Magical, mystery tour money

I am a collector of ideas. I read about them. I listen to the grand things that my friends are doing. I think about them all. And then I set the idea on my shelf. Admire it. Expand upon it. But follow through? I think not.

One of my favorite money ideas is the four jars concept. You know the one. Where you give your kids 4 jars. And an allowance that can be divided by four. One jar is for impulse spending. One jar for short term savings. One for long term savings. One for charity. I love the idea of it. The responsibility. The practicality. The wisdom.

But…easier said than done.

Because in our house, money is magical. It is mysterious.

If I tell the kids I don’t have money for something – they say “you have checks in the check book.” Or that “you can just use a credit card.” Because to them, money is magical. It’s just there when you need it. Want it. The tooth fairy puts it under their pillow. The Easter bunny puts it in their plastic eggs. And Santa gives them their own version of a credit card: the gift card.

We have tried to teach our kids the value of money. That you have to work hard for what you get. That you work consistently for an allowance. That you should be a contributor to this thing we call family. But, now they think that every good deed must be rewarded.

I ask them to get the newspaper. And I am asked “how much will you give me.” I plead with them to behave in a store. And I get “if we are good, can we get a Webkinz?” Or if we go to Target. And all I need is a tennis racket and yet we still spend $200. I might get the request for quarters for the gumball machine or the tattoo dispenser. You know. Insurance. So they don’t tell Daddy about our adventure.

What my kids seemed to have learned is that money is very mysterious. It might show up. It might not. Mommy might give out money for an extra chore. She might not. Mommy might resort to bribery. She might not. My inconsistency breeds their consistency in asking. But ultimately, they know to find true money magic. They just have to ask Grandma.

I am hoping for a little magic of my own. Parent bloggers is giving away three iphones in conjunction with Capital One. And I am sure that one of them has my name on it. I mean I did what I was asked to do. All good deeds are rewarded. Right?

So, how about you? Did you get an allowance? Were you rewarded? How are you teaching your children about money? Do you have an iphone?

Theme song: The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

Signs of Spring

Katie and Madalyn are always trying to earn money. This doesn’t make them especially helpful. If I ask them to do something, sometimes I am met with “will you pay me a dollar?” Sometimes I will give in…sometimes I remind them that they just need to be helpful…that they need to be good citizens of our own family.

My mother gets emails from “American Girl” which she forwards to Katie. This week she sent one to Katie…and Katie responded with “I need 26 dollars!” She told me that she needed to earn $56 by the end of March. Why? So that she can buy her American Girl doll a new outfit and so that she can renew her Club Penguin membership. Also, both girls are trying to earn spending money for the cruise we are going on in April. At least Katie is not asking for the money and is trying to earn it. I have started a log of money that she has earned—I never manage to have small bills on me, so we keep track that way. We have to keep track of allowance money too as I never have that cash on me either!

We are going to the American Girl store on March 10th to celebrate Madalyn’s birthday a little early. My mom is buying her her first American Girl doll…so she is quite excited about picking it out. We are also eating lunch at the bistro…we had to make our reservations a while ago. While we are there, Katie wants to be sure that she has enough money to buy that outfit for Kirsten.

So…today….the girls were to help Michael pull crab grass from the front yard to earn some money. Katie was quite helpful…but Madalyn got a bit distracted from her job when she found a toad. And yes…first day of March seems to be an appropriate day to wear your Halloween themed clothing.