Same here, we were quite poor, often moving from one dilapidated rental to another due to being kicked out for not paying rent. My brother & I had to work to help pay for school clothes, or supplies. I started babysitting at 12 & built up a group of families that would use me as their sitter. At 13 I helped with filing papers in an office where my mom worked as a secretary. At 15 I got a job at a grocery store as a cashier because my brother worked there as a "bag boy" bagging groceries & taking them out to cars & loading them for customers. He would get a 10 cent "tip" sometimes. He eventually helped with stocking shelves as well. I kept the grocery job through high school to save money to go to nursing school. The entrance fee was $500. The year I was to start nursing school the fee (tuition) went to $1000! I was devastated. But the school allowed me to go for the $500 if I promised to work for the training hospital for two years after graduation to pay off the additional $500. 😇