the check
your Aunt Maud
sent for your
birthday.
money moments
Money influences how we see other people and how we see ourselves.
Maybe that’s why the decisions we make about it often have more to do
with emotion than with math.
Follow these girls through a day of money decisions and observations.
What emotions are they feeling?
7:55
a.m.
“Here’s your allowance,” says Sierra’s mother. “Don’t spend it all on
something silly.” Sierra nods. She’ll try, but if Morgan and Amber want
to go to the mall after school, she can’t exactly say no.
9:30
a.m.
Genevieve has a new purse. Sierra knows for a fact that her brother’s
car cost less than that brand of purse. She decides Genevieve
is stuck-up.
11:16
a.m.
Amber is smiling as she walks down the hall. Yesterday, she figured out
she’d earned $253 selling ankle bracelets since September. $253 of her
very own! She feels like she grew two inches overnight. She decides
she’ll spend $5 at the mall after school. She can afford it.
1:36
p.m.
“Cool shoes,” says Amber to Morgan. “How much did they cost?” The
real answer is a lot, but Morgan knows her family has more money than
Amber’s. “I’m not sure,” she says. “I think they were on sale.”
4:30
p.m.
The girls have been at the mall for an hour. Morgan and Amber both
bought something. “You’ve got to get something, too, Sierra,” they say.
Sierra does.
6:10
p.m.
The credit-card bill has arrived. Amber’s parents argue for a while. Then
doors slam. Amber turns on some tunes, sits on her bed, and makes
ankle bracelets.
7:30
p.m.
No clean laundry for Morgan tonight. The washer’s broken. “Let’s get a
new one,” says her dad. “It’s only money.”
9:05
p.m.
Sierra is reading in bed. It’s a story about an orphan who gets adopted
by a millionaire. She falls asleep imagining what it would be like to be
that rich. Next week she’ll save her allowance for sure. Maybe.
money emotions
You’ve probably had all kinds of feelings about money.
You also have habits and attitudes that have been shaped by your family.
A girl whose parents talk with ease about family finances will think
differently about money than a girl whose parents worry or argue when
the bills arrive. A girl who’s grown up shopping the sales with her mom
will likely have different spending habits than a girl who has only seen
her mom buy freely. A girl’s experiences may incline her to like or dislike
people with more money—or to like or dislike people with less.
All this means that your feelings about money may be complicated. But
the way you use money doesn’t have to be.
When it comes to making decisions about money, keep your head cool
and your thinking clear. Let three basic questions be your guide:
1.
Where are you now in terms of money?
2.
Where do you want
to go?
3.
How do you
get there?
confidence
guilt
anxiety
greed
happiness
pride
jealousy
generosity
“I get an allowance.
My mom likes the fact that
I am not bugging her for
money. Having my own
money has helped me learn
how to manage money.”
Alex
“
