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Honestly, I would say I was really diligent about it when I entered my late 20's. That being said, my parents are REALLY good with money and always talked openly with us about money, credit cards, saving before buying something, etc. I still remember by dad sitting down with the check book and bills every month They made it a part of every day life and not something they hid away. I think that helped a lot!

Erm - my parents didn't do such a good job with their finances nor did they do much teaching to me. Everything was hidden away and/or kept private.

I don't plan to repeat that. And I am still learning how to manage my money (I'm 24).

@Mrs.VW: "My parents are REALLY good with money and always talked openly with us about money, credit cards, saving before buying something, etc."

My parents were always the same way! I feel like I learned to manage money well really young.

My parents gave all of us an allowance growing up. We got $1 for each year old we were each week (so when we were 6 years old, we got $6 a week, etc).

This allowance was not tied to chores or helping around the house. You do those things because you are a part of the family and help out, not to earn money.

We were required to save at least half of our allowance (although we usually ended up saving most of it). Once we started getting a decent chunk in our savings accounts, our parents helped up open mutual funds. Also, whenever we deposited or withdrew money, my parents helped us fill out an account register (which we had to balance) so we always knew exactly how much we had.

I think these things really laid the foundation for strong money management skills.

My parents did such a good job of it that I really can't pin point a time when I learned about managing money. It seems like being responsible with money was just always a part of my life. My parents taught us the value of money pretty early and although we always had a nice house, nice cars, and expensive schooling my parents didn't really splurge on much else. My husband and I have been lucky enough that we've always made enough money that things like paying bills and eating out don't even really need to be thought about. But we are both really responsible and conservative when it comes to big things like a house or a baby. And we are lucky enough to still be able to ask our parents advice as well if we're faced with something new to us.

I learned to manage my money in my mid 20’s after completely mismanaging my money in my early 20’s (mostly through credit cards). Its weird because my parents were open about money growing up, I never got an allowance, and started working a real job when I was 15. I was also a broke college kid. Somewhere along the line, I just got in over my head.

Now I live basically debt free (except student loans and a mortgage), and am like a hawk about my credit score, use of credit cards and savings account balance.

when I was 20 my dad died & my mom was just getting clean from drugs. I had been named executrix of his estate & having to deal with that & take over house payments & bills, in addition to my own credit card bills that I had stupidly run up before his death made me learn how to budget & manage the money that I had real quick.

Never! Well, only in the past few years after getting married and having Mr. M, who is much better about finances help me. Last year I also started doing a lot of personal research and reading up on investing and saving for retirement.

I feel as though I'm still learning (I'm 23). I grew up knowing the "value of a dollar," but never really witnessed any household budgeting, because I was raised by a single mother and we lived paycheck to paycheck, barely scraping by. There wasn't really any budgeting going on--all the money just went straight to bills.

In college my SO and I moved in together and we began to learn how to budget on our own. We've always thought that there needs to be more emphasis in high schools on learning these things. I went to college knowing absolutely nothing about building credit, balancing a checkbook, accumulating savings, etc.

When I was 12 and going on my first big field trip without my parents on the car ride to the bus my dad told me, "It is important to be frugal, don't be frivolous with your spending money." That one sentence has stuck with me ever since. Then when I go my first job my stepdad helped me open a checking account and taught me how to balance a checkbook. It wasn't until I met my husband that I learned about 401(k)s and Roth IRAs though. His mother taught him about those when he was young and had opened him an IRA when he was a kid.

When I was 16 I got my first job, needed it to make payments on car and get gas. So that was a good start. When I was in HS I enlisted in the Military and was planning on leaving for boot camp the summer after my senior year. I was one week from leaving for boot camp. I came down with mono. All of a sudden I was un able to go and no back up plan but HAD to do something. My parents would not have allowed me to sit around and do nothing. Rightly so. So I worked full time and went to school full time. In order for me to attempt going into the Military again seeing as I last min had to back out, I had to wait to be cleared by a doc that indeed the mono was gone, then wait an ADDITIONAL 6 mos after that. Then I had to wait for the job I wanted to do to open a slot up for me to leave. Took two years. Was a rough two years but left for the military and was def like starting another new life and responsibilities.

When I was little I had a pink piggy bank and my dad would give me his pocket change at night and we'd put it in the bank together. One day, we counted it and he brought me and my paper bag full of coins to the bank and we deposited it in my savings account. He showed me the passbook and how the interest accrued. I was hooked! I loved to concept of putting something away and having it for later, I saved like a fool even though I didn't get an allowance. I still have that piggy bank and plan to use it with my son.