Chennai-based Soumya Shankar, 43, a director of a Chennai-based garment export company, cultivates money habits in her children by setting examples for them to follow. She has two children, Sidharth, who is 14 years old, and daughter Sneha, who is nine.
Soumya says that they like to keep things simple at home, and that her children have grown to appreciate this. “But this doesn’t mean we deprive them of things; just that they are not fussy. In fact, they always look out for value for money,” she said. “For instance, my son wanted to buy a laptop and I gave him a budget. Instead of opting for a high-end laptop with limited features, he bought a mid-segment laptop with all the features after a lot of research. He is careful about spending money. If he is ordering online, he will make sure the delivery is free. My daughter is young, but I hope she will learn from her elder brother,” she said.
Soumya thinks her children as grounded and gives the credit for this to her husband, Gourishankar Tadeparti, 48, who is a management consultant. “My husband doesn’t splurge and likes to keep things basic. I am relatively more indulgent, but that is also because of the nature of my work, which requires me to be a certain way, and my children completely understand it. But again, I don’t overdo it,” she said.
