Were you aware of finances when growing up?

**slowtypinwoman** · 01-15-2005, 06:40 PM

My parents NEVER discused finances while I was a child. I remember asking my mom how much she and dad made. She told me it was none of my bussiness. To this day I have no idea how much they made or have in savings.

She was extreamely poor growing up during the depression. I think she aways worried about $$ as a child as a result wouldn't let us. I never knew how poor we were until I was chatting with my sister after mom died.
I have tried to include Alex in our finances some. Letting her know how much things cost. It has backfired on me too. When we went to go get new glasses for her she was VERY concious of the cost of the frames. We have no eye ins. for her so she was aware of what is was going to cost us. But I still find myself telling her non of her business when she askes what we make. lol old habits die hard I guess.

Did you know your parents financial status growing up? Do you include your children in yours?

**gkp1031** · 01-15-2005, 06:49 PM

My parents always included me in their finaces. I really became aware of what a dollar could buy. Too bad I screwed up when I got my first credit card and went overboard

I did learn from my mistake though, so I consider it a blessing in disguise.

I do teach my niece (8 years old) as much as I can about money. I make it a fun, learning experience for her

**seadream** · 01-15-2005, 07:24 PM

I wasn't told how much my parents made or had but I was always aware that we were poor and couldn't afford things that everyone else had.

**sunshine** · 01-15-2005, 07:36 PM

I was aware--- as my parents were/are dirt poor. My parents worked hard to explain why we couldnt have certain things-- they'd show us their pay stubs, and grocery receipts, mortgage payments, etc.

I learned very early- how to save for items I wanted/needed. . . . how to stretch a dollar. . . . and make do with next to nothing.

By the time I was in HS, I could have managed the bills/household stuff on my own ( and did for a bit while my mom was hospitalized).

We did well after we got married until dh got sick. . . then we splurged on travel and so forth to make memories for our kids, thinking he'd die in a couple years. He didn't die that quickly (thankd goodness) but it's left us deeply in debt.

I try to teach my kids the same things. They know the basics of how much things cost, how much I make. . . . I also try to teach them the power of compound interest and how it can work for you, in the case of savings--- and how it can work against you, in the case of credit cards or other interest on debts.

**Chea** · 01-15-2005, 08:35 PM

My mother would NEVER talk about finances to me. She said it was none of my business!! Ahhh the nerve. Other than that she was a normal mom but I always thought that was STRANGE!!

**guest2** · 01-15-2005, 10:08 PM

I was very aware of our finacial situation growing up. One of my earliest memories is of my mom looking in the cabinets and finding very little there to feed us for 5 days until my dad's paycheck came in. We had tuna casserole with peas in it for 5 days straight. To this day I hate tuna casserole and peas! I was about 2 years old then and I still remember it like yesterday. Things got better over the years but we went without a lot so that my parents could put money away in savings to buy a home.

**QuilterMom** · 01-15-2005, 10:22 PM

Nope, never discussed when I was growing up.

**Mom23boys** · 01-15-2005, 10:25 PM

I didn't know the amount anyone made. I just thought we were well off because everything we wanted we got. We went to so many concerts, sporting events, etc. I never gave it a second thought.

Now, things have changed. I can't give and give the way they did. My children do know that we live on a budget. They do not ask for alot either. I think they are happy with what they do have. I think we were a little spoiled when we were growing up.

They don't ask what we make. We may not make millions, but what we do make gives us everything we need in life.

**Dixie** · 01-15-2005, 10:57 PM

I was taught at an early age about finances. I loved it,even then.

My dad taught me to write checks and balance the check book when I was 10. My father also taught me to do my parents tax returns. I felt so important,lol. My father took me with him to the bank to cash his paycheck every Saturday morning, so I knew exactly what he made. My dad insisted that I learn to bargain shop and I'm so glad he did. Like Sunshine said, I could have managed the family finances as a teenager.

**thrifty gal** · 01-16-2005, 10:49 AM

I didn't know the figures, but I knew that my dad made a lot of money. But, I also knew that we struggled. Even though, my dad made good money, my mom was in charge of the finances and she did a horrible job. I know this because they had to file for bankruptcy two times!

This is the reason that I am frugal.

**Katybird** · 01-16-2005, 11:59 AM

My Mom did not let us know how much was made but we did know that we lived on a limited income, she was a single mom with 4 children to support and a deadbeat father that never helped her by providing child support. She did an amazing job, even though we were poor, we did not feel poor and she scrimped and saved and stretched every dollar so that our cupboards were full and the bills paid, she never once used any type of govenment assistance. I am very proud of her and the job she did.

I did not share what we made with my children but I did let them know that if they wanted extras it was their responsibility to work for them, that we could only do so much and extras were up to them. I think that they appreciated things more when they had to work for them too.

**DaisyLady** · 01-16-2005, 01:39 PM

My parents involved us in the household finances very young. We were taught to be frugal. We were not well off (dad was in the airforce) and I do remember my mom worrying sometimes about how she was going to feed us. When I was twelve I started babysitting and from that point on I always saved up for the things that I needed including all of my own clothes and personal items. It made me feel good to help out my parents.

We have always included our children in the family finances. They are learning to budget, save and my daughter in particular loves to hunt for bargains

**Michele Annette** · 01-16-2005, 02:25 PM

My parents never discussed their finances with us, even as we got older.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 01-16-2005, 10:31 PM

We grew up on welfare so we knew exactly how much we did or didn't have. Our family had a huge garden and canned/froze everything. We also fished and hunted and cut all of our own firewood. My mom knew to seens my sister or me to the store and not our dad because we would hunt for the best deal on whatever she asked for. Pop just bought anything he wanted!

We didn't have much materially, but we learned to get along on very little. We are both still capable of that.

**kimmee** · 01-16-2005, 10:57 PM

my parents fought 24/7 about finances. we belly crawled when the landlord came to the door with the sherriff to throw us out of our house. We usually didn't have electricity and never had a phone. we had food stamps and mom would buy big cans of coffee and then send me and /or Kip to the store with a note to return the coffee and buy her and dad cartons of cigarettes. we didn't have food alot of the times and our neighbors would bring us boxes of stuff to eat. people at the school would invite us (the kids) over to make friends withtheir kids but it always included dinner -I noticed later in life. we were always very aware of the lack of finances and knew how we didn't want to live...