Growing up, we all got good advice from our moms: Sit up straight. Eat your carrots. Play nice.

And when it came to money, most moms had plenty to say on that subject, too.

So in homage to Mother's Day, we asked a dozen financially savvy women this week to share the "Best (Financial) Advice Mom Gave Me."

They enthusiastically complied, calling and emailing their favorite Mom-isms.

Some found their mother's advice helpful. Some, not so much. Here's what they told us:

Betty Yee State Board of Equalization member

One of six children of Chinese immigrant parents, Yee and her siblings all put themselves through college on scholarships and savings. Yee's mother, who ran a small laundry business in San Francisco, imparted three lifelong lessons: "Even if it is only a penny each week, save for the future. Do not count on anyone to take care of you."

Another: "Respect the value of a dollar earned from hard work." And finally: "Lend a hand to others less fortunate to give them the opportunities you have had."

Melissa Tosetti Founder, TheSavvyLife.com

At 42, Tosetti says she still gets great advice from her mother. But the words with the most impact came in her early 20s: "Don't ever feel you are being greedy for wanting money. The desire to be financially secure is a good thing and will make such a positive impact on your quality of life!"

Pam Krueger Producer, PBS TV's "MoneyTrack"

When Krueger's mother, Lucille, passed away last summer at age 94, she left an indelible money memory. A Depression-era child, Lucille routinely stashed quarters, dimes, nickels "and even her pennies" in a shoebox in the closet. When the shoebox was full, she'd deposit the coins in a savings account.

Over the years, as a stay-at-home mother, Lucille managed to save more than $12,000. When Krueger's father had to unexpectedly stop working, "it was Mom's shoebox savings that paid the mortgage. I will never forget how meaningful those coins suddenly became, and I will never think of dimes and nickels as just loose change."

Marcia Brixey Founder, Money Wise Women, Seattle

For Brixey, her mother's advice backfired. Raised by two schoolteachers of modest means, "The only thing my parents ever told me about money was: save 40 percent, tithe 10 percent and spend the rest." It was unrealistic, she says, and led to feelings of financial deprivation. "It never worked for me. I started doing odd jobs at age 9 – ironing, babysitting – but spent every dime I got. I had the spending part down. I didn't do the other two until I was in my 40s."

Today, she says, parents need to have money conversations with their kids, even if in debt. Kids should be taught to give charitably, but also to put part of their allowance in a savings account, just like withholding from a paycheck.

Carol Crosta Director, Northern California BetterInvesting chapters

Sometimes kids do exactly the opposite of what Mom advises. In Crosta's case, it was her mother's warnings about the stock market, based on family lore.

At age 16, Crosta's father was planning to attend medical school with his uncle paying tuition and all expenses. But in the 1929 stock market collapse, the uncle "lost all his money" and his nephew's medical dreams were dashed. From then on, "The family advice was to avoid the market at all costs."

Crosta said it was "many years before I studied the market and learned to invest properly."

Monica Nainsztein Rodríguez President, SpanishOne Translations

Raised wealthy but exiled to Israel during political upheaval in her native Argentina, Rodriguez's mother taught her young daughter financial resilience.

As a single mother, "My mom had to take a crash course prioritizing and managing money, something she never had to do before. Her priorities in Israel were to keep us safe and alive. Her priorities when we moved to the United States were ensuring that I had every possible opportunity," including a private Jewish school where tuition "cost more than the rent of our apartment."

She taught her daughter that "hard work, determination and being honest are the most important values when dealing with money – and with people."

Eleanor Blayney President, Directions LLC, a women's personal finance website

"My mother was not only a Depression-baby, but Scottish to boot. She did not just count her pennies, she clung to them! In her later years, every Sunday morning, she wouldn't go for the crossword or style section, but the business pages. She loved looking up the prices of her stocks and adding up her current 'wealth.' "

Blayney's mother instilled a strong savings ethic. "If I wanted something (in my case, Nancy Drew or Oz books and once, a bicycle), I was expected to set aside my own money out of my allowance. I enjoyed checking every week to see what I had accumulated and then figuring how long it would take to (reach my goal)."

Her mother also took pride "in having some financial autonomy from my father. She kept stocks in her own name and loved to mention that her Social Security check was bigger than my father's, the result of going back to work when my father was forced into an early retirement."

Donna Bland CEO, Golden 1 Credit Union

After surviving U.S.-Japanese battles to control her native Saipan, Bland's mother arrived here after World War II without knowing the language or completing her high school education.

"She overcame many obstacles to provide for our family and taught me to not spend more than I earned, invest in my education and be self-reliant. Those are lessons I endeavor to teach my own children."

Lynn Jimenez KGO radio business reporter, author of "Se Habla Dinero?"

A third-generation San Franciscan whose parents were small-business owners, Jimenez says her mother's advice is timeless:

"Don't spend what you don't have. Save for your future. If you borrow, borrow for something important and be sure you have two ways to pay it back."

In addition to those Mom-ly mantras, Jimenez adds one of her own: "Money is important, but it is not the most important thing in life. It's a tool: Use it wisely, but don't be afraid to use it."

Karyn Hodgens Co-owner, Rocklin-based Kidnexions

Hodgens, who has two sons and teaches money-management classes for kids, said her mother taught her not in words but by example.

"I learned a lot about money from my mom. But she never once talked to me about it. Instead, I observed how she always compared prices, waited for sales and balanced the checkbook. And somehow I knew that she paid off the credit card each month."

"Although money wasn't a topic we discussed, her actions taught me a very important life lesson: how to live within my means."

Kim Handy Business instructor, Sacramento City College

"My mom always had a 'cash stash.' She kept several $20s, even $100 bills, in the food cabinet or in recipe books. This money was for unexpected events like a car repair or a planned, large purchase.

"Credit cards were never an option. My family was never financially rich, but my mom always … was proud to say she paid for items in cash."

Today, Handy strongly advocates keeping an emergency fund stashed away for unexpected or special purchases. "I do not, however, recommend storing it in the kitchen."

Katy Maloney Director, UC Davis Financial Aid Office

"My mom encouraged me to spend some on myself. She saw me being so cautious with my money as a young adult, always making sure I paid all my bills and being responsible to the point of never treating myself to a new outfit or even a lipstick. … I finally started to use that philosophy. Of course, it helps that I do make more money now!"

Karen Anderson Chair, California Jumpstart Coalition

Raising four daughters in New York City, Anderson's mother was a frugal-but-quality shopper.

"She believed in buying quality (because it would last longer) but only at deep discount. For example, mom would spend the day before the big New York City store sales researching the girls' departments, then have us girls (arrive) before the doors opened. We'd go home with a year's wardrobe for 35 percent off retail!"

Mom also loved to remind her girls that her wedding dress was made by a famous New York designer in exchange for piano lessons.

"We daughters still joke about how far mom stretched her dollar to give us more in life, and we all love her for it."

To all the mothers out there and to those in our hearts: Happy Mother's Day.

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Have a personal finance question? Call The Bee's Claudia Buck at (916) 321-1968.

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