After a long weekend, I’m going to show a little love. The following is post that was featured on the blog my new fabulous friend, Tiffany aka The Budgetnista. Aside from being an amazingly inspirational individual, Tiffany is the author of the Best selling book The One Week Budget. 

Here are  5 favorite lessons from your mom that can teach you about money

Lesson 1) Clean-Up Your Mess:
Who’s mother hasn’t chastised them about cleaning up their room? Many of us with cluttered rooms as kids, are now money-messy adults. We have no budget, no system for saving or paying down debt, and no plan for our credit. Most of us are just winging it, well…. not me (kidding, kinda).  Just like a messy room leads to less productivity, so does a chaotic financial life.
The Solution:
Begin cleaning up by creating a financial file system. Stop groaning… It’s pretty easy. Financial guru, David Bach, details how to do so in his bestseller, the “Finish Rich Workbook”. I used David’s system in my mid-twenties and still use it now that I’m a super, young–looking 30-something.

Lesson 2) A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place:
Candi Sparks, CEO of Sparks Fly, mother of two, financial literacy consultant, trainer and author of the kid, money, book series, “Can I Have Some Money?“, got this lesson from her shero, her own mom. She says, “this lesson reminds me that we create our own financial atmosphere by putting money where it belongs, or in other words, allocating assets. These days, most people live in a financial atmos-fear, but that doesn’t have to be the case.  We can take control of our money by putting it in its proper place.”
The Solution:
Candi suggests that we first put our money into categories: spending, saving, donating and our long-term goals. Take it a step further and separate your money into multiple bank accounts, then re-name each account online, so you and your funds stay organized.

Lesson 3) Finish Your Food
Moms understand the value of not being wasteful, especially when it comes to food. According to United Nations’ data, as much as 40% of food in the United States is wasted. That’s a lot of green, and I don’t mean spinach. Wasted food, equals wasted money.
The Solution:
My friend in college invented a game called, “Clean the Cabinets”. She would refuse to go food shopping until she’d eaten virtually all of the food she had available at home first. Most of us buy stuff we already have and therein lies the waste. Play your own version of “Clean the Cabinets” and watch how much you save on groceries.

Lessons 4) Mind Your Business:
Author Hannah Seligon, in a New York Times article asserts that, “that entrepreneurship can be a viable career path, not a renegade choice. Chike “EntreprenuerCoach” Uzoka, business coach and author of the “Young Man’s Guide to Entrepreneurship“, agrees.  He credits support from him mom for helping him make the leap from Wall Street to owning his own business.
The Solution:
Chike tells his clients to find their passion first. He says this may take awhile and that’s OK.  After identifying what you love, Chike suggests new entrepreneurs begin to think about how your passion can make you profits. This is your business model. Nothing kills a passionate venture faster than lack of revenue.  These first two steps are only the beginning of the journey that is entrepreneurship.

Lesson 5) Be Nice to Your Brother (or Sister):
Most moms would agree, giving is receiving. Aren’t they always reminding us to be nice to our “brothers and sisters”? In this age of perceived lack, the best way to activate abundance is through genuine, generosity. Helping other people is essentially helping yourself. It’s good for the soul and good for the wallet too.
The Solution:
Pick a charity, organization, religious group or individual that you can commit to helping for the next 6 months. Define what that help looks like. Will you give your time, resources, funds or expertise? Each year my company, The Budgetnista, donates 10% of its gross profits to a new nonprofit in my community. It’s awesome to see first-hand how my gifts make a difference.

– Tiffany Aliche

Me (Tonya) and My beautiful mother taking a break from walking down the Eiffel Tower.

What are some of the lessons you learned form your mother that you can apply to your finances?