Decades ago, before we were married, my then-boyfriend would get hit wth an overdraft at least once a month. AFTER we got married, he bounced three checks and I put my foot down (three strikes and you’re out, sweetheart!) and we opened a joint savings account with no ATM cards tied to it. Just having the bank account be mostly in-only and tightening up on the spending - since we had to go to the bank and make a withdrawal if we wanted money for shopping - got through to him once we went a year with no debt and no fees. If we didn’t have the cash on-hand, we went without. 35 years later, it’s second nature to not be spending money… At least 3 days a week we both go without a single purchase of anything. Not even a cup of coffee.
I had to take Home Economics in 7th grade (this was in 1977-78) and we would learn how to plan meals and cook them, food safety, how to iron a shirt and sew a button back on, how to balance a checkbook and budget monthly household expenses and also there was a smattering of sex ed topics.
I was blase on it at the time, but it did stick and now I wish it was still taught with the emphasis on budgeting and money like it used to be.
I guess that Americans aren’t supposed to know how to avoid debt.
I guess that Americans aren’t supposed to know how to avoid debt.
Of course not, that’s kinda the point of our financial system.
I had half a semester of ‘home econ’ in my seinor year of High School ~2000. We didn’t really cover much that was useful for actually balancing a checkbook. The class was clearly a checkbox that they didn’t actually expect us to do anything in.
Decades ago, before we were married, my then-boyfriend would get hit wth an overdraft at least once a month. AFTER we got married, he bounced three checks and I put my foot down (three strikes and you’re out, sweetheart!) and we opened a joint savings account with no ATM cards tied to it. Just having the bank account be mostly in-only and tightening up on the spending - since we had to go to the bank and make a withdrawal if we wanted money for shopping - got through to him once we went a year with no debt and no fees. If we didn’t have the cash on-hand, we went without. 35 years later, it’s second nature to not be spending money… At least 3 days a week we both go without a single purchase of anything. Not even a cup of coffee.
Good on ya!
I used to be like that too. My SO helped me get over that habit. I really wish we were taught the basics of this kinda stuff in school…
Americans used to be taught it…
I had to take Home Economics in 7th grade (this was in 1977-78) and we would learn how to plan meals and cook them, food safety, how to iron a shirt and sew a button back on, how to balance a checkbook and budget monthly household expenses and also there was a smattering of sex ed topics.
I was blase on it at the time, but it did stick and now I wish it was still taught with the emphasis on budgeting and money like it used to be.
I guess that Americans aren’t supposed to know how to avoid debt.
Of course not, that’s kinda the point of our financial system.
I had half a semester of ‘home econ’ in my seinor year of High School ~2000. We didn’t really cover much that was useful for actually balancing a checkbook. The class was clearly a checkbox that they didn’t actually expect us to do anything in.