1. Save money before buying something, if you don’t have the money, you don’t get it
Dave Ramsey has made his living by re-teaching adults this simple lesson that many of them have seem to have forgotten. As the Proverb says, “The eyes of man are never satisfied.” We live in a nation (maybe even a world) where far too many people have forgotten how to say “NO”. We teach our kids to use a piggy bank, and when they have saved up enough, then they can go buy an ice cream cone. We debate whether college kids are mature enough to handle credit cards – but are we?
2. It doesn’t matter what other kids are doing
I still remember hearing, “if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow them?” in response to my longing to do what my friends were doing. It seems that as adults we play into that crowd-think much like kids. This Keeping Up with the Joneses video illustrates the point so well. At times I have found myself so guilty of seeking to impress others, but it seems that the path that yields the best results is the one less traveled!
3. Money isn’t a right or privilege – it is compensation for hard work
My parents did a pretty good job of driving this point home to my thick skull. Like many, I was a lazy teenager that needed money and eventually figured out that by working I got more money. If I cut one lawn I would get $10, but if I cut two lawns I would get $20. It was a difficult concept to grasp, but I eventually got it! 
The government doesn’t owe us anything, we owe it to ourselves to discipline ourselves to work hard.
“He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.” Proverbs 28:19
4. If it seems too good to be true – it probably is!
I remember on numerous occasions getting excited about an opportunity presented to me and running off to my Dad only to tell him about it. His healthy dose of skepticism saved me a lot of wasted time and energy. I notice that there is always an abundance of scams to prey off of people willing to fall for them. I still get forwarded emails from people that promise that Bill Gates will pay them $450 for each person they forward it to as compensation for helping Microsoft test the email system. Seriously? Don’t you think Bill Gates would have a more cost-effective method for testing?Sometimes great opportunities present themselves, but it is always wise to tread cautiously.
5. You can be anything you want to be when you grow up
This is one that I forgot for while and am working on remembering again. I am so thankful for my recent career change and am looking forward to what the future has in store. I have a lot of other things that I want to do while I am on this earth, so I am working to fight off self-limiting thoughts. Life is too short to do something you don’t enjoy for all of it! God didn’t create us to spend 40 years in a job we hate! He has a better purpose and plan for our lives – but it requires our following after Him!
Related posts:
- 23 ways for teens to make money (and maybe adults too!)
- Money & Marriage: 7 lessons I have learned so far
- 9 Lessons on starting a business with cash
- Financial lessons from Solomon
- Personal finance lessons from Seth
- 5 lessons from the garden about fruit bearing
- Money Mistake #4 – Not having a schedule for bills
- Money Mistake #2 – Thinking that money solves money problems
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So true and so simple yet adults can make it very complicated for no reason.
Thanks for the great reminder about the simplicity of personal finance. The irony is that the material is so simple yet there always seems to be some disconnect to making it happen. We all need to be reminded that money management is as much about the heart as it is the brain. The lessons are simple but it takes some character and resolve to make it happen.
One thing that always hits the nail on the head is the whole concept of not buying something if you don’t have the money. Seriously. Think back to when you were 10 years old. It was simple, if you didn’t have the money for the newest video game you never bought it. Now if you don’t have money for a vacation people will swipe for it.
Great post! I love #3. Seems a lot of people have forgotten this one.
Very good tips and worded very nicely.
I like #5 a lot – I think many adults forget this.
great post Christian and makes anyone reading more inspired to achieve more in life
“3. Money isn’t a right or privilege – it is compensation for hard work”
Totally agree with the first part, about money not being a right or privilege. But the second part, compensation for hard work, isn’t necessarily so. You can gain money without hard work. Heck, there are people who get money without working at all (e.g. welfare).
If you believe hard work is required to acquire money, then it will. However, money earned via Interest, for example, doesn’t require it.
Thanks for today’s post!
Teaching children that money is not a right is the most important money lesson in my mind. So often, they think that their parents have endless supplies of it, and they dont have to do anything to get it. “allowances” are dead. Compensation for your EXTRA time and effort to the household is what an allowance should be. Also, I don’t like giving money to kids for chores they should do as a member of the house. Taking out the trash is part of being under the roof. Cleaning out the garage and organizing it is going above the call of duty and deserves compensation.