Money Doesn't Grow on Trees
Idiom Meaning & Examples

Image of a tree with euro bills attached to the branches. Caption: My parents made us buy everything with our allowance so we quickly learned that money doesn't grow on trees.

Meaning

Can you guess the meaning of the idiom 'money doesn't grow on trees' by looking at the picture? 

Money doesn't grow on trees:  it requires effort to earn money and it is limited so you must be careful how you spend it.


Notes:  

Unfortunately, you can't pick money off trees like fruit. You have to work to earn it or be fortunate to receive it as a gift. Either way, you have to spend it carefully because it is limited in quantity.

Parents often use this expression with young children who do not understand the concept of money or its value.


Sentence examples

— Too bad money doesn't grow on treesor I would hire a personal trainer and have healthy meals delivered to my home so I could lose weight.   

— My parents made us buy everything with our allowance so we learned quickly that money doesn't grow on trees.      

— When I told my five-year-old that I couldn't buy her a toy because "money doesn't grow on trees," she told me to just put it on my credit card instead!

— I really do wish I could buy you those $1,250 Jimmy Choo boots for you my dear but unfortunately, money doesn't grow on trees.

— I'm grateful that my parents helped me learn that money doesn't grow on trees when I was a child because it helped me be financially responsible as an adult.

— "Money doesn't grow on trees" is one of the classic limiting beliefs that parents transfer to their kids that can prevent them from earning and saving money.


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