New X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger has revealed that she "absolutely loves" being able to splash the cash because she grew up with very little. The Pussycat Dolls star said that her family struggled when she was younger and that she would try to get jobs in commercials to pay for her acting and dance lessons. She told UK newspaper, the Daily Mail: "I absolutely love having money, because I grew up without it. "I came from a very working-class family, and money for me and my sister Ke'ala was very tight. Our clothes came from sales shops, and for me to have dance or acting lessons was a very big sacrifice." She added: "But it hit me very early on that if I could earn money from doing auditions and commercials, then that would pay for my classes, which was what I did. My parents helped me in every way they could. The first thing I did with my first pay cheque was buy a house for my mum." But her frugal upbringing taught her how to budget during her college years. "I lived through college eating only pancakes and noodles," she said. "I can exist on practically nothing because of how I grew up. I got a place at a performing arts school, but I paid the fees by working my way through it. "Food was something I didn't want to spend a lot of money on. I'd buy bulk packs of pancake mix and use water instead of milk — and I'd alternate with cheap packs of noodles. I love to eat out now, and when I go into a very expensive, glitzy restaurant I still savour every mouthful."