Nobody Will Remember the Name Brands You Wear. They Will Remember The Type Of Person You Are.
Understand the effects of materialism as explained by a confident 10-year-old who believes in change for the next generation.
I took one minute out of my evening to watch a wise 10-year-old kid teach everyone around the world why America is addicted to materialism and what matters the most.
The thing is, it’s not just Americans who have a problem with spending more than they earn; it’s a worldwide dilemma.
Some say the next generation is going to hell in a handbag, but I beg to differ because logic doesn’t skip over everyone, and all it takes is one person to build an army of people who believe in him/her.
Wear Whatever You Want
What’s incredible here is that a 10-year-old boy has such a powerful message to deliver that I’m betting most adults wouldn’t dare take on.
It’s easy to warm up to this kid and want to listen to him because it’s clear he’s confident and in charge of the situation.
It doesn’t matter if you wear Jordans, Vans, Nike, Fila, or Joe Fresh; what matters is that you wear what you like.
If you’re looking for your next president, we should keep an eye on this little guy.
Forget Trump, Clinton, and Obama, it’s time to stir the pot with a bit of kid smarts.
Not only was he brought up right, but he also knows how to take a bad situation and turn it into something positive.
This kid is going places.
We need more of this wisdom in our world, but the bottom line is that it needs to be taught at home.
Money Smarts At All Ages
After listening to this kid for one minute, all I kept hearing was a message that reminded me of a message I like to convey to the readers of this blog.
It’s not about what I have on my feet, it’s about what I have inside my head.- 10 year-old
It’s not about how much money you have it’s about how you save it- Mr.CBB
Get a pen and paper ready, CBB fans, and take notes because if materialism is part of your daily routine or you know someone who is hard-core name-brand, you may learn a thing or two. No pun intended.
Since being released, the video has gone viral with almost 1o million views, and I’m proud to say, I’m one of them.
Actually, I watched it about 5 times as I dissected every word and motion this kid was communicating.
Why can’t we all be this smart?
The world would be a better place, possibly with less hate and fighting over silly things that really don’t matter.
Let’s get one thing straight: FILA shoes are not cheap by any means, but if you look at some of the prices on sneakers, it’s shocking how some people care more about dollar signs on their feet than in their bank account.
Teach what you believe is right
We’re not rich, but we’re also not in debt, and I’m sure as our son gets older, our bank account will grow. That still doesn’t mean we will spend money on him because we can.
He will still get second-hand clothes, toys, and shoes that will be a comfortable fit and reasonably priced.
Yesterday, Adele, who is ranked the ninth highest paid celebrity, was shopping at the clothing retail store H&M, which is far from high-end, when her credit card was declined.
Of course, this made headlines all over the media, and even Adele says she was “mortified” when it happened.
As a mother of 1 and earning $80.5 million according to Forbes, it’s nice to hear that she shops at affordable retail stores such as Target and H&M and likes to eat at fast food burger joints.
She’s keeping it real, and that’s important, so as not to get lost in the financial chaos of stardom.
Just because you have millions of dollars in the bank doesn’t mean you have to blow it all on expensive purchases.
I’m not fond of name-brand items, and sometimes it irritates my wife that I don’t want any logos on my clothing, but I was taught that it’s easier to be simple than to complicate things with stuff.
It’s easy to define materialism when all that matters is being able to put clothes on your back, food on the table, and pay the bills.
Materialism is something that people engage in to make themselves feel better, fit in, and stand out in a crowd, whether they can afford it or not.
Uniforms For Students
In a way, it reminds me of the kids who wear a uniform to school vs. kids who get to wear street clothes.
Keeping it simple with a uniform ultimately becomes a fashion that most kids learn to appreciate because it’s easy to wake up to, and no one will judge you because they are wearing the same stuff.
Both my wife and I wore uniforms to school, which is pretty standard in the UK, and likely why I’m the t-shirt and jeans kind of guy.
Bullying was and still is a major factor among children who come from homes where poverty or low-income is clear, to those kids whose parents have the money to spend on clothes and toys every kid dreams of.
Kids Can Say The Most Hurtful Things
While we were at the park about two weeks ago with our son, there were 3 boys ranging in age from about 8 to 10 years old playing on these fancy foot boards with wheels.
There was no walking involved as this toy was rolling them around.
My wife asked them what it was, and their response was, “What don’t you know?” Jaw-dropped, but my wife responded, No, I don’t know as if he were saying she needed to get with the times.
One boy spoke up to say it was a “Hoverboard,” which was new to us.
At first, we both thought he said, Hoover Board as in a vacuum, to which we both giggled.
Instantly, we wondered if it was as cool as the so-called Roomba I-Robot cleaning machine.
We had never heard of the hoverboard, but it looks like a skateboard, a jazzed-up version.
Mind you, buying a skateboard these days is fairly inexpensive compared to the almost $1000 a hoverboard can cost at the higher-end.
My wife asked where they bought them, to which she was told, their parents bought them their Moosehead hoverboards.
Cool toys, but if our kid wants one, he better be saving his money, and even then, I’m guessing saving for a car when he’s old enough to drive might be worth the wait.
Just as she was going to ask more about how the hoverboard worked, the one boy pulled out his smartphone and said that they had to go because they were off to play Pokémon Go.
Materialism is faulty
I don’t even own a smartphone.
Sometimes I wonder if kids today are getting technology-based gifts so parents keep them busy and out of their hair, and to fit in with the other kids.
Some parents go into debt to help their kids fit in with everyone else.
The problem is, you’re not teaching them financial responsibility, and you’re going broke doing so.
If materialism is a part of the parents’ life and the children see it, they too will “want” more than they “need,” which starts the roller coaster of temper tantrums and expectations in life.
Kids learn from their parents, and they also learn from watching the world and the other kids they hang around with.
If you teach your child right from wrong when faced with negativity like this, 10-year-olds has/they may be brave enough to stand their ground within reason.
That’s parenting 101 in my books.
The hard part is up to the child, and even then, they may have all the words to say but shy away because they are afraid.
Not All Rich Kids Care About Materialism
The same rings true for bullying rich kids because they come from such a structured lifestyle where they have to abide by strict rules inside and outside of the home.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of rich kids who don’t care about money, but they do care about defending right from wrong.
I grew up around plenty of rich kids in the UK, some of whom were and still are my friends today. I was never made to feel less than important as a friend to them because I didn’t wear fancy clothes.
You don’t have to be brought up in poverty to let materialism get in your way.
Both the rich, middle-class, and low-income earners have flaws, to which education must serve as a reminder of how this will impact kids later in life.
Financial Smarts will always carry a vision
The most important thing that we can teach our kids is that we are all human, we are all equal and money does not define us rather it should be used as a tool to make this world, our world a better place.
Have you or your children ever been faced with a bullying type of situation because of what they have or don’t have, or the brands of clothes or toys they have?
Share your comment below or message me with your story.
Trouble I got into this week
Like every other week, this particular week was filled with getting chores done around the house that had been neglected for the past 2 years.
I finally managed to repair one of the locks in our vehicle that’s been on hold for over a year. I bought the parts and set them in the garage until I could find time to sort them out.
We had a surprise birthday party to go to on Monday for our son’s best friend, which was fun since we didn’t have anything planned for the civic holiday on Monday.
It was on this day that I made my way into my first in-ground pool.
I’ve been to the pool at the community centre and the kiddie pool in our back garden, but that’s about it.
Now that I’ve had a taste of the luxury an in-ground pool provides, I’m considering one for our next house. I know that comes with extra work and expenses, but I’m fine with that.
Cooking For Relatives
On Wednesday, we had the in-laws drop by with dinner to cook as a last-minute request, and although we were napping, the dinner far surpassed what we were going to eat that night.
The grill was loaded with salmon, homemade garlic sausages, and tenderloin steaks.
They also brought garlic bread, salads and baked beans. I loved it!
Our little brag of the week was picking up 3 garbage bags full of second-hand clothes for free. I was in shock at how many pieces of clothing still had tags on them.
I managed to get 2 pairs of Aeropostale shorts brand new with tags, long-sleeved sweaters, and socks!
That’s my exciting week…how was yours?
Awesome posts I published this week
Just in case you’ve missed any of my blog posts this week, I will share them all below.
If you are looking for past Saturday Weekend Review posts, scroll down to the bottom of this post, where I will list up to 5 previous weeks for you to read.
I’m more than happy to chat via email to bring your story to life.
Top performing CBB Post this week: How to make money fast without going bonkers.
- Get Up and Chase Dollars with a Game of No Debt Go– My take on Pokémon Go and how it could translate to bigger gains with your finances. Plus, our July Budget Update.
- 30 Must-Have Student Food Pantry Staples
- Cherry Bakewell Cheese Blondies
Reader Budget Brags
Join the Budget Brag Challenge 2016 and WIN!!!
You got WHAT for HOW Much?
What I love the most is when my fans share their amazing shops with me, whether it be groceries or other deals they find at a garage sale, online, or freebies!
For 2016, if you send me your Budget Brag, you will automatically get entered into a yearly draw for a surprise gift card.
Every submission gets a ballot in the draw, but you get an extra ballot if your brag is featured.
Start sending in your brags with a photo and tell me about your deals. If you reside in the USA and win, I will PayPal you the money.
Open to Canada and USA residents only.
Email me at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca
Hi Mr.CBB,
I’m in the kitchen this week, cooking up a storm.
Here’s why!
I really like free stuff like the next person, and this week was filled with freebies in my neighbourhood.
Our amazing neighbours passed along all the apples from a tree in their back garden.
My husband picked the apples for us, and now the apple season has officially started in our kitchen. First up, I’ll be making apple juice.
I will be receiving an abundance of apples in different varieties, free, in a couple of weeks, so it will be applepalooza in my house.
I really love FREE, and the labour of love is worth the result. Thanks neighbour. –Colleen.
Making a difference (MAD)
Welcome to the 2016 Making A Difference series! Join the networking movement of Personal Finance Bloggers around the world.
Hello everyone,
This is Dollar Engineer here from, you guessed it, dollarengineer.com.
I started my blog just last month, actually, and have really enjoyed it, although I quickly learned it’s more work than I expected.
After graduating with my MS in Biomedical Engineering in May 2015, I started earning more money than I had ever had in my life within a couple of months.
I started reading more and more about personal finance through all the awesome blogs on the internet, including Mr. CBB. From that point, I was inspired to start my blog.
However, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t start sooner. If you’re considering starting a blog, I really do encourage you to do it. The benefits can be amazing.
On my young site, you’ll find many posts that I hope can help you throughout your personal finance journey.
This really is the main goal of my blog. While I enjoy writing and talking about personal finance and travel, I want to be able to be a resource for and help others.
I try to share personal experiences because I’m in this just like everyone else out there.
So far, I’ve got some tips on saving, investing, growing your net worth, and some occasional travel hacking.
I’d like to thank Mr. CBB for including me in this week’s Making A Difference feature on the Saturday Weekend Review.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
DE
Frugal Recipe Pick
Food and grocery shopping are relevant to us because food is a large part of the budget, which people struggle with the most.
We all have to eat to survive, but just because we have a budget doesn’t mean we can’t eat delicious home-cooked meals that are drool-worthy.
If you are someone who would rather buy convenience foods, consider cooking homemade meals or baking from scratch.
Not only will you save money, but you will be proud of what you’ve accomplished, and you’ll see that from the smiles on those you feed.
For the past 2 years, I’ve had a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot, where I exclusively share recipes from Food Bloggers around the world.
This week, our Top Recipe Pick is a lovely Summer Corn Chowder from Jaclyn over at Cooking Classy, which I look forward to trying.
I love corn and have eaten more in Canada than I ever had in the UK.
My motto is that soup is delicious any time of year!
Cool Pinterest Find
This is for everyone.
It caught my attention because my wife and I have both been trying to cut back on buying health and beauty products.
Just recently, we’ve turned to tea tree oil for washing our hair, cleaning, and many other uses, which we plan to use it for.
This infographic at The Indian Spot shares 2 ingredient all-natural homemade face masks that are worth a shot if you don’t have a budget for health and beauty, or you’d like to cut back your expenses.
Do you currently use any of these face mask ideas, and if not, which would you try?
Editor’s Choice
Every week, I will pick a blog post of the week from around the web that I found interesting and want to share with all of you.
Please head on over and give the post a read, and let them know that Mr. CBB sent you if you comment. Thanks.
Editor’s pick (That’s me, Mr.CBB)
Traditional Advice is wrong about retirement and J.D Roth over at Money Boss shares exactly How much you need to retire on.
He’s on point with his argument about retirement calculators and essentially not being able to predict the future based on current income and expenses.
Finance Quote Of the Week
This is more motivational because it’s easy to say you’re not doing something, or when you hit a wall, you give up because you lose hope.
Not only must you keep motivated but you need to think outside the box and imagine the bigger picture.
I’m sure Coca-Cola is looking back and very thankful they never gave up on a product they believed in, and neither should you. You are the product of your own motivation.
Google Search Giggles
Always begin and end your day with a SMILE!- Mr.CBB
Every week, I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog.
If you notice any spelling errors below, this is because I share the exact way it was typed into a search engine query to land on my blog.
Most times funny, sometimes serious.
- What is a reasonable amount to spend on eating out?- I had no idea there even was one. Do you budget? Spend what you can afford in your dining out category.
- How to use Dollar Store ovulation kits?– I get tonnes of searches like this, and I know for a fact they come with instructions. Seems odd.
- Ultra Dumpster Diving Tips– Haha, sounds like an Olympic sport.
- Odds of getting a mortgage in Canada- Slim if you have to look it up. You should know your financial situation, and if it’s not ideal, fix it, then revisit your options to buy.
That’s all the fun for this week, thanks for dropping by and we’ll see ya all again next Saturday!
Mr.CBB
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- The Saturday Weekend Review #179: When you’d Rather Be A Redneck Than A Rich Girl
- The Saturday Weekend Review #180: How to Make Easy Money When You’re Broke
- The Saturday Weekend Review #181: Should I buy a Cheaper or more Expensive house?
- The Saturday Weekend Review #182: Free Stuff to do During A Heat Wave to Keep Cool
- The Saturday Weekend Review #183: 8 Habits To Increase Financial Self-Discipline