As we walked in, he said, "Don't get the novocaine. It's $20." That anecdote sums up everything about finances in my childhood home. My father worked for the power company, so he always had a job ...

When I was around 11, my dad was taking me to get my first cavity filled. I was super nervous, but my dad, it turns out, was thinking about money. As we walked in, he said, "Don't get the novocaine.