From Spender to Saver: What I Learned About Money (and Why Iām Teaching My Kids Differently)
I didn’t grow up with empowering money lessons. My parents were loving and supportive, but like so many of their generation, they didn’t have access to financial education themselves. So I learned about money the way most people do — through trial and error.
When money came in, I got excited about what I could buy. I spent first and thought about saving later — which usually meant nothing was left. I hadn’t developed values, concrete goals, or systems for money. What I did develop were deep consumption habits and a scarcity mindset. I believed money was fleeting, so I grabbed what I could in the moment.
By the time I graduated college, I had $123 in my bank account and a pile of student loan debt. In my twenties, I lived in a big city, enjoyed every happy hour and weekend trip… and racked up consumer debt on top of it.
It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I realized how much my mindset shaped my money story. I felt anxiety every time money hit my account until I moved it into “safe” places — because that gut reaction of fear had been set in me young. Slowly, I taught myself to build systems that aligned with my values: splitting money toward goals before spending, creating achievable targets, and learning to invest. I went from a spender without intention to someone who finally had a plan.
But here’s the thing: it took years of unlearning to get there. And I couldn’t stop thinking — what if I had learned these lessons earlier?
When I became a mom, that question became my mission. I don’t want my kids to grow up carrying the same charged emotions so many of us feel around money — the fear, the shame, the comparison, the constant sense of “keeping up.” I want them to see money as a tool: neutral, empowering, and aligned with their values.
That’s why I started Raising Little Millionaires. Not to hand kids wealth, but to help parents teach money in simple, practical ways that fit into everyday life. Car rides. Grocery trips. Bedtime routines. Because money lessons don’t need to be lectures — they can be lived.
One of my greatest hopes is that my children — and yours — grow up with confidence, not anxiety. That they see money as a tool to build the life they want most, without the charge and heightened emotions so many of us carry.
Because when kids learn money habits early, we’re not just teaching dollars and cents. We’re giving them independence, freedom, and the ability to live a choice-filled life.
And that’s a legacy worth passing down.
