When I first heard the song, ‘Just Got Paid’, I felt a sudden wave of emotion – so much so that I had to stop what I was doing.
When the song ended, I played it again.
The gleeful chorus/riff brings about feelings of sheer absolute joy and describe exactly how I used to feel when I got paid, during the time when I was buried in credit card debt, back in the mid-2000s.
Some of the lyrics describe my irresponsibility with money back then and yup, if I could dance like that, I would have been dancing like those girls in the video!
I no longer experience this joyful feeling when my wage hits my bank account these days. It’s not that I’m not happy when I get paid because of course I am.
But perhaps it’s because back in those debt ridden days, being paid meant huge relief and happiness that I had money in the bank to spend, to pay off my debts, to plug my overdraft (if only temporarily) and that for a short while, I was financially ok…until I became skint and the cycle would being again as I waited for the next pay day.
Nowadays, I get paid, I check my bank a few days later to see automatic amounts going out for my investments, my bills being paid automatically, all tickety-boo, all quite clinical really. No sheer joy here but also, no fear or grief or stress that it’s all going to run out soon.
And this got me thinking – the next time I’m likely to get these happy feelings of getting paid will be when I stop working and am living off my investments/dividends/pensions etc. Yes, because I will have gotten ‘paid’ for doing nothing!
Just a short post, it’s been a long week and the post I was going to put up didn’t get finished so let me just end on that thought, dance to this top tune and hope you all have a great weekend!
I still am excited when my paycheck hits my account every two weeks, but agree with you that the feeling of getting “paid” for decades of hard work and saving when I finally reach early retirement and financial independence will be even better!
And I am certainly dating myself, but when you mentioned “Just Got Paid” I thought back to the late Johnny Kemp’s hit from the 1980s: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jl1mQASHc48
I’m into my 80s music but must have missed Johnny Kemp’s song – never heard of it!
When I was a teenager working in the local supermarket, I used to love getting paid in cash each week! Having a sum transferred electronically to your account is less exciting. Since I won’t have a salary coming in for a while, I might just do a little ‘I got paid’ dance, whenever and however I earn some money next
Hi Mindy
Although my early weekend jobs were paid in cash, I still didn’t feel that job that I felt as described in my post. Perhaps it was more relief than joy!?
Yes, enjoy your little dance! 🙂
My first job was delivering a local newspaper. I was underpaid, but I never forget the feeling of having earned my first ever salary. I think I will experience a similar feeling the first month of living off my investments. I will celebrate quietly by going to my favorite coffee shop and ordering my favorite brew. It will be the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted 😉
Thanks for sharing, Marc. Do youngsters have these kinds of jobs any more? Definitely not delivering newspapers anyway!
I love this post weenie – it’s great to hear about how songs can become symbolic and cool memories of how we used to live.
Cheers Ms ZiYou – Music does give me a lot of memories, of events, time and place, people etc. I just never thought there was a song that would make me think about my money situation!
Gotta love a bit of Sigala! 🙂
I agree, used to love pay day and now I barely even notice it, apart from the fact it’s a few days before my end of month spreadsheet updates!
Not because I was ever in debt I just think when you are younger it’s more exciting as it’s a more novel thing back then, and also money was obviously tighter in general due to lower income and/or slightly higher expenses.
Cheers!
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When you have your finances all in order and automated, getting paid feels like a non-event. Getting paid doesn’t change what you are going to do with your money in the following days. Unlike when I was younger and used to blow all my spare cash within the first few days then was skint for the rest of the month.
I’ll happily trade a non-event of being paid to those 3 skint weeks!
Hey Tuppeny
Yes, I think it’s when you’re skint, getting paid is a celebration, so as I don’t have a wish to be skint again, the ‘non-event’ of pay day will be fine in my book too!
Yes, do love a bit of Sigala! 🙂
I get my payslip emailed to me a few days before the money hits my bank – I just check the bottom figure (to make sure my tax and pension has been taken correctly) and then just file it.
I don’t want to think ‘another day, another dollar’ cos that makes it sound like I don’t like my work!