My parents have had an effect on the way I manage money and those lessons will stick with me throughout life.

Here are a few things I’ve learned:

  • dream big, make a plan to get there and put the plan into action. Re-evaluate the plan often to see how on track you are to achieving your dream and make any revisions that need to be made. It is MY dream and I CAN achieve it.
  • save for rainy days to avoid running into any problems and stress that comes with it.
  • treat or reward yourself for good behavior (for sticking to your budget/achieving a goal). The simple treats (even your favorite box of cookies or favorite chocolate bar) have great value because you love them so much and buying it has barely any effect on your finances.
  • make small improvements (small house renovations, a new picture, a nice vase with a simple dried arrangement or flowers from the garden). These small improvements have a great effect on how you feel in your environment and can make the item (house or dresser, etc.) even more valuable.
  • don’t be afraid to do things yourself if you have the skills or ability to learn the skills needed. Know your limitations and seek out help from a professional when needed. Doing the labor or learning the new skill can then be added to your list of skills to make you more valuable as an employee.
  • read lots of good books that give great advice on improvements that can be made in your current way of doing things. You may get an idea of a totally different way to do things or maybe just a small change to add to what you already do.
  • find a way to make whatever situation you are in work for you and learn from it. Use good/kind humor when needed to make things easier to live with.
  • your resource for information/skill/materials may come from unexpected places and don’t be afraid to accept it even if it’s free/hand-me-downs

My parents continue to be a great resource for information. My mom especially loves to pass on the little bits of information she reads from her newly acquired books. I am grateful to all that I have learned from their examples to help my life be a little bit better financially.

What skills/knowledge have you learned from someone around you when it comes to money (maybe from their good example or bad example)?