"Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford!" by Yash

"Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford!" by Yash - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

I’ve been blessed with caring and knowledgeable parents, an abundance of influential teachers, and lifelong friends who have truly changed who I am. However, the most enlightening piece of advice came to me from Steve Martin’s skit “Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford” on Saturday Night Live! Very humorously, the skit exposes an embarrassing failure of us American people to understand the need to only buy things using money we have already earned.

I choked with laughter as I watched, imagining others as the subject of his humor. But as I pondered the idea more deeply, I realized – my parents buy my food, clothing, expensive technological toys, and even my education. My occasional earnings from odd jobs barely cover some hobbies, let alone my needs. As a relatively entitled teenager, I’m in no position to judge those who have fallen into the allure of debt! Martin’s skit, intended to garner a laugh from its audience, had opened my eyes to an obvious message – everything desired had to be earned or “deserved”! I was able to extend this concept beyond money – to other objects of our desire, ones requiring more than just money.

For a while now, I’ve imagined myself growing up to be an educated, kind and caring doctor. For me, college education was a given – but I’d never considered its cost! Now I know better. Opportunity as large as college is a privilege not a right, and has to be earned. Even if the expense were somehow taken care of, getting into a college would require me to “deserve” it! That meant I was responsible for working hard and getting the grades necessary for entry into my desired college. While the responsibility weighed on me, I also realized that it flattened the playing field, and achieving it was entirely within my powers. I found this extremely motivating.

It is the best piece of advice I have received. Not only did it enlighten me to the value of hard work and money, but also motivated me to change myself. While I might forget some details of chemistry, biology or advanced calculus, Martin’s lesson will stay with me. In fact, it is the motivation behind writing this very essay – one more thing I can do to minimize the debt burden of my education!

Coupled with other changes, Martin inspired me to really begin working hard in high school and bettering myself. I began missing my favorite television shows, to instead learn more about the subject of study at school. Late night study sessions became regular occurrences, and the resulting bags under my eyes were an assurance that I was on the right track! My efforts culminated into my becoming Valedictorian at Golden Valley High School, and starting Fall I’ll be attending classes at UC Berkeley!

The four minute skit about money, taught me much more. But, it definitely drove home the basic message – for resilience, to resist temptation and strive to deserve everything that I desire, including money. By extension, the need to invest and manage the fruits of my work efficiently and to live within my means. In the skit, Martin’s character is so flabbergasted with the idea that he should save before buying; I laughed, but honestly, before seeing the video I was just as foolish as his character. I took for granted the things I was graciously given, and justified my expectations with the assurance that I would work hard in college and prove a worthy investment later.

Wow, Steve Martin saved me from my own impending failure!