I just wish I would have been frugal in all areas of my life. I won't spend top-dollar on anything, but I have spent A LOT of money on discounted items using credit cards. Pretty stupid, huh? I want to tell my kids to NEVER, EVER use credit cards, that they are evil and will lead to their ultimate demise. A little extreme, I know, but I grew up watching my mom use credit cards for a lot of purchases except groceries, so I didn't see anything wrong with using them. What I didn't understand is that those bills were quickly paid off, probably the next month. I wasn't taught directly about money, actually. We didn't talk about anything really big and important for some reason. I never heard my parents talk about money, or savings, or debt, ever. It was one of the marks of that generation born in the Great Depression. However, saving and not getting into unmanageable debt was also a mark of that "greatest" generation. Many of them are enjoying nice retirements because they were smart about money and debt-averse.
Unlike our parents, my husband and I talk about everything, much to the dismay of our teenagers and rising middle schooler. Money is something we talk about a lot, but debt hasn't been a topic yet. My oldest just found this blog and read it (not what I was counting on) and freaked out about how we were going to send her to college. I reassured her that we have the GI bill. I really didn't want her to know the state of our finances. I feel embarrassed. Our kids should be able to look to us for leadership, and we haven't been the best example. I definitely want to turn our finances around so that my kids can follow our choices and be unburdened when we are elderly.
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