What My Parents Taught Me and What I Teach My Kids Instead!

Take a bus, not an autorickshaw. Buy functional clothes, not fashionable ones. Toys? Only when absolutely necessary, and never branded. Every single rupee mattered. A cheaper version was always preferred. To them, a good decision was one that saved even a few coins. The idea was simple: stretch the rupee, don’t grow it.

Looking back, I can understand their logic. They were doing their best with what they had. Their world revolved around keeping expenses low and surviving within limited means. But I can’t deny that this approach often made life feel like a constant struggle. A series of silent sacrifices. A quietly endured life. It taught me how miserable and limiting a typical middle-class existence can be when the only financial lesson passed on is: “Don’t spend.”

Now that I have children of my own, I look at things differently. I’ve lived that life. I’ve walked in those shoes. But I want my children to walk farther, aim higher.

So here’s what I teach them instead: Don’t just save money—learn how to grow it. Focus your energy on activities that add monetary value to your time and efforts. Build multiple streams of income. Learn the power of compounding. Start investing early. Know where your money is going and make it work for you.

Saving is not a bad habit—it’s just incomplete. Saving is not investing. A bank account with idle savings is no substitute for assets that appreciate. The money you save today can lose value tomorrow to inflation. But if you learn to invest smartly, that same money can multiply and build true financial freedom.

We often romanticize the frugal ways of our parents. And yes, they were wise in their own context. But we also have to be honest: those lessons, while rooted in caution, came with blind spots. My goal is not to dismiss their sacrifices, but to evolve from them.

I believe modern parenting must include financial education. Not just how to budget, but how to invest. Not just how to cut costs, but how to build wealth. Not just how to live within means, but how to expand them.

So while I’m grateful for the values my parents taught me—simplicity, humility, and resourcefulness—I’m also determined to pass on a different legacy. One where money is not feared, but understood. Not merely saved, but multiplied.

Because my children don’t need to relive the limitations I grew up with—they need to be empowered to break through them.