Money matters, but isn't the world

I like to think that I'm special. I like to think I am one of the few people my age who understand what money is worth.

When I was younger I got absolutely anything I wanted - whether a lollipop or a spaceship, my parents would buy it for me in a heartbeat.

But now, at the more grandfatherly age of 14, I have realised the importance of money.

In my household, we don't have the most money. In fact, at the end of the week, after the rent and bills are paid and the fridge is re-stocked, there isn't really any to spare at all.

So I keep my wish-list to a minimum. Some people might see this as torture, but it doesn't really bother me at all. As long as I have clothes on my back, shelter over my head, blankets on my bed, Facebook on my computer, good shows on TV, good food in the fridge, happy people I call my friends and family, and my shower, then I have nothing to worry about.

Usually, money isn't too important to me. I rarely ask for any money, but if I do ask for it, I probably just want to buy some lunch for me and my friends. Money isn't high on my priority list because there isn't much I want to buy; and usually the money I get is from my dad, who doesn't have much to spare, so I respect that, and lay off the whining.

If I had large sums of money, almost all of it would be used on things I really need, as well as my friends and family. In a way I'm just following in my dad's footsteps. When he did have a lot of money, he used a large amount on keeping family and friends happy, rather than on luxuries for himself.

I tend to not worry about saving, mostly because I don't have much to save for. But in the unlikely event there is something I really want, I tend to attempt to save up for it; emphasis on the "attempt".

But one thing I need to save for, and that I doubt I'll have the money for, is my university fees. Where is a kid like me going to raise a ridiculous amount of money like $30,000?

I have ambitions of becoming an engineering manager. Why? Because apparently I'd be good at it; and it brings in a hefty pay cheque.

Why does the pay attract me?

Because one day when I'm big and strong like my daddy, I'd rather be living in a mansion with my beautiful wife and kids, just chilling out surrounded by luxurious things, and not have to worry about debt, bills, tax and whatnot; basically to just cruise through life.

I'm not saying that having a lot of money is the only way to be happy, but it honestly could help, just a bit.

Money may not be very important at this age, but I have a feeling that some day, possibly in the not too distant future, it'll be a teeny bit more important.

Jed Meehl, Year 10, Massey High School