You know how it goes. The minute you step foot in the store, it's "MOMMY! I want this toy!" or "MOMMY! I want that toy!" For us, the two crack-stores are Barnes & Noble (who carry Thomas trains that fit on standard wooden tracks) and the Lego Store (who carry, duh, Legos).
So a few months ago, we decided to start giving Q an allowance. It was time, we figured, for him to spend HIS hard-earned money on the things he wanted, time for him to learn that to buy something, you must sacrifice something else. And it worked surprisingly well! That kid has a memory like an elephant. And while that may be a drawback when he remembers at 3 am that he was supposed to have ice cream for dessert but never did, it is really amazing to watch him forgo buying one toy because he's saving up for another.
School is back in session this month, and school supplies are everywhere. And call me a weirdo (my husband does), but I adore school supplies. Mandie in the school supply section is like a kid in a candy store. Somehow, I guess I've passed that on to my eldest. He LOVES, ADORES notebooks. We don't really do coloring books (I kind of think they stifle creativity. But also, they're expensive.) so notebooks are where Q does his coloring and drawing. And crayons, OH how he loves crayons.
So as we peruse the school supply section (for even though my kids don't GO to school, we have to visit that section to appease mommy's weaknesses), I am begged for notebooks, for crayons, and lately, for neat things like compasses and protractors. We turn it into a math lesson. "Ok, Q, you have $10 of allowance saved. The notebooks are on sale for $.10, so you could buy 10 of them for ONE dollar. Crayons are $.25 each, so you can buy four of them for a dollar. If you buy 10 notebooks and 4 boxes of crayons, how many dollars will you have left for that train you wanted to buy?" and so on.
Turns out, school shopping is less like shopping and more like school, with subjects including math, fiscal responsibility, and of course, negotiation tecniques.
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Allowance plus school supplies equals fiscal responsibility?
Friday, August 21, 2009
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4 Musings:
I never have had any problems with my children asking for various items at stores. Never.
Maybe because I didnt give in the first time they asked? maybe because Ive explained to them that we buy what is on the list? Maybe because my children have their needs met in ways other than commerical prodicts? Not sure... but Ive never had that problem.
Well, I'm glad YOU don't have the "problem" of your children having material desires. Mine occasionally want to expand their repertoire of legos and trains and have no problem asking me for what they want.
I see it as a blessing rather than a problem, because it does afford me the opportunity to let them spend their allowances how they see fit and realize the difficulty in sacrificing some things we want in other to have others (like sacrificing our home for a kickboxing class? OH WAIT)
Holy mackeral! My kids wanting toys is due to my not meeting their emotional needs? I kind of want a piano. I suppose I'll have to go into therapy and unearth why my selfish desires are my mommy's fault.
Who is that woman? Sheesh.
I think turning it into a math lesson was a great idea! I plan to do the same for my little guy when we get to that age.
-Shelly
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