My parents never had much money. My mom was a great money manager she just didn't have a lot to work with. My dad is actually a college graduate, but after a degree in criminal justice and police academy and a year in the field he decided he didn't like who he was becoming as a police officer. He worked in a variety of industries after that but none of them made a lot of money especially supporting a bunch of kids.

I grew up never having new clothes, ever. We'd take a trip to the second hand store in Aug and get a couple pairs of jeans and a couple shirts.

As a result if I wanted anything I had to buy it myself.

I got my first job at age 8. I would ride my bike over to a local bank and turn on the sprinklers, wait an hour and turn them off. $55 a month was a big deal. My mom made me put 30% into savings for college, I was never allowed to touch this money.

Around the same time I got my first paper route and added another $30 a month.

I basically have maintained a job ever since. The bank thing ended when I moved at 10 but I got a new paper route in the new city. Shortly after the move I wanted a basketball hoop so I saved up and bought one for around $100. Around age 12 I bought myself a mountain bike for $230.

At 15 I got a job peeling potatoes at the local diner. Between there and another local restaurant I worked all through high school. My biggest purchase at the time was an upgraded mountain bike for $400. By now I was also buying all my own school clothes and paying for sports and school activities.

All this time I was still putting 30% into savings.

I graduated high school with $4500 in my "untouchable" savings.

Getting married was a whole new challenge, but that's a story for another thread.