Earlier this year I cracked open George S. Clason’s classic personal‑finance parable, The Richest Man in Babylon. The language is old‑school, the lessons timeless, and the entertainment factor surprisingly high. More important, the book is packed with practical money wisdom you can start using today. I felt lucky to stumble on it—and luckier once I realized its value grows only when the ideas are applied.

Today’s OGM Notes distills one of its core frameworks: “The 7 Cures for a Lean Purse.” In Babylon they carried their wealth in leather purses. In 2025 we use bank apps—but the problem is the same: a wallet that never seems to gain weight. Below you’ll find each cure in Clason’s own phrasing, paired with a short explainer or action step in plain OG Millennial language.

A format note: Some sentences are direct quotes, some are paraphrases, and a few are my personal takeaways. Credit where due—let’s get to curing that lean bank account.

The First Cure: Start Thy Purse to Fattening

• Pay yourself first. Stash at least one‑tenth of every dollar you touch.

• “Unto him who keepeth and spendeth not a certain part of all his earnings, shall gold come more easily.”

• “Likewise, him whose purse is empty does gold avoid.”

• Decide what you want more—quick hits of consumption or long‑term ownership and freedom.

The Second Cure: Control Thy Expenditures

• “That what each of us calls our ‘necessary expenses’ will always grow to equal our income unless we protest to the contrary.”

• Audit your habits; many ‘needs’ shrink under honest inspection.

• Build a budget that funds necessities, enjoyment, and worthwhile desires—but never more than nine‑tenths of your earnings.

• Make your budget your first assistant in achieving wealth

The Third Cure: Make Thy Gold Multiply

• “Gold in a purse is gratifying to own and satisfieth a miserly soul but earns nothing.  The gold we may retain from our earnings is but the start.  The earnings it will make shall build our fortunes.”

• Money idle in a purse is silent; money invested is a choir.

• “A man’s wealth is not in the coins he carries but in the income his purse earns.”

• Put each dollar to work—index funds, side hustles, rental doors—then let compounding handle the heavy lifting.

• Use compounding interest to your benefit.

The Fourth Cure: Guard Thy Treasure from Loss

• First principle of investing: protect the principal.

• “Be not misled by thine own romantic desires to make wealth rapidly.”

• Vet every venture, seek seasoned counsel, and remember: if the return seems magical, the risk is probably tragic.

• “Guard thy treasure from loss by investing only where thy principal is safe, where it may be reclaimed if desirable, and where thou will not fail to collect a fair rental.  Consult with wise men.  Secure the advice of those experienced in the profitable handling of gold.  Let their wisdom protect thy treasure from unsafe investments.”

The Fifth Cure: Make of Thy Dwelling a Profitable Investment

• “Own the roof that sheltereth thee and thine.”

• Equity and appreciation can transform shelter into a silent partner in wealth building.

• Buy smart, live below your means, and—if possible—let the property help pay for itself.

The Sixth Cure: Insure a Future Income

• One day hustle slows; bills do not.

• Provide now for older‑you and for those who rely on you.

• “…it behooves a man to make preparation for a suitable income in the days to come, when he is no longer young, and to make preparations for his family should he be no longer with them to comfort and support them.”

• Diversify long‑term holdings and lock in sensible insurance while premiums are friendly.

The Seventh Cure: Increase Thy Ability to Earn

• “The more wisdom we know, the more we may earn.”

• Desire must be focused and definite; scattered goals weaken themselves.

• “The more wisdom we know, the more we may earn.  That man who seeks to learn more of his craft shall be richly rewarded.”

• Continually sharpen skills, study your craft, and place yourself in the front rank of progress.

• “Thus the seventh and last remedy for a lean purse is to cultivate thy powers, to study and become wiser, to become more skillful, to so act as to respect thyself. Thereby shalt thou acquire confidence in thy self to achieve thy carefully considered desires.”

Conclusion

Money doesn’t magically multiply in the dark—it grows in the daylight of disciplined, repeatable habits. The seven cures above are your playbook. Start with Cure One and stack from there. Each small win builds the muscle you’ll need for the next level of the wealth game.

Here’s the real flex: staying hungry and patient. When your purse starts to plump, resist the siren call of lifestyle inflation. Keep investing, keep learning, keep your eyes on the legacy you’re building. Play it long, play it smart, and watch the lean purse transform into a reservoir that funds opportunities for decades to come.