Lavanya Mohan’s Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees: A beginner’s guide to navigating budgets and bank accounts

 How many of you have walked into the chaos of a city bazaar and wished you had a radar to direct you to exactly what you wanted to buy? That’s what Lavanya Mohan does in Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees; she helps you find order amidst the train wreck in your mind that is money management. Drawing from her experience as a financial columnist and blogger, Mohan breaks down complex financial concepts into digestible and relatable narratives.

There are some parts in the book that make you smile or nod along, and others that make you feel like personal finance is no longer the Goliath that your sling cannot overpower. This is especially true of the country’s youth, surrounded by Instagram-worthy lifestyles, unpredictable salaries and complicated financial jargon. Into this mess comes Mohan’s book, like a vacuum cleaner in a dusty room.

Rather than throwing intimidating numbers or generic advice, Mohan starts with empathy. She knows that money, for many of us, isn’t just about numbers. It is tied to anxiety, identity, expectations and often, a silent shame around “not knowing enough”. Her tone is warm and conversational, like a friend who has made some mistakes and learned from them, and now wants to help you do the same. The best part is that the book is not preachy. She guides without goading. Whether it is formulating a budget that works (and doesn’t feel like punishment), the red flag of mixing money and relationships, or how to decode your first insurance plan, everything is simplified and often laced with humour or pop cultural references that are as refreshing as a tub of Ben & Jerry’s on a sweltering summer afternoon.

And it is not just about saving or investing. Mohan talks about financial independence in a broader, more personal sense: how money matters shape your lifestyle, relationships and even your sense of self-worth. There is a particularly thoughtful section on why planning for your future doesn't mean giving up fun in the present, a balance that makes you buoyant instead of burdened.

That said, if you are someone looking for heavy financial theory or hardcore investment strategies, this might not be the book for you. It is a beginner's guide, and proudly so, focused more on building confidence than crunching numbers. But for someone just starting out, or even someone who has always felt that money talk wasn’t “for them”, this book can be quietly empowering. No longer do you feel like the kid in the chemistry class who, for the life of her, cannot figure out how to balance an equation, let alone why the number of atoms in a molecule of methane should make any difference to her future.

By the end, Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees doesn’t just teach you how to manage money, it shifts the way you feel about it. Less guilt, more clarity and maybe even a little bit of excitement.

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees

By Lavanya Mohan

Published by Simon & Schuster

Price Rs299; pages 227

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