Reviewing "I Survived Capitalism and All I Got was this Lousy T-Shirt" by Madeline Pendleton
"Everything I Wish I Never Had to Learn About Money" and my own experiences with money.
I didn’t really know I grew up poor. But around 9 or 10 years old, it just kind of happened.
I grew up in homes that mismanaged money. It wasn’t always their fault, many financial problems of the poor are because of the capitalistic systems that they live in. But I think there was also a lot of fear surrounding money. Fear of how to get it, never having enough, and being poor. Hello poor girl! You and your family have no money. Goodbye poor girl. I don’t think this is an uncommon situation, but fear is turbulent and unsteady, causing poor financial decision making.
I started following Madeline Pendleton on Tiktok in 2021. I think one of the first videos I ever saw from her was about her business and how it’s a company that pays all the employees equally, about 78k a year. It was the first time I had heard this was a possible method for businesses to operate. But she also talked a lot about handling money and how she got to where she is now after growing up very poor.
So when Madeline announced that she was writing a book titled I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Everything I Wish I Never Had to Learn About Money I was all ears to get the full story. She has built incredible trust in her audience because of her alternative style for not only handling her business, but also being relatable AF through her real-talk experiences and stories that often highlight the inequities of living in a ‘capitalism is king’ society.
Madeline is not an influencer, or maybe she is, but not in the product-pedaling way that so many are. (Buy this new, incredible, life-changing product! Everyday ya know.) She is more like a thought leader and a storyteller.
I picked up I Survived because I admire her and I want to learn from her. After reading, I feel my perspective on understanding money has been altered. Here are a few highlights from I Survived that changed my way of thinking:
#1 How we think about money.
I think when you grow up poor, it’s hard to accept money in a positive or even neutral way. It's something you never get enough of and always feel at war with. I love how Madeline reframes that money will be a part of life and even though it sucks, we have to figure out the system because we want to survive. You will have to work hard, because the system is hard, but you can get to a different and better place.
#2 Sometimes a steady job is where it’s at.
Sometimes I personally feel pressured to work hard to find my perfect dream job and also work endlessly to make a ton of money. But there’s something to be said for just finding something that works, making peace with it (especially if you can find something that doesn’t completely blow), and then making an effort to make the most of the rest of your life. I get the impression that Madeline enjoys her business as much as one can when working, but it’s still work and things are not easy in our wishy-washy mess of an economy.
So I guess I just appreciate that yes, the vast majority of people have to work, but why not try to feel more even about it and try to find comfort where you can.
#3 Managing your thoughts about money.
Another side effect of poverty is thinking about money all the time. All the time! Which is honestly very exhausting. I felt relieved to find other people who have gone through this. Even though we might always need to think of money, to some extent, it can be helpful to reframe your thoughts around what we can control. Evaluating how we’re spending our money and how that might be affecting our lives (like are we spending carelessly??).
#4 Not everything is your fault.
As a person who generally feels like a failure when anything is going wrong or not going how I would like, it was a big deal to realize that there are basically systems in place to keep you poor. Like, it’s not easy to move up when you start pretty close to the bottom. I don’t say this to absolve myself of responsibility or the things that are within my control, but more as a realization that so much of the system is broken or made for a certain kind of person. But understanding this can be essential in developing the best strategy for surviving and, dare I say, a little bit of thriving. Things are tough, and I can’t control inflation or the economy or many of the other things in the larger system. All I can really do is my best in a broken system.
Money is difficult because people are difficult. It took me a long time to realize that. I still work on my relationship with money. Because money and the systemic issues that come with it in our society are not going away anytime soon. Educating myself, changing my mindset, and continuing forward have been the most effective ways that I can feel better about it.
So, be sure to check out I Survived at the library or your local bookstore. I personally listened to the audiobook and recommend it because I love the sincerity of Madeline as she reads. It’s part memoir and part foundational financial tips. This is something I would recommend if you are just starting out with wanting to understand money and looking for something very approachable with easily actionable items. I love that Madeline is a person who I believe has the poor person’s best interest at heart and knows exactly what reality is for one.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Here are some questions, but of course feel free to take the conversation elsewhere so long as we keep the comments as one of the good places on the internet.
How has your relationship with money changed over the years? Or what do you wish would change about it?
How did your childhood or young adult experience affect your relationship with money?
Any good financial books for other levels (beginners or more advanced)?