This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.
Tiara Simmons understands — maybe better than most people — that money often equals access.
The 39-year-old is a below-the-knee amputee and uses an electric wheelchair full-time. Though she’s been disabled for nearly her entire life, she “wasn’t raised to think of myself as being disabled.” Like any other child, she dreamt of a future without limitations and says she didn’t really encounter ableism until after college.
A hefty settlement allowed Simmons to experience the kind of life you can live when you’re not worried about money, but it didn’t last. Now she earns roughly $26,000 per year between her job as a law clerk and social media marketing side hustle.
She lives with her husband, who works part-time, her 3-year-old son and their chihuahua in a one-bedroom apartment in Long Beach, California. With a median income of around $84,000 a year, California isn’t known for its affordability. But more affordable places aren’t always more accessible, Simmons says.
She was recently sworn-in as an attorney, but isn’t doing it for the money — even if it would make parts of her life easier. Rather, she hopes to one day become a public defender helping clients without the means for legal representation.
“I’m not rolling in the dough right now and I probably will never be,” Simmons tells CNBC Make It. “But as long as I can survive and as long as I’m doing what I think is my mission in life, I’m OK.”
How she spends her money
Here’s a look at how Simmons and her husband, Dean, spent their money in December 2022.
- Housing and utilities: $1,705 for rent, Wi-Fi, sewage and waste management, water, gas and electric
- Food: $806 on groceries and dining out
- Discretionary: $397 on laundry, diapers, home goods and entertainment/leisure
- Transportation: $296 for Uber and public transportation
- Phone: $112 for two phone…
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