From a very young age I remember seeing both my mother and father working tirelessly to keep food on the table for me and my five siblings. They worked so hard, in fact, that it’s hard to remember seeing my mum and dad not working. Throughout my childhood I would constantly hear dad say “stop wasting electricity!” and “stop wasting food!” All the normal things a child my age would roll his eyes at.
I guess I never realised for a minute that I would one day be that parent saying the same things to my children, probably with the same tone of my voice as my dad’s. “It’s not until you have children that you will understand,” he said, and he was right. Those lessons were invaluable.
I understand now that it’s not only about saving money , it’s about teaching us not to be wasteful, helping the planet and learning to respect your surroundings. Do my kids listen? Well, not exactly but I have tried a different approach which has certainly helped. I like them to listen, yes, but when they don’t, I like them to learn by experiencing the pitfalls of not doing it.
For example, I ask them to save their money. Money that I put in their accounts from an early age , and then money they have earnt from various jobs. Let’s say they decide to spend their money on Ubers and Deliveroo.
Instead of me constantly telling them to be careful, I will sit them down and explain how beneficial saving would be. But I won’t keep telling them; I will let them make mistakes. When I .
