I'm a 25-year-old grad student on a budget. I've struggled to accept financial help from my Boomer and Gen X friends.

The author with her 64-year-old friend at a Manhattan coffee shop. Courtesy of Jacqueline LeKachman Quitting my full-time job to go to grad school sent me into major money-saving mode. My Gen X and Boomer friends had larger budgets, and I worried when they routinely paid for me. After one of my friends said something wise, I was able to slowly release my anxiety. In August, I quit my steady job as a New York City public high school teacher to start a full-time graduate program in Manhattan....