6 Financial Lessons You Can Learn From Your Mother

You have likely heard the saying, ‘Mothers know best’. While this applies to many aspects of our lives, it’s especially true when it comes to savings and money management. When you reflect on your earliest lessons in money management, you will likely realise they all came from your mother. A peek into your childhood will bring flashbacks of the small piggy bank and the old budgeting diary your mother used. These ordinary moments held profound financial wisdom that, in turn, shaped your fiscal sense. In this article, we highlight the 6 important financial lessons you can learn from your mother to cement the foundations of financial independence.

• Budgeting, living within your means, and being frugal are key to avoiding overspending.
• Saving is about consistency, not only the saving amount.
• Setting clear financial goals and simple planning goes a long way.

Here’s a list of lessons you can learn from your mother to better manage your finances:

Lesson 1: Create a budget immediately

One of the first financial lessons to learn from your mother would be understanding how to budget. Mothers know the importance of budgeting better than anyone else. This core principle helps them run the household, even on a tight budget. Creating a tally of your income and expenses for the month may seem like a small start, but it goes a long way. Drafting a budget for every month helps you estimate spends and savings. With a handy budget to lead the way, you’ll be less tempted to spend beyond the allocated amount.

Lesson 2: Save away no matter how small the amount

Most of us remember our mothers giving us a piggy bank and the joy of dropping coins into it. Beyond being a cherished memory, this simple act taught us the value of saving from an early age. In fact, mothers often encouraged us to save every penny we received for doing small chores. Be it a two rupee coin or a five rupee one, saving was crucial, regardless of the amount. Leading by example, mothers often managed to save whatever little amount they could from the monthly budget, tucking away the saved funds into a drawer or a box. Today, if you have good money management skills, you might want to thank this life-long saving habit instilled by your mom.

Lesson 3: Set goals for your savings

Another crucial financial lesson you can learn from your mother is the value of setting financial goals to give purpose to your savings. You must have seen your mother save money in different envelopes or money boxes, each labelled with a specific goal. This financial lesson is indeed an indispensable one since we need clear and time-bound financial goals to accumulate money and achieve various milestones in life. A systematic savings approach that’s underpinned with clear goals helps streamline your investment journey.

Lesson 4: Take monetary decisions calmly

While this financial lesson might seem trivial, in reality, it forms the basis of sound financial decision-making. When it came to expenses and finance-related decisions, most mothers would sit back, relax, and think calmly before making a choice. Herein lies a vital financial lesson you can learn from your mother. In situations where you need to make expense or investment-related decisions, it’s often prudent to take a step back and think clearly instead of acting impulsively. Hasty financial decisions can cost you your hard-earned money. For instance, let’s say you wish to purchase something that you haven’t accounted for in the monthly budget. Turn back to your mom’s advice and ask yourself some important questions like, ‘Do I need this?’ ‘Is it worth the money?’ ‘What will happen if I postpone the purchase?’

Lesson 5: Keep things simple

One important financial lesson you can learn from your mother is to keep things simple. Moms have always taught us that money management doesn’t need to be complex to yield results. From writing down daily expenses in a diary to calmly weighing the pros and cons of an expense, moms are the best when it comes to keeping things simple. The lesson here is to avoid overcomplicating your savings journey. The act of saving money is actually quite simple if you infuse a dose of discipline and consistency.

Lesson 6: Be frugal

We can’t stress this enough, but being frugal is one of the most vital financial lessons you can learn from your mother. From a young age, mothers teach us to realise the value of money and spend within our means. In fact, most of us have observed this at home. Mothers never buy things they don’t need; they often avoid indulgences and recycle old items to save the extra buck. Living a frugal life like your mother can help you save more and realise that every penny counts.

Often, we don’t realise how our mothers teach us critical financial skills through everyday interactions. They lead by example when it comes to budgeting, living frugally, saving towards goals, and calmly making financial decisions. However, these financial lessons you can learn from your mother are just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, there are innumerable financial lessons you can possibly learn from your mom. Therefore, taking a page out of your mom’s finance handbook can work wonders.

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