Saturday, January 15, 2011

MONEY…WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET?

As a child my parents did a fantabulous job of teaching me the value of a dollar. I was the kid who, if Mom or Dad were buying, I’d be all for it! Once the tables were turned and they introduced us kids to the envelope system, and I was fully in charge of all of my money…I was a total Scrooge! That money was not leaving my envelope unless it was something spectacular! It was really important to me as a 10 year old to have as much left over at the end of the month as possible.

Our Envelopes consisted of:
-Tithing- 10%
-Savings- 20%
-Gifts
-Clothing
-Spending

*These envelopes were based on a monthly allowance. We bought all our own clothing, gifts for birthday parties, put away savings, and our tithe. I can’t remember the exact amounts, but we were “paid” and then we divided up all earnings into these envelopes and they were to last us, until next “payday.” It was a pivotal point in my life, for sure. Life changing I would say.

Bob and I have now decided to start this with our children. Not to the scale I did as a child, but with an allowance that pays into their tithe, savings, and spending. It was such a wonderful learning experience for me that we’d be robbing our children of a skill that is so important to life, if we didn’t do it with them. Yes, it’s that important!

Our Envelopes consist of:
-Tithing- 10%
-Savings- 20%
-Spending
*Every week the children get paid a weekly allowance that is their age. Alexis=$10, Ty=$7, Gabriel=$5, Addison=$3, Shelby=Not Old Enough to Care! Lol

-Here it is in a nut shell: They must complete their “Chore Packs” before 9:30am every morning with a “Happy Heart” in order to receive a “smiley face.” If they choose to disobey these orders, they receive a “frowney face.”

Our method of charting is not done perfectly…just simply, it is a piece of paper with days of the week and notes that hang on the fridge (shown below).

Every “frowney face” =’s an amount for each child. Alexis=$0.75, Ty=$0.50, Gabriel=$0.25, Addison=$0.10. Everyday they have the chance to redeem themselves if they have received a “frowney face.” Which means that if they earn a “frowney face” and a “smiley face” in one day, they cancel each other out. (They still get their real life consequence for their actions + the “frowney face.”) This is a way for us to teach the children that even though you mess up and sin, there is a way to get back from it, after they have done the “time for the crime.”

Our payday is every Friday when Dad gets home from work. We sit down and go over each child’s actions for the week and what they learned from it and reward their good behavior and encourage those that didn’t do so well to try harder next week. They receive their allowance based on what they get every week, then they pay/hand back $ for any “frowney faces” they received that weren’t canceled out with good behavior.




God calls us to be good stewards of our money. That is one area in which we can teach our children well. We might not be so great in other areas, but this one we CAN do, and WILL do for our children. We pray that our children’s future spouses parents are teaching their children these same principals. Life and marriage are hard enough without money issues! So why not give your children a head start?!

What are some things you and your family are doing to grow the desire for good stewardship in your children?

Blessings~Heather

4 comments:

  1. Way to go Heather and Bob! We have purposed to teach our kids financial stewardship too. And the reasons why you always pay cash, save, tithe, etc. We pray with you that ALL our kids marry into families serving the Lord and teaching their kids solid stewardship principles. Miss you guys. Love keeping caught up with you throught your blog. Blessings,
    Lesli

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you guys have got it down, Lesli!! Nice work. It's so important and I know many families that have never thought to discuss it with their children. The younger they are the better the chance that it will become a lifestyle instead of a chore. Prayer in numbers is powerful...may the Lord bless all our children! Thanks for commenting...missing you all too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like you got some great ideas, I might have to borrow them:)

    ReplyDelete

Would love to hear from you!