I grew poor and now I can give my son the life that I did not have

This test as told is based on a conversation with Stacey Littlefounder of Southern bite. It was published for duration and clarity.

To say I grew up poor would be an understatement. I lived in a trailer with my mother and father and I only wore Walmart clothes. Mac ‘n cheese in a box was a typical dinner, but my mother made him whimsical by adding pepper.

She was good for infusing pleasure and excitement in our reality. I loved the trekking with it in a nearby service station. For me, it was an adventure, but in truth, we were going Use the salary phone Because we didn’t have a phone at home.

I was tirelessly Intimidated at school. Once, in a desperate attempt to help me integrate, my mother opened a credit card to buy a pair of Levis. I had never had any new jeans. It was such a formative moment because it showed me that it was normal to fight for better things.

I declared bankruptcy after acquiring a credit card debt

Our poverty was generational. My grandparents had been in a similar situation. However, I knew I wanted something different.

I worked my rear to go to university. I left with a lot of student debts but a good job working in a non -profit organization. I married my high school darling, Heather, and I bought a house and cars. I finally felt that I had financial security. Then I lost my job.

I didn’t want to come back with my parents, so I used credit cards to reach both ends. The situation has worsened until our son, Jack, was born in 2008. On the day of his birth, I went to the lawyer and Bankruptcy declared.

I started a culinary blog that grew up quickly

We made our cars and Borrowed money from our parents And the grandparents to buy drummers who could bring us where we had to go. We were able to keep our house and our mortgage, and we also had to keep our student loans.

Looking at Jack, I knew I wanted him to have better than me. I did not have my mother’s gift so that even a difficult situation seems fun, so I should make sure that her life was not as difficult.

At that time, I started a food blog, Southern bite. It started with restaurant criticism and grew up in recipes. I worked all day in a new non-profit job and work nights and weekends on the blog when she continued to grow. Soon, a publisher approached me write a kitchen bookWhich in turn led to a larger audience on the blog. It was exciting, but managing my day work and my business became a lot.

I have financial security that I never imagined

I prayed for a sign that it was time to leave my job, and it came importantly: half of the staff were dismissed without warning. When I said to Heather, she cried, but I felt in peace. I doubled on the blog and I never did less than what I had done in my “real” work.

Today, Southern Bite is a seven -digit company. I built a house with a personalized kitchen, office and studio. I am not entirely millionaire personally, but I am close. My family has financial security that I could never have imagined. Not long ago, the idea of ​​walking in a grocery store and not checking the prices was unfathomable for me. Now, I can take my family on vacation, something I have never experienced when I was a child.

I want my son to understand his privilege

My son Jack, who is 16 years old now, lives a life so different from mine. I frequently talk to him about money and try to instill perspective and respect. I want him to know that most people do not live like that.

Jack’s favorite hobby is golf, a sport that I have never been able to afford adolescence. When I was in 6th year, I wanted to make an excursion to Washington so much, DC, it was a rite of passage in our district, but my parents simply could not allow me, so I did not go. These days, I can write a check to sponsor Jack golf tournaments. I also helped my mother buy a house.

I am grateful to the financial security that my work provides. I also have the impression of making the world better – the same desire that pushed me to non -profit organizations. Sits for dinner with dear beings is so important – and it is not negotiable at home, every night.

Food is a duct through which we can connect with others, and this is more than anything.