
Money Tips from Mom and Dad
In honor of Grandparents Day, we asked the folks on Main Street to share advice that was passed down to them from their parents.

![“Before I left for college in 1981, [my grandfather] gave me a hardbound ledger and taught me how to balance my checkbook,” Kathy Christie Hernandez told us. “I used that ledger for years, and still have it around somewhere. I felt like I was betraying him when I switched to Microsoft Money in the early ‘90s, but I believe that he would have loved that software. “ “The old fashioned way of balancing your checkbook is tried and true,” says Teri Gault, whose parents taught her the same practice. Today, the tools may have changed, but the lesson attached to it – pay close attention to your finances – still remains. It’s one Hernandez is committed to passing down: “Before my daughter left for college last month, I taught her how to use Mint.com to keep track of her finances,” she said, before adding. “I hope my grandfather is smiling down on me.” Photo Credit: yo spiff](https://www.thestreet.com/.image/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_80/MTY4NjI1MjY0NzkxMjAxNjg3/balance-your-budget.jpg)


![When Elena Baxter was young, her mother imparted some traditional advice. She told her daughters to keep a budget and to always pay for non-negotiables first. She also encouraged them to save their nickels, dimes, pennies and quarters. “I have been saving my change since I was 16,” she says. “[I’m] now 24 and I am going to put it towards my wedding someday.” Photo Credit: mangpages](https://www.thestreet.com/.image/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_80/MTY4NjI1MjY0NzkwNjExNTkx/save-your-pennies--literally.jpg)







In honor of Grandparents Day, we asked the folks on Main Street to share advice that was passed down to them from their parents.
The federal government is so worried about our financial literacy, it has proposed introducing a financial food pyramid as a means to teach us about spending, earning and saving. We at MainStreet feel there may be a better place to learn your financial building blocks: good old mom and dad. In honor of Grandparents Day, we asked the folks on Main Street to share the advice that was passed down to them from their parents. Read on to see what words of wisdom these families offered to future generations. Photo Credit: premus