(I should say. I'm American, and my brother is, but my parents were both born and raised in Australia, so I don't really count so much on the American front. Most of my American friends have the same Don't Talk About It problem, but it seems to be less of a big deal for them. It doesn't really horrify them to be caught up in an "I'm poor!" commiseration-fest, :D, and they had more than a vague idea about family finances before reaching legal adulthood.)

We did somehow get it, though! We picked up the idea of savings & budgeting with more practical lessons, I guess--we got pocket money that we had to figure out how to spend on our own, and were never encouraged to ask for stuff or money from our parents aside from that. My brother & I tended to loan money to each other if we needed it, rather than asking Mum & Dad, and I used to charge interest. :D We both ended up being fairly cautious spenders, and I'm in charge of all of my living expenses this year and haven't had any trouble with it. And, hey, money's my hobby now. I'm doing an economics degree with no desire to go into business in any form.

I dunno. I'd like to think that I know how important money is, and my parents didn't really tell me at a young age how much they make.

Not everyone spends money recklessly just because they weren't told daddy makes X amount of dollars when they were three.

For me I have trouble spending money because it hurts to spend x hours of earnings from uh work, on something I don't really need.