What is a Money Walk? A money walk helps you understand the flow of money in your life, improves your relationship with it, and enables you to design a more fulfilling life.
Managing money is one of the most important life skills we need, but it’s also one of the least taught. Our education system, for all its formulas and facts, often skips over the everyday art of handling finances. Either the topic was skipped entirely, or wrapped in jargon so dense it made compound interest sound like a medical condition. No wonder so many of us stumble through earning, spending, and saving like lost tourists in unfamiliar lands.
But nature, as always, has a gentler way of teaching. Trees, in particular, have been quietly managing their resources for millions of years with patience, wisdom, and not a single spreadsheet. Perhaps it’s time we learned a few money lessons from the trees and gain all the forest bathing benefits while doing so. By the end of this post you should have a unique money map for your life.
* Also included in this article are 5 money rules that will uplift your brain’s money IQ, so you can make better money decisions.
** Collect a free money walk poster at the end of this post to help you with your own walk.
Money Walk: What is wealth?
When we think of wealth, we often picture bank balances or shiny things behind glass. But at its core, wealth is simply energy—the ability to nourish, sustain, and enjoy life. A tree shows us this in its leaves. Each leaf quietly captures sunlight and turns it into food, not just for itself, but for the whole tree. The more healthy leaves a tree has, the more energy it gathers.
Likewise, our wealth, be it money, skills, or even time – is energy we can direct toward living well, supporting others, and growing stronger. The biggest learning is that our life-goal should not center around money, but rather around creating conditions that allow us to live a rich life.
🍁 Nature Activity: Leaf Ledger
Take a slow walk outside. Anywhere you can find trees or plants. Pick up a fallen leaf that catches your eye. Look closely at its shape, color, and veins. Ask yourself: Where does your energy come from? How do you “gather” wealth in your daily life? What are your personal “leaves”: the things that help you collect and store energy? If you like, press the leaf in a notebook and jot down your thoughts beside it. Over time, this can become your own quiet record of what wealth means to you.
Money Walk: Where does wealth come from?
A tree can’t grow without sunlight above. The sun brings light, warmth, and the spark to grow. In the same way, wealth doesn’t come from thin air. It begins with ideas and knowledge. Growing the right ideas about creating, and managing your wealth is the first step for creating a brighter future. And like sunshine, wisdom often arrives quietly but changes everything.
Wealth begins when we notice, imagine, and create. When we turn everyday moments into something meaningful.
🌞 Nature Activity: Sun Walk
Find a sunny spot where something is growing—grass, a tree, or even a crack in the pavement with a brave weed. Sit or stand for a few minutes and observe. Touch the soil if you can. Ask yourself: What ideas have taken root in me? What kind of sunlight: support, motivation, learning – helps me grow? Let the answers come gently, like sun filtering through leaves.
*For the days when your mind is cloudy, check out our Philosopher’s Walk – A path to clear away the mind mist.
Money Walk: What nourishes wealth?
A tree might have perfect sunlight, but if it’s rooted in poor soil or rarely watered, it won’t grow far. Soil provides the foundation that’s rich with minerals, and memory. Water brings daily nourishment. Neither shows off, but both quietly decide the fate of the tree.
In the same way, our values are the soil in which our money habits grow. What do you believe money is for? What matters most to you? And your habits: how you earn, spend, and save – are like water. A little consistency goes a long way; a flood or a drought can do more harm than good. Together, they shape your entire financial future.
🌱 Nature Activity: Soil Check
Find a patch of earth, in your garden, or a potted plant, or even a wild path. Touch the soil. Is it soft? Dry? Crumbly? As you do, ask yourself: What beliefs about money am I rooted in? Are they helping me grow? Then pour a little water gently over the soil. A small, steady habitvcan change everything over time.
Pay Yourself First Rule
Before rent, bills, subscriptions, or anything else, set aside money for yourself. Savings comes first, not last. Even if it’s just a small chunk, the idea is to treat saving like a non-negotiable bill. It flips the script from “I’ll save what’s left” (aka nothing) to “I’ve already handled my future self.” It’s a mindset shift that turns saving from a guilt trip into a habit.
Money Walk: How do you manage wealth?
Trees can look into the future. Come winter, they slow down, let go of their leaves, and conserve their energy. It’s not laziness – it’s wisdom. They’re budgeting their resources to survive and thrive through changing seasons.
Managing money works the same way. A good budget isn’t about restriction, it’s about rhythm. Knowing when to spend, when to save, and when to simply pause. Budgeting helps you prepare for winters, so you’re not out there shivering in your financial shorts.
🍂 Nature Activity: Letting Go List
Take a quiet moment with a notepad and sit near a tree, especially one that’s shed its leaves. Write down a few expenses, or habits, that you might be ready to release. Just like trees let go of what they no longer need, you can too. Lighter branches grow better in spring.
The 50/30/20 Rule for Budgeting:
This one’s the classic “how to budget” rule. You split your monthly earning into 50% for needs, 30% for wants, and 20% for saving or paying off debt. It forces you to actually look at where your money’s going instead of just wondering why it vanished. It’s budgeting for people who normally avoid budgeting or find it too complex.
Money Walk: How do you protect wealth?
Walk into a forest and you’ll notice no two trees are exactly the same. Some are tall and straight, others are wild and knotty. That’s no accident. Diversity is the forest’s survival strategy. A diverse forest is more resilient to pests, storms, and sudden change.
The same applies to your money. Don’t plant your entire financial future in one tree. Spread your resources across different places. There are many options to choose – savings, investments, property, maybe even that slightly weird idea you believe in. It works a lot better in the long run.
🌲 Nature Activity: Forest Eyes
Next time you’re in a park or wooded area, look around and count how many different types of trees or plants you can spot. Some grow tall, some spread wide, some bloom only briefly. Let this remind you: variety isn’t clutter—it’s protection. What does your “financial forest” look like? What are the different sources you can invest your money in?
The 3-to-6-Month Emergency Fund Rule
Having 3 to 6 months’ worth of expenses saved is like giving yourself financial armour. When life throws curveballs like job loss, medical bills, your car deciding it hates you—you’re not immediately spiralling. It gives you breathing room, better sleep, and way less panic. Most people treat money like it’s unpredictable chaos; this is how you build a little order into the madness.
Money Walk: What grows wealth?
Did you know that older trees produce more wood than their younger counterparts. If you walk through a forest, you’ll notice that older trees are often the largest, the strongest, and the most generous with their shade. They grew ring by ring, season by season, adding strength a little at a time.
Wealth, too, grows with time. Not just through earning, but through patience, consistency, and the magic of compounding. The longer your money is allowed to grow, without being uprooted or chopped down by impulse—the stronger it becomes. Time doesn’t just pass; it builds. When you invest in something, your wealth will grow exponentially, if your follow the law of compounding (A detailed explanation by the independent news media)
🌳 Nature Activity: Tree Rings of Time
Find an old tree, one with a thick trunk, knotted bark, and a story to tell. Stand quietly with it for a few minutes. Imagine the rings hidden inside, each marking a year of quiet growth. Ask yourself: What am I growing slowly, day by day? Where am I rushing where I could be rooting?
The Rule of 72
This is like a math trick that makes you feel kind of powerful. To see how long it takes your money to double, you take the number 72 and divide it by the return rate your savings get each year. So, a 6% return? That’s 72 ÷ 6 = 12 years. Pretty cool, right? It works in reverse too. If you’re paying 18% interest on a credit card, your debt doubles in 72 ÷ 18 = 4; just four years! Suddenly, avoiding unpaid credit card bills becomes a priority, for getting rid of that interest monster will save your life!
Money Walk: What strengthens wealth?
Beneath every tall, steady tree is a hidden world of roots, quietly anchoring, connecting, and nourishing. Some roots go deep, others stretch out wide, intertwining with neighboring trees. In forests, trees even share nutrients through underground networks, supporting each other in times of stress.
Wealth may seem like a solitary pursuit, but it’s relationships that strengthen it. Trusted friendships, wise mentors, a supportive family, a good financial advisor, even community ties form the invisible root system that keeps us grounded, especially during life’s storms. Wealth without connection is fragile. But when held within a network, it becomes resilient.
🌳 Nature Activity: Root Reach
Sit near a tree and place your hand on the ground near its base. You can’t see the roots, but you know they’re there. Take a moment to think about the people who keep you steady. Who supports your growth? Who do you quietly support? Write down one relationship you’d like to strengthen this week. Then, like a root reaching out, do something small to nurture it.
* To cultivate deep relationships, and learn life’s most useful skills through nature, check out our set of 10 magical walks here >> Nature Play Walks
Money Walk: How do we enjoy wealth?
The purpose of a tree isn’t just to grow tall. It is also to bear fruit and spread its seeds. The magic of fruit lies not just in its sweetness, but in its sharing. Birds, animals, even passersby enjoy the gifts of the tree. And tucked inside each fruit is a seed, something that carries the tree’s story forward.
In the same way, wealth is best enjoyed when it’s shared. Not in grand gestures, but in acts of service, generosity, and joy. A meal cooked for a friend, a donation that lifts someone, a skill passed on freely. These are the fruits of a well-lived financial life. When we give from a place of enough, we scatter seeds that might grow long after we’re gone.
🍎 Nature Activity: Fruit and Seed
Find a piece of fruit you enjoy—an apple, a mango, anything in season. Eat it slowly, mindfully. Notice the flavour, the texture, the pleasure of it. Then hold the seed in your hand. Ask yourself: What am I sharing with others? What small seed of joy, knowledge, or help can I pass on this week? If it feels right, give something today, no matter how small.
The ‘300’ Rule for How much is enough.
This one’s a retirement shortcut that feels suspiciously simple. Just multiply your monthly living cost by 300, and you will know how much you need to retire for life. If you need $1,000 a month, you’ll require $300,000 saved to keep affording that lifestyle forever. It’s a good way to get real about what future you is actually going to need.
The ideas in this article are best learnt through a short forest walk. Find any space which has nice trees, and carry a pen and notebook with you. Divide the money walk into small sections. As you walk, take time to reflect on questions from one nature connection activity. After 5-10 minutes, journal your thoughts on paper. Move on to the next question and continue your walk.
At the end of the walk each participant will end up with a money map of their life, that is uniquely personal to them. This walk is equally useful for adults, teens and younger audiences. Close your walk with sharing of important insights in small groups of 5 or less.
Money Map
Here’s a money walk poster that summarises the wealth tips from trees.
When you do this walk with friends or family, it also helps you create new insights about their connection with money. We hope this article gets you out of the classroom and into the forest, so you can learn directly from the trees.
What other lessons on wealth have you learnt from Nature? Please add your thoughts in the comments section. Every month we share one inspiring article from the forest. Join our free newsletter to receive it in your inbox.
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What next?
Our goal is to reconnect people and forests so they can heal each other.
Find more interesting activities here:
Nature Play Walks : For life’s most useful skills.
Nature Calm: For life’s greatest gifts.
Download the money map poster here>>.
Healing Forest 