Intergenerational Wisdom

I remember driving through town with my Mother, passing the Dairy Queen. “Can we stop for ice cream?” I asked. “We have ice cream at home,” was my Mother’s response. My Mother was raised in the midst of the Great Depression, and she knew how to stretch a dollar. Going out to eat anything, even something as simple as an ice cream, was a treat reserved for special occasions.

Most of my media requests are requests for tips for ways to reduce spending. When you get into the specifics, there are so many ways you can cut your spending. However, to be effective for the long term, it begins with changing our perspective and thinking.

We have to learn to think like our grandparents or great grandparents. We have to tap the wisdom of our great aunts and uncles.

The challenge really isn’t finding a new way to save money. The challenge is to find a new way of thinking about spending money in the first place.

Try this on as an opportunity. Make a date with an elder in your family. Sit with them and listen. Ask about their lifestyle, how they spent and saved money. Ask their opinion about debt and how they managed without it. Not only will you garner invaluable wisdom, you’ll warm the heart of someone that really matters in your life. There is nothing like a good listening to, to feel important. So go out there are make someone’s day. And in the process, change your prosperity, forever.

May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS IAR

President and CEO, Mackey Advisors

www.CultivatingProsperity.com