Top 5 Ways Your Mom Guilted You Into Being a Better Saver (Thanks, Mom!)
Written by
Caitlyn Moorhead
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Home is wherever Mom is, and though she may know exactly how to push your buttons, she also knows how to push you into better decision-making.
When it comes to protecting their children, mama bears may deploy tactics that range from militant to forehead kisses. Though you may have rolled your eyes at the time, you now have come to realize that maybe, just maybe, Mom was dropping some pearls of wisdom while hounding you to pick up your pigsty of a room.
It’s time to pack your bags, because we’re going on a guilt-trip down memory lane. Let’s look back at all the ways your mom has instilled in you some pretty solid savings habits. Here are the top five ways your mom guilted you into being a better saver, so make sure to thank her this Mother’s Day.
No. 5: ‘I Just Want To Know You’re Taken Care of When I’m Gone’
Nothing helps you plan for your future more than the consistent, morbid disclaimers and reminders from your mother that there is no time like the present to think about your future. While it’s sadly true that she won’t always be there to take care of you, planning your retirement savings now will help comfort her.
Show your mom you were listening and start your retirement planning now with a traditional or Roth IRA, 401(k), or other type of long-term savings account.
No. 4: ‘Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees’
If you were a petulant teenager when your mom would drop this old chestnut, you would probably remind her that most currencies were paper-based and, yes, that does technically grow on trees.
Obstinance may have been in vogue in your younger years, but deep down you know that Mom was trying to tell you that more frugal habits will serve you better in the long run. Here are some ways you can make mom proud with better spending habits:
- Track your spending with a budgeting app.
- Buy generic brands instead of more expensive name-brands.
- Shop with, and stick to, a grocery list.
- Live beneath your means.
No. 3: ‘We Have Food at Home’
“There are starving children in the world who would love to have a savings account,” is a good summation of many pieces of savings advice from Mom.
However, there’s no way around the fact that she was right about saving money by meal-prepping and eating at home. Factor in rising food costs, tariffs and just the general price of eggs, and you’d be wise to remember that you do in fact have food at home and should drive right past all your usual take-out joints.
No. 2: ‘You’ll Understand When You Have Kids’
Your mother scrapped, scrimped and saved every dime she made to put food on the table, a roof over your head and send you to school. So the least you can do is practice a little empathy.
Now, as you have children of your own — or at least have plans to start a family — you may be exploring putting money into a 529 plan for their education or opening up a high-yield savings account for their future. At this moment you will likely realize the ultimate truth — having kids is really, really expensive.
No. 1: ‘Do What You Think Is Best’
And now, the number one way your mom made you a better saver by guilting you is with this classic line: “Do what you think is best.”
No one likes being held accountable for their actions, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be. Mom taught you that through years of loving psychological warfare and guilt trips so subtle that you didn’t realize what they were until you unpacked them in therapy. This doesn’t take away from the underlying message that you are the captain of your own ship — especially when it comes to your financial situation.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! We can’t thank you enough.
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