Day 187 of 365 Days of Being Thankful

      Today I am  thankful that we taught our daughters to save money.

Olya has been a very hard worker and is careful with her money.  I think she has a nice amount  saved!   She has had a job since age 15.  Olya and Olivia  were not permitted to work during the school week because schoolwork and grades always came first.  Olya often works at the Bagel Shop when she is home on break.  Her boss loves her because she is reliable and works hard.   Both girls came to the U.S. with about $800.  In Ukraine, children receive a monthly stipend if their fathers are deceased.  Normally, the orphanage workers or directors steal the money but our girls  were in decent orphanages.  Olivia could not work as much as Olya because she had spinal fusion surgery and had years of pain before and after the surgery.  She does have several thousand saved.  We make both girls bank their paychecks but they can keep their tips.  They both make about $25 weekly in tips and that is enough to spend.  We pay for everything except their social lives so  about $25 weekly is plenty. We always made them save most of their birthday money, Christmas money, and graduation party money.  It really adds up when they start to save.  Olya loves looking at her bank statements! When Olivia graduates from Cosmetology school, she can then do whatever she wants with her money. The same for Olya when she graduates from college.  Both girls will need to buy a car.  We will give them a few thousand for a down payment and then they are on their own.
       

 When and if Olivia and Olya get married, we will pay for our guests, the wedding gown, invitations, shoes, hair, make-up and shower. We gave Joe enough to pay for all of our guests and we also paid for the rehearsal dinner.  It is impossible for the girl's family to pay for everything any more. Olya and Olivia will pay for their own friends they want to invite, we will pay for all of the relatives and our friends. I hope they don't get married for many years because they are only 20 and 21. If they get married or move out before they finish school, they will have to take over their own tuition so I think they will be living here until they graduate.  Olivia talks about moving out when she finishes beauty school, but I don't think she will be able to afford it!