Financially Responsible Barbie? Financially Responsible Barbie?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of credit card must be in want of a financial advisor.
For someone who earns a living via the written word I get lost in translation when it comes to discussions of the ASX, interest, credit ratings and other finance related terms and acronyms.
WTF does MYOB actually do?
In order to learn more I headed to the bookstore.
Self-help manuals for women seeking advice for balancing their cheque book have evolved over the years from titles such as A Man Is Not A Financial Plan to more recent Hot (Broke) Messes.
I, alas, bought a copy of the latter.
Most weeks my debit card is like a lottery ticket. I constantly find myself crossing my fingers when punching in my PIN and cheer a little when "approved" pops up on the checkout screen.
Turns out I'm a member of a new posse called the 'Cinderella Singletons', living paycheque to paycheque indulging my champagne taste on a beer budget.
The term floats around finance and business circles to describe women who do not plan their finances in the hope that someday a knight brandishing a Black Amex will swoop in and save us from having to trade designer frocks for mops and scrub floors to get by when we're past the retirement age.
Problem is no one, not even Amex, is coming to save us.
It's time to grow up and realise superannuation isn't something most of us can use to buy pearls or bankroll in order to become known as the "high roller" at the bridge club.
Every year, ANZ conducts a survey of more than 1200 women over the age of 18 called the Women and Money Confidence Report and for me the most recent results hit very close to home.
The survey discovered that 56 per cent of the participants did not save regularly or put any money away for a rainy day.
Also, more than half of these women said their savings would not last three months if they lost their job.
This, plus the current volatility of world markets and riots stemming from economic and employment unrest, served as a pretty big wake up call for my group of Gen Y mates.
"The number one global rule of money is delayed gratification. You have to put away a portion of what you earn before you do anything else really or you’ll never get ahead," financial advisor and author of Debt Man Walking Bruce Brammall said.
Good point Bruce, but I just recently convinced myself that I needed a pair of leopard print, pony skin shoes because of their versatility and thought the cost per wear would balance out the initial outlay.
I clearly do not speak budget.
"Financial education in this country is pretty poor. There are a lot of skills that could be taught at school age like balancing a cheque book," Mr Brammell added.
The man has a point.
Throughout high school I was too busy getting acquainted with Jane Austen and discovering that phalanges is not a dirty word to learn about planning my fiscal future.
Plus I distinctly remember draining my Dollarmite account of its $2.50 balance when I forgot my lunch money one day. 
"In Years 7 to 12 there should be a little bit more compulsory education about things like superannuation, basic money management and how to budget well," he said.
"It's not like it's not taught at all in schools you learn the basics with maths, but maths doesn't teach you about dealing with a salary that pays $500 to $1000 per week and juggling weekly expenditures that cost $600 or $1100.
"We've got issues that just aren't addressed by the Australian education system."
Considering my only assets at the moment consist of vintage designer fashion and photo albums bursting with memories from holidays, where do the Cinderella Singletons go from here?
"You will continue to grind your way through from week to week unless you take a positive step and put some of your money away for a future date," Mr Brammell said.
I have already made a date with my bank for Monday and I will be wearing my leopard print, pony skin boots.