How to Use What You Have (And What You Don't)

In class on Friday, we talked about money, and financial management.  We discussed ways to include the whole family in knowing about saving and spending.  We talked about problems that could arise (problems that end up costing money!) and how to be ready for them. 
My family has been very strongly middle-class my whole life.  Besides a few rough patches, we always at least had enough to get what we needed.  Growing up, my brothers and I had our few chores that we were simply expected to do, and if we wanted to earn a little money, there was extra work we could do.  That definitely taught us the lesson of working for what you wanted, and doing a good job if you hoped to get paid.
One thing I want to implement with my children (which I don't remember my parents doing with me) is to teach saving.  My mom always stressed that we pay our tithing first.  She never forced us to, but she would always graciously offer to take the 10% out before she paid us, and put it in an envelope on our behalf!  However, though she would council us to not spend our money for the sake of spending it, there was never an amount we were taught to put away and hold on to.  I think that's an important lesson to teach children, and it can easily be started.  If it becomes so automatic that it's more of a habit than a sacrifice, as the individual's earnings increase, so will their savings.
I think another thing that needs to be taught is only spending what you have.  This, thankfully, was something my mom taught me.  Credit cards make it so easy to buy things you can't afford, but too few people think about the fact that they're simply borrowing money, from someone who will charge them extra for not paying them back.  Debt, though acceptable in some situations, is not a good situation to be in.