u/Creative_Giraffe5391

I knew residency would be exhausting. I expected long shifts, little sleep, and constant pressure. But, what I didn’t expect was feeling guilty every time I spent money… even on basic things.

Like a decent meal, new shoes for the hospital, taking a cab after a brutal shift instead of waiting for public transport, and even saying yes to plans with friends sometimes feels irresponsible.

It’s strange knowing I am working towards a stable career, yet constantly feeling anxious about spending in the present.

Does that feeling ever go away? Or is this just part of residency life now? What do you think?

it’s weird mentally being in a career people associate with financial stability while personally feeling nowhere close to that right now.

Between student loans, moving costs, rent, licensing fees, and resident salary not stretching very far in higher COL areas, I honestly feel more financially anxious than I expected to at this stage.

Meanwhile a lot of non-medical friends my age are already contributing to retirement accounts, traveling, buying cars/houses, or just generally not stressing over every expense.

I know the long-term earning potential is different in medicine, but sometimes it still feels like we sacrifice most of our 20s financially just trying to get through training.

Did anyone else feel this way during residency/training? And at what point did things actually start feeling financially stable?