How I Learned About Money

When I was in 8th grade, my mother came to me with a radical proposal:  Instead of taking me out shopping for clothes, shoes, etc., what if I received a clothing allowance?
My response:  Whaaaaaaaa?  Money for clothes?  Like, MY OWN MONEY FOR CLOTHES?  Um, yes, please.  Sign me up, Mom.

The specifics were as follows -
I would receive $100 a month and be responsible for purchasing all my own clothes, including shoes, winter coats, etc.  I would not receive cash, rather I would have to keep track of how much money I was "owed" and my mom would give me money when I was ready to shop.  And best of all, I would get to decide how to spend it.
When you're 13, that's basically like saying you've won the lottery.

The goal was to teach me both the value of money and how to budget.

The reality was that $100 a month is a ridiculous amount of money for a clothing allowance!  I racked up a huge balance and I remember looking at the "clothing allowance" page in my notebook planning and planning and planning things for all that theoretical cash.
The reality was that $100 a month for clothes for a 13 year old means you do not have to budget at all.

However, I did.

Even though I ended up with  a huge amount of money to spend, I never spent it.  I mean, I spent what I needed to spend; I had plenty of clothes and enough shoes and a winter jacket.  But I didn't have too much.  I didn't have 100 pairs of shoes or 10 pairs of jeans or anything super fancy.
Somehow, even with too much of an allowance, I learned what it meant to budget.

I think seeing the balance of what I was "due" felt good.  It was a cushion.  (You know, in case of a fashion emergency.)  And that comfortable feeling is something i still strive to achieve.

I am not super thrifty.  I am not cheap.  I am not a master coupon clipper or deal finder.  I spend too much money on shoes, bags, make-up - all things I never really "need".  I forget to buy what's on sale at the supermarket (or, worse, I buy what's on sale only to realize later that it actually cost more than what I would have bought).  I like shopping; I like buying.
But I know how to save.
I know how to budget.
All because my mom gave a 13-year-old me a chance to figure out money for myself.

So when people ask me how or when I learned to manage my own money, my answer is always the same:
When I was 13, I won the lottery.