My parents have decided that my brother and I need to learn about money. They think we think ‘money grows on trees’. That’s stupid. Everyone knows money comes out of an ATM.
It all started when pesky brother announced that he had lost his football. Again. It was the third football he’d lost in the month (second, according to him, because one of them was chewed by our neighbour’s husky. So it’s not lost, just useless).
Amma said that it was the tenth item we had lost between the two of us in 10 days. (Why would anyone want to remember something like that?)
“Just buy me a new one,” my brother said. Oh, brother! Wrong thing to say.
Well, that made Amma and Appa launch into a lecture about how we were careless because we didn’t need to work hard and make money. (HE lost something and I get lectured? Where is the justice?) I wanted to point out that I was working pretty hard to find out if 101 and 103 were twin primes and they were welcome to pay me for it. But I know better than some blabbermouths in the house.
So, the football kicked off (get it? No? FINE!) what Amma is calling an economic education. I asked if that meant I could get out of school education, but she said no. Oh well, no harm trying.
Money lessons
We were given three jars and asked to stick three labels with the words Spend, Save and Give on them. Every week we’d be given money to divide equally (everything is a Math lesson) between the three jars.
“Can we have a thousand rupees?” asked pesky brother.
“NO!”
“Why not?”
“It’s too much. You will get Rs. 30 each.”
“OK!”
What? What kind of negotiating is that?
We then had to put ten bucks in each jar.
“Why can’t we put it in our pocket?” I asked.
Amma took out our school uniforms and emptied the pockets of chocolate wrappers and homework assignments that had clearly been through the washing machine. I can see her point.
“Plus, in the glass jar you can see your money grow right before your eyes.” she said.
So, money doesn’t grow on tree but it does grow in an old Nutella Jar? I will never understand parent logic.
Save and Spend were were easy to understand, but what was Give for?
“You put money there and then when you have enough you can give it to a charity you want to support.”
“Can we give it to each other?” I asked.
“No!”
Amma’s face was red by now, so I knew it was time to stop asking questions. A week later Amma came and asked us to give the money back.
“Why?”
“I need to pay the plumber and don’t have any change.”
“OK. But you need to pay it back with interest.”
“Interest? What do you mean interest?”
Ha! Looks like someone else needs to get a money education too.
