Have you ever been in a store and considered making a purchase but paused to remind yourself that “A penny saved is a penny earned”?
Whether it be a piece of advice from your grandparents or a commonly held phrase that your friend group popularized, this is what we call a financial idiom.
That’s right, they are financial literacy tools, designed to make concepts stick!
Idioms are tools that make things easy to understand through metaphor. Oftentimes, they don’t actually translate literally. Rather, they aim to make something intimidating or complex more relatable. These phrases build bridges between everyday life and financial reality.
Tap into the power of these 10 financial idioms to help you build your financial literacy toolkit:
- “Keeping up with the Joneses” — This idiom is a great way to call out spending habits that go beyond your means just to impress others. It’s a chance to challenge consumerism and suggest fun, budget-friendly alternatives instead.
- “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” — used to start conversations around over-concentrated risk. It helps shift mindsets away from risky investments and towards diversified investment strategies.
- “Don’t buy where you can’t work” — used by activists to advocate for money mindfulness, urging community members to only spend their money at institutions that respect their community’s economic interests.
- “Make a dollar out of fifteen cents” — popularized by the culture and used as a proverb about stretching limited resources. This phrase highlights the wealth gap and what it takes for communities to turn a profit or compete with a less resourced starting point.
- “Bang for the buck” — used to encourage conscious and value buying. To maximize the use or long-term value, buyers find this tool valuable when looking to make an important purchase.
- “Secure the bag” – used as a call to action about achieving financial success, earning money, or securing a valuable opportunity. A common Gen Z term where money equals “the bag”. It’s used to empower others in employment or business contexts.
- “A penny saved is a penny earned” — used to encourage a mindful mindset of saving money as often as earning money, encouraging thrifty habits and careful financial planning. Small actions, such as rounding up your change with AutoSave to your savings account, make a difference long term.
- “Each one, teach one” — used to champion financial literacy with an emphasis on community knowledge-sharing. We create tools and resources to help support our community in building skills and toolkits for financial literacy!
- “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” — used as a simple but powerful reminder that our wallets have their limits and we will feel the pain later. This idiom can be applied to using credit cards outside of emergencies, where interest payments further put pressure on your cash.
- “If I can’t buy it four times, I can’t afford it.” — used for impulse purchases on non-essentials. Treat discretionary purchases as affordable only if you could buy them 4× over in cash without touching your emergency fund or missing bills.
Thinking through these simple idioms can shift your money mindset, steady your saving habits, and spark better conversations.
Now, take action. Instead of getting lost in blind spending, use a phrase like “Bang for your buck” to encourage conscious value, or use “If I can’t buy it four times, I can’t afford it” to anchor the decision in fiscal reality.
Financial literacy shouldn’t be a library of complex terms; it should be a toolkit of simple, powerful actions. Start by adopting just one new idiom this week. Commit to the mindset, track the results, and watch as these pocket-sized tools help you control your spending and build a richer, more secure future. It’s time to stop waiting for financial change and start speaking it into reality.
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