Whoever said that you can't learn anything from television obviously never attended Bayside High on Saturday mornings. "Saved by the Bell," the iconic show from the early 90s, not only taught viewers how to snag a date at the Max, outwit dimwitted authority figures and to rock acid-wash threads, but the kids at Bayside also offer some surprising lessons about personal finance.

The choice between love and money is never easy.The class crush Kelly Kapowski is more excited about prom than the latest Paula Abdul album, but before she is supposed to buy her prom dress, her dad breaks the news that he's lost his job. Kelly forks over her wad of prom-dress savings cash to her father, choosing to help out her family rather than go to the prom with the dreamboat Zack — the ultimate love and money sacrifice. Social awkwardness and economic class issues abound!

Watch Part I of "The Prom" here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLHecDROsFI[/youtube]

And Part II is here.

Don't be afraid to take risks and negotiate. Zack Morris was smooth. It's likely that he would be a maverick at maximizing credit card reward programs and savvy enough to talk his way out of ATM charges, just like he was able to get Kelly to choose him over Slater. Watch as Zack woos the recently-impoverished Kelly (see above) through using simple tactics like eye contact and a candlelit dinner. The same tricks might not work when you're trying to barter for a lower interest rate with a credit card issuer, but there is something to be said for the confidence level. (Added bonus: Alan's stinginess is scorned by his classmates.)Here's Part III of "The Prom":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K0-ErSdouM[/youtube]

Just calm down. Jessie Spano seems like she's got her act together. She's class president, she's salutatorian and even though her parents are divorced, she's got a relatively stable thing going on with Bayside wrestling beefcake A.C. Slater. But beneath all that, she's a mess. I'll bet that if Jesse found out she missed a credit card payment or that the Federal Reserve Board would be adjusting rates, her reaction would match the craziness of her perm.Case in point:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bflYjF90t7c[/youtube]

Sacrificing your health to maximize your wealth is never the solution. Neither is screaming at customer service representatives. The world of personal finance is crazy, but shouldn't require caffeine pills or, ahem, getting excited.

Beware the Golddiggers. In the episode "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce," Screech finds fortune by marketing his superrad spaghetti sauce. He's Bayside's Bill Gates — nerdy, smart, kind of muppet-like and loaded. Classmate Robin notices and tries to get the best of Screech ("I'm going to let you buy me lunch."), but eventually he wises up to her motives.

Watch the build-up (and a defunct attempt at Gen Y marketing) here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnSodNwmeW8[/youtube]

Watch Part II here (advance apologies for the blatant Italian racism) and Part III here.

Keep spending under control. Oh, Lisa Turtle, you Reagan-era symbol of excess! We love you not only for your spandex unitards and scrunchies, but also because you exemplify the WRONG way to use credit. Lisa claims to "have a map of every mall from here to Tijuana" and gets hypnotized by the retail blitz. In the aptly title episode "The Lisa Card," Lisa's dad loans her his credit card as a reward for good grades. "It's like letting a vampire loose in a bloodbank," Slater says. She goes bonkers with spending, racking up debt bigger than her shoulder pads ($386 in 1989 dollars) and receives a lesson in budgeting, communication and responsibility. "The moral of the story gang? Well, it's simple," says Zack. "The Lisa card. Don't leave home with it."

Here's Part I of "The Lisa Card":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my4dJ8amqao[/youtube]

Part II is here and Part III is here. ("The Sizzler? After all I've been through?")

Play the market carefully. Clearly reeling from a recent screening of "Wall Street," Zack persuades his class to invest in the stock market. He invests their money in risky stocks and learns a lesson about the importance of diversification of assets. Learn from Zack's mistake — invest wisely (and never hire him as a financial planner).

Note: no video available. This episode, "Wall Street," aired as an episode of "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," the show that soon morphed into "Saved by the Bell."

Take a time out. Reflection is important, whether it's a vacation from an exhausting and stressful job, or a few minutes to look over your credit report and make sure it's not in the hands of identity theft bullies. By taking a time out from whatever seems more important and assessing and reflecting on your financial situation, you could save yourself time, stress and money.

In "Aloha Slater," A.C. Slater has to choose whether to move to Hawaii or stay at Bayside High — a tremendous personal decision that's got him bugging. Zack calls a time out (the first one in the show's history) to examine Slater's situation. Ferris Bueller would have been proud.

"Aloha Slater" Part I:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAKwnWQ8RfA[/youtube]

Part II and Part III.

Plan your estate carefully. Ordinarily, a big ol' chunk of money would be a blessing. But when a rich Bayside alum dies (the heir of the underwear waistband fortune) and donates $10,000 to his alma mater, a war immediately breaks out between the boys and girls on how to spend it. The takeaway: write your will. Otherwise risk leaving those that live on after you bitterly bickering and using insults like "jocko."Here's "The Will," Part I:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAhTeSpMT3A[/youtube]

And Part II and Part III!

But perhaps the greatest personal finance lesson from the show (and in life) is that dope is never worth the cost. A special thanks to Bryan Chupp for his creative consultation.

-Mary Pilon