# Teaching kids money matters in the Hamptons

> A parent raising children in a wealthy enclave teaches them that expensive things are not normal and that resourcefulness matters more than possessions.
- Title: Teaching kids money matters in the Hamptons · Business Insider
- Summary: A parent raising children in a wealthy enclave teaches them that expensive things are not normal and that resourcefulness matters more than possessions.
- Keywords: hamptons, financial literacy, wealth, children, money values, Business Insider
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/raising-kids-hamptons-not-rich-teaching-money-values-2026-11
- Author: Vanessa Gordon
- Published: 2026-11-07T19:45:01.221+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: hamptons, financial literacy, wealth, children, money values, business, technology
## Living in luxury without being rich
Vanessa Gordon raises her children in the Hamptons year-round, surrounded by beautiful homes, boats, expensive cars, and designer shops. Her family is not rich, but lives in a place often associated with wealth and status.
## Prices that make lessons difficult
At Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton, two eggs cost ten dollars ninety-five and pancakes are twelve dollars ninety-five. A smoothie can cost more than thirty dollars. Two frozen yogurt sundaes average twenty-eight dollars.
## Teaching the difference between normal and luxury
Gordon tells her children in advance if they want candy or cards, they must bring money from their piggy bank.

> If you want candy or cards today, bring money from your piggy bank.
## Open conversations about money
Gordon discusses savings and finances with her children at a level they can understand. When they spend their own money, they look at prices differently and weigh how much they want something against what else…
## Free experiences in an expensive place
The library offers free in-person and online classes, activities, tutoring resources, reading programs, children's fairs, and museum passes. Gordon takes her children to the beach, paddleboarding, crabbing, and to watch sailboats in the harbor.
## Teaching practical skills and resourcefulness
Gordon teaches her children to make homemade scrubs and find projects using what they already have.They learn styling hair, sewing, building things, cooking, and fixing household problems.
## Skills become opportunities
Both children ice-skate and play tennis.Gordon explains these are not just hobbies.Someone who understands tennis may learn to string racquets or work at a tennis shop.A strong skater may become an instructor or ice-skating attendant.
## What Gordon wants her children to value
Gordon wants her children to leave home believing they can take care of themselves.She wants them to be practical, work hard, and have skills that set them apart.
## Measuring life by more than possessions
The Hamptons will always give her children opportunities to compare themselves to others. Gordon's job as a parent is to give them something stronger to measure their lives by: what they can make, what they…
## Key takeaway

A Hamptons parent teaches her children that wealth and luxury are not normal by discussing finances openly, showing them free activities, and building practical skills.