What was your financial upbringing?

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  Posted by Rose Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:54am PDT

  We had new cars when we went to college which was also paid for. BUT we wore salvation army clothes till I was in 4th grade. After that, it was bargain basement clothes or garage sale clothes. My mother cooked a hot meal every day and three hot meals on weekends. We never went out to eat-only on your birthday or after a special event.

  Most of our toys were garage sale items except for birthday or Christmas gift which was a new atari or nintendo game. You got one gift and that's it.

  We went on two cruises. Other than that we drove to all the museums (our vacations were always educational), and stayed at a holiday inn while my mother brought her hot plate and cooked all meals IN the room. We never stopped at a restaurant because she always had sandwiches in the car.

  My mother would tell us that each cavity we got in our mouth was a week of groceries. NO cavities in 25 years. IT did help that she prepasted our toothbrushes each night after the first few cavities.

  She started our saving accounts early. Any money we got from birthday presents went right into our savings account which we hand delivered to the teller. We never got to spend it.

  My parents could have had the mansion and the bentley but purchased a modest home and a used car in a modest neighborhood. Now i can see how wise they were. Their home is perfect for them now that all the children have moved away. They paid for everything in cash and would never use a credit card. Their house is paid and they saved enough for their retirement.

  My financial upbringing has greatly influenced me and I hope to live by their example.

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  Posted by GirlyGirl© Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:57am PDT

  My parents were wealthy, but my mother always plead poverty. We had everything that we needed, everything possible. Once my Papa died and we moved back to the States, she still plead poverty. When she died, my brothers and I had not the slightest idea that she had turned all the savings into sizable trust accounts for us kids. Now that I am married and have children, I am continuing in the steps of my mother. By the time that I have departed, they should have considerable trust funds as well. She also left us $ specified for land sale, or home sale, which was very astute on her part. Not happy to say that my brothers squandered all of their trust in about 2 years. I still have mine, and I still contribute to it. I guess there's really no way to tell what they will do with it, except that I can always change the age at when they will get it. I will hope for the best, and pray.

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  Posted by Linda W Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:33pm PDT

  I grew up in rural Yolo County, CA with pretty poor parents. We didn't even have a car while I was a child. But, our family was so happy, even though we didn't have fancy things. I remember how much my mother showed me love. Which made me the person I am today.

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  Posted by VK Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:42pm PDT

  Sometimes as a child we ate potatoe soup for a week, and only veggies with no meat for ever. Sometimes I may have only had 5 outfits for the whole school year. Kids use to make fun of my clothes and frizzy hair. But at least we had a roof over our head and something to eat. As soon as I turned 16 I got a job and a $500.00 car. From there I bought my own clothes and had my own money.

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  Posted by mother1 Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:06pm PDT

  Live below your means....that way you always have money in the bank for a raining day.

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  Posted by cindy Fri Aug 14, 2009 4:51pm PDT

  I grew up in a small town in Ohio. On welfare. my mom did not drive. My dad worked factory jobs, or truck driving jobs. We lived in a couple different trailors. When I was in 6th grade and my sister was in 4th, my parents decided to have 2 more kids. We never did anything like go to movies or shopping for the fun of it. We bought what we needed or waited for handme downs. I got pregnant and married at 18. Moved away and decided I will work and only have one child, so that I can provide him with more things, better clothes and toys, not being made fun of like I was. Now as for myself, I still shop at Goodwill or second hand stores, but I have made it an art to thrift shop. I love it and I do it by choice. My dad has since gotten a great job and they finally own their first house. They are doing good and so am I. I don't regret my childhood, it made me who I am today.

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  Posted by Lucky Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:28pm PDT

  Materially my parents did the best they could and I grew up thinking we were rich. And you know what? We were rich, because I grew up surrounded by love and affection and positive happy attitudes of you can do whatever you set your mind to. They taught us honor and a hard work ethic, but there were plenty of laughs, which knowing their history now is a marvel in itself. I miss them...

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  Posted by Robyn Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:21pm PDT

  we were broke..... we had constant hand me downs, fridge was constantly empty, and we even had condensed milk. yet we didn't really know it. even though all od that was evident we never went hungry, mom and dad (though on drugs) did not let on to the finical struggles. we even had presents at least 6 presents each and a full stocking when we woke up

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  Posted by Authoress Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:47pm PDT

  Hi, when I was first born, we were dirt poor. My mom was the only one really working. Then when my dad found steady work, he made good money, and we lived very well. We made our bills, I got whatever I wanted, my mom could get whatever she wanted and my brothers got what they wanted. But my dad got involved in things he wasn't suppose to, and once my parents got divorced three years ago, I was back to being poor. I live in the ghetto, and we never really have much money, but we manage. I don't really mind it. I get my clothes from the thrift store, and handmedowns, I don't have a cell phone, or a car, but I really don't mind. I am kind of proud because it makes me appreciate everything that I do have. It was also a lesson to make sure that I do good in school so that I can make something of myself and provide a better life for my family. But the situation I'm in now has been the best lesson I have learned. I am rich in education, love, and family.

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  Posted by allee Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:03am PDT

  Growing up we lived in what was considered a middle class neighborhood. But that was the outside. Inside it was not uncommen for our phone or cable to be off for long periods of time. But we always had lights and heat. It was the norm for us to have the worst and odlest cars in the neighborhood. But my dad kept them running for years and years. Until they literally fell apart. Only then would we get a new used car. Birthdays and christmas I learned early to not ask or expect for much of anything. Because after enough disapointments it started to hurt. So if you do not ask or expect, then you cannot be dissapointed. Food, well mom ws not the greatest cook, so very often we would go around the corner to our grandmothers house, she always fed us. My parents did the best they could with what they had. They both worked, and we were often alone, but that is just the way it was.

  Then when I had kids very young, and went out on my own. I failed miserably. I did not know how to handle money. Paying bills was new to me. Keeping a car too. I had to survive on welfare for some time, because while I worked it was never enough. So it helped keep food on the table, and medical insurance. I really wish my parent had along the way tought us a bout bills, payments, rent, and other things.

  Now years later, I am getting better at it myself. I can cook, I am better with the bills. And we do not need any assistance. Granted we dont have money saved, and still live some what check to check. But we have food on the table, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads, lights, and heat. And we go out on occasion.

  I hope to teach my children about all this. Show them how to be responsible. Show them while we can live cheaply, and frugally, we do not have to be without. And not everything is needed. We can live without the extra luxurys. EX- my teens want cell phones. I gave them each a pre-paid phone, with ten bucks on it to start them out. But for it to continue, they had to earn the money, manage the minutes, and be aware of how much they use it. It was a great learning experience for them. THey used them for about 6 months, then decided to save their money instead. lol.

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