Recently, our family, like many others, has been looking for ways to save. This has led me to think more deeply about the wonderful proverb, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
While some might consider the phrase cliché, it’s actually an excellent guide for many life choices.
The most interesting aspect of it is something I realized only later in life—that a penny saved is actually more than a penny earned. Because of … taxes!
This is something I wish I’d been taught as a kid, so that when I wanted to buy that candy or that ice cream, I had a better idea of what was involved in that. Yes, I knew my parents had worked hard to provide for our (somewhat large) family, and that they set many impressive examples in terms of frugality. But it wasn’t until I was well into my married years that I realized how post-tax dollars work….