Stop stress and save money this Christmas
November 6, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Holiday Thrift, holidays
Christmas is not only overly expensive but can be totally stressful too. In fact the issues usually go hand in hand. Really it’s time to end this stressful holiday nonsense and get back to holiday celebrations that actually matter and that are actually fun, don’t you think? Here are some ideas to cut your budget and your stress level this Christmas…
Stay put: Holiday travel is more expensive than traveling at other times of the year and bonus, it’s hyper stressful with long lines, crowds, and layovers due to nasty winter weather. Stay put. Call your family on the holidays to …read more
Tough Economic Times & Your Kids
October 2, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under children's activity
During the last year it’s been tough money wise for most families. Tough economic times are hard on parents, but it’s important to keep in mind that your kids are also affected by the economy, and not just in a we can’t have this toy kind of way. Kids have actual money concerns and it doesn’t help when they see you freaking out or worrying endlessly about it.
What you can do to keep your kiddos calm when money is tight:
Don’t hide the issues: Kids are smart enough to handle money issues. They can be taught about the family budget. It’s …read more
Why paper cash and coins are smart for kids
August 17, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under children's activity
Kids see an endless amount of plastic cards being used to pay for everything from groceries, to toys, to household goods, but they rarely see cash anymore. Older kids even get pre-filled debit cards from their parents to use vs. cash. The problem is this sets up kids to consider money as something that arrives in an endless supply so long as you don’t lose the card.
If you consider a small child’s point of view, it makes no sense where money comes from if you only see people pay with cards. It also makes less sense if you don’t explain …read more
Teach Kids About Budgeting
April 12, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Kid Stuff, children's activity
In the last post we looked at if you should involve kids with the family budget. I vote yes, so here are some ideas that can help.
Explaining the concept of money:
Money is weird to kids; something I never realized until I tried to teach my son about it and he told me that he thought that “A toy car and a house probably cost about the same.” Just showing a kid money or just talking about it, is super abstract. Real life applications work better. Allow your kid to pay for items on a short shopping trip so they can …read more
Teaching Little Ones About the Budget
April 11, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Kid Stuff, children's activity, family
In my life I’ve met two sorts of parents – the type who teach their kids about money and budget from the get-go, and the type who act like the household budget is the devil in disguise; sure to corrupt a small child. I don’t agree with the latter.
I’ve heard all the excuses…
“I don’t want my kids to worry about money issues – they should be having fun.”
“There’s no way my kid will understand.”
“The budget is an adult issue.”
“It’s too personal to discuss with the kids.”
And so on and so on.
I’m more of the mindset that the family budget is …read more
