From my earliest days, I remember money always being a central part of my universe. Yes, I really have early memories around money as a kid. Sure that knowledge of money when I was young looks much different today than what it did then, but I truly believe that those early days shaped how I feel and react around money today. These are the 5 things I learned about money as a young kid.
Money Can Cause Fights
I’ll be honest, one of my most recent memories surrounding money was my parents fighting about it. Well, the lack of it. As I look back, I don’t ever remember feeling deprived of anything as a kid (although I am sure there were times I wanted something, didn’t get it, and pouted), and I never longed for food, clothes or shelter.
My parents both worked, one employed and one self-employed, and they both did everything they could to make sure they could provide for us. It wasn’t until in recent years that I learned that there were some years that my parents could have opted for subsidized lunches for us at school, but chose to forgo other wants or needs to ensure they didn’t have to ask for help.
I would have never known this as a kid and quite frankly was shocked when I learned of it in adulthood. Kudos to my parents for ensuring we never knew or felt like our family would have been in need financially!
I just remember the fights revolving around money. I was probably too young to grasp the nature of it outside of more money meant more material things at that time. Clearly, as a kid, I didn’t understand what other needs required money (ie. insurance, savings, etc.) outside of material things I could see and feel. Now being in adulthood for some time, I know that money helps with all facets of life both for needs and wants, both seen and unseen.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a great – truly great – childhood, but I do remember fights about money. I vouched to never be that way and so far my husband and I do not fight about money – although we have our moments with other things 🙂
Sales Ads are Gold!
Sunday mornings were one of my favorite times with my family as I grew up. Most Sunday’s my dad made a big breakfast, we ate, drank coffee (ok, maybe not when I was 10, but I know I liked the taste way back then!) and then looked through the Sunday Ads. And so my love for Sunday ads began – who else is with me!
The Sunday ads were magical. This is where we would find what we may be looking for and whether or not it was going to be on sale. It wasn’t every week we needed something besides groceries, but if it was back to school time, holiday, or birthday time, this was where we could find those hidden ways to keep more money in our pockets.
My mom would sort through all of the ads, pull the grocery ad, coupon inserts, and any other store circulars we may have needed to reference for the week and recycle the rest.
Now it was time to plan! What was going to be on the grocery list this week? (boy do I hope Oreo’s are on sale!). First, she would look through the grocer’s sales ad and make a very detailed list of each and every item we were buying for the week. Then she pulled the coupons she was going to use at some point in the future and file it all away for upcoming shopping trips. With a plan in hand, away to the store, we would go!
This is a Sunday ritual I carried with me well into adulthood, and my mom still has stacks of store coupons and sale ads ready to go at a moments notice. Sadly to say, I stopped getting the Sunday paper a few years ago as I found I was spending more money on it than what I was saving (one of my not so favorite cost-cutting measures). I miss those Sunday morning coffee moments with the Sunday paper.
Coupons Are Awesome!
Another early memory for me was sitting down with my mom on the floor and scouring through the Sunday paper for the coupon inserts. She taught me that when we went to the store, unless it wasn’t a necessity, we likely were not buying it without a coupon.
I would sit there, scissors in hand, waiting for her to tell me which coupons to cut. I’d cut just so perfectly around the dotted lines, and she would sort them in her plastic coupon holder.
She wouldn’t go to the store without that coupon binder in hand. As she shopped, checking every item off her list, she would arrive at the register, stacks of coupons ready to go and eager to see what she saved for this week.
Most weeks, Friday was pizza Friday in our house…Domino’s or Little Cesar were our favorites. Come to find out later in life, pizza Friday’s was a direct result of the coupon savings my mom had for the week. That was her goal…save enough to be able to splurge on pizza and not have to cook one night of the week. Lesson well learned!
I still similarly use couponing in the same way and I try to involve my kids as much as possible. When there is something they want (even if they are using their own money), we talk about the price, discuss if it has been on sale before, and if we have any coupons for it. Then we decide if now is the time to buy, or do we wait because we know it will be on sale again. I even try to explain to them exactly what I saved with coupons on shopping trips so they can understand the value of a dollar and how it can be stretched.
Crisp Dollar Bills – They are Harder to Depart With
Have you ever had a brand new bill that hasn’t been in circulation before? The kind that when you have more than one, they are so crisp they almost stick together! Well, if you are anything like me, those are harder to depart with than the crinkled ones 🙂 Especially when I was a kid.
Each Christmas, I received $25 in perfectly crisp one dollar bills from my grandparents. Brand new, off the press! I can still see the perfectly sized white envelope with the circle window displaying George Washington when you opened it. And let me tell you…that envelope of money was very hard to depart with. Not at any other time throughout the year would I have a brand new piece of money in my pocket (ok – envelope – I was not about to ruin the perfection in my pocket or wallet!) and it had to be something very special for me to depart with that money.
Money Can Make You and Someone Else Happy!
Remember this is from my memories as a kid. As we all know from the saying, “Money doesn’t make you happy”, although I think we all can agree it can help! Giving has always been a part of me since I can remember. Giving of time, things, and of course money. You know what I found was the best way to use those crisp brand new one dollar bills I received every year?? Buying Christmas gifts for my parents and my brother.
My grandparents lived a state away from us and we celebrated Christmas when we visited them every Thanksgiving. That gave me the opportunity to be able to use my gift that I received to buy something for my family for Christmas that I otherwise I may not have been able to.
I couldn’t think of a better way to use those crisp dollar bills than to make someone else happy!
I challenge you to think about what you may have learned about money as a kid, and how it may have shaped your habits around it today. Sometimes, it really can be the little things that make such a big impact!