similar to yours and I had a job at age 12 delivering newspapers which held up until my first at Burger King :) I did also pick strawberries for my mom so she could make all sorts of yummy home baked goods and jam. Congrats on the condo purchase! I bought one too in Toronto and am now waiting for it to be built, but I can't wait until it is ready!Keep up the writing!Mike

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  3. I always say that the people who have worked in a service industry have a different aspect and outlook on money and on life.At one point I waited tables before going off to college to make some extra money and I life-guarded 39 hours a week. I went from one job to the next and I did it all summer long…But being and working as a server/hostess I really got a different understanding of work.and i'm forever grateful that I did get that kind of experience. It has helped shape my work effort and I really know the value of hard work.

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  4. How many quarts did you pick for the week? My husband did some work like this when he was growing up and also he was a paperboy. My first job was answering phones at the age of eleven. I don't remember how much I was paid.

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  5. Hmmm…my reply to you was lost in the Google abyss by the looks of it! I look back on those days fondly, feeling very proud that I cultivated (pun intended…haha!) a good work ethic at a young age. I still love picking my own strawberries, although now I go a lot slower and take care to pick only the best ones! :)

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  6. Hi Mike, thanks for your comment! I don't remember if I've already mentioned it, but I "moved up" to the wonderful world of fast food when I turned 16–at Wendy's… :) Congrats on your condo purchase as well; I hope you're settled and loving it by now!!

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