12 Life Lessons We Learned From the Real Housewives

"Money can't Buy You class." Not just words to live by, but a lesson so important that "Countess" LuAnn de Lesseps even turned it into a toe-tapping dance single.


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Let's be honest. Alcohol and Real Housewives go together like mac and cheese. When the party arrives, best to embrace it and go all in. When Pinot-loving Ramona Singer of The Real Housewives of New York City declares it's "Turtle Time," you best get out of her way. Follow Ramona's lead and dance like no one's watching.

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OK, so The Real Housewives shows aren't exactly Jeopardy!, but if you lack basic understanding of historic facts, you may want to keep that to yourself. That's what Real Housewives of Atlanta's Porsha Williams demonstrated when she was shown a crawlspace in a historic home that was once used to hide slaves through the Underground Railroad, and seemed confused about where the trains would pull up. "Well there has to be an opening for the railroad at some point because somebody's driving the train," she said. "It's not electric like what we have now."
Let this be a lesson for us all — don't discount the power of being educated!

Say what you will about Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Camille Grammer, but we never have to guess what she's thinking — because she's already told us, and it's usually bonkers.

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Not every member of the Real Housewives franchise was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and that is certainly the case with Atlanta Housewife NeNe Leakes. Yet when it comes to living large, good luck trying to keep up with her. The NeNe attitude can best best summed up with her iconic words, "I don't keep up with the Joneses, I am the Joneses."

Remember, you are what you believe you are!

Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice was known for living large, happily splashing her lavish lifestyle across TV screens. That came back to bite her in 2010 when she and husband Joe Giudice filed for bankruptcy, owing creditors about $11 million, including more than $100,000 in credit card debt. When their possessions were about to be auctioned off (the auction was cancelled at the 11th hour) the items up for sale were a grand piano, a jet ski, three chandeliers and a suit of armour. Lesson: Spending more money than you earn will end with a sadly predictable outcome.

RELATED: A timeline of Teresa and Joe Giudice’s love story.

It's always a good thing to be well read, which The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kenya Moore summed up pithily when she declares, "Shakespeare — learn it!"

When it comes to taking responsibility for one's actions, Beverly Hills Housewife Lisa Rinna doesn't mess around. "Own your s**t," she's said on the show, and elaborated on Twitter: "It's really simple. Not always easy, but a must I believe."

It's no secret Teddi Mellencamp is workout-obsessed — she even works out on vacation! We're inspired by her incredible weight-loss journey, and the fact that she believes improving yourself is a never-ending process. She's an expert in accountability — her accountability coaching services so in demand that her business is constantly expanding.

We're just going to say it — Erika Girardi is a bad b*tch. Her confidence level is through the roof, performing sold out shows with her sexy Erika Jayne persona, a best-selling book, and style that rival anyone in Beverly Hills. But, she didn't always start out this way. Erika started out as a cocktail waitress and always had dreams of being something more.

According to her, life is about dreaming and getting money. "Just follow your dreams and have a kick ass chequebook," she said in season 9 of RHOBH.

In season 10 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Melissa celebrated the big 4-0. She didn't have a breakdown or shed a tear — she embraced her age fully, saying that she's exactly where she wants to be in life. And it shows! Melissa is looking as vibrant as ever.

Since season one of The Real Housewives of Potomac, Robyn Dixon has been completely open and honest about not being a "rich" housewife. She had lost a lot of her bank account and was struggling financially, but what mattered was that she was working hard to get it all back. Even when Ashley Darby tried to shame her into feeling bad about it, Robyn shrugged it off. She was okay with being in a vulnerable position among the housewives and kept her focus on her big financial goals.

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