Money Tips From Movies

by Kevin Gardner

Movies can have a little wisdom to impart with the laughs or thrills. You may watch a movie to relax and escape reality but sometimes the movies you watch can have a long-term impact if you catch the underlying meaning within the story. Some of the best movies with hidden meanings are the ones that involve money. It’s not unusual to find films showcasing poor to rich themes or the spoiled rich kid learning money can’t buy happiness. From rags to riches, to overspending, and life lessons, money tips range from warnings, true happiness, and spending.

Check out the below list of movies with their money tips and see if you caught on to any of the deeper meanings they conveyed when you watched them.

Live Within Your Means

Confessions of a Shopaholic, directed by P. J. Hogan, was a 2009 film that showcased an over shopper. The main character, Rebecca, equates shopping with all of her emotional desires, leaving her not thinking about the future. When the credit card bills arrive, she’s in trouble and has to find a way to pay them off. Unlike student loans, credit card interest rates are not a deal. With all of Rebecca’s credit cards declined, she’s got to learn a new way of living and pay off not only the balance but the high interest too.

This movie’s humorous storyline tackled a not so humorous problem, credit card debt. The film wasn’t showing responsible usage, such as using a credit card for an emergency and working toward paying it off. Instead, it focused on unnecessary spending and not being able to stop impulse buying.

Do Your Research

Money Pit, directed by Richard Benjamin, this 1986 film was a classic. The comedy taught a lesson in not buying something without doing your research. As desperate homeowners want to get rid of their falling apart mansion, the main characters snap on what they think is a good deal. The blinders fall off as soon as they move into the crumbling home and realize they will have to spend every dime on fixing it.

Don’t rush into purchases. Take time to do your research, especially when making a large purchase. Impulse buying only hurts you overall and if something seems too good to be true, and doesn’t give you time to check the deal out before it’s gone, then run. That’s a red flag that could mean someone’s trying to con you.

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness

The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann (in the 2013 version), is a movie based on a classic novel that dives into money fueled by greed and desire. The main character, previously poor, builds wealth to win the attention of his former love. Of course, he has no trouble having a house full of so-called friends and people around to help him enjoy his wealth. How he obtained his wealth is less than desirable. In the end, the lesson is clear. Money doesn’t buy happiness or equate to getting what you want.

Money can seem like the ultimate answer, especially if you understand what it means to be without it. The truth is money is a tool and meant to help you toward your own goals. How you use money may make life easier, especially if you have plenty of it. In the end, if you choose to buy happiness instead of seeking a deeper meaning, then you’re more likely to make poor choices with it. Chasing wealth instead of managing it, will only result in a constant race uphill and poor decision-making choices to obtain it.

Money lessons can be found in many movies. These few films give a good starting point to show the lesson in how you spend your money or earn it, matters. No one wants to be without the funds they need to live, go to school, or pursue a dream. With careful planning, you can obtain the funds you need to head toward your goals and make good financial decisions.