Mothering Many

If your young children are like mine, they don’t really understand where the money goes and what it means when you tell them you don’t have the money for so-and-so right now. This is particularly true if you use checks to pay for most of your purchases. This will help you teach them a bit about spending limits without using budgeting software.

Get your paycheck cashed, and ask for small bills. Show your child the stack of currency, and then let them help you write down spending categories (groceries, rent/mortgage, gas, utilities, etc) on envelopes. Then let them help you count the money to go in each envelope. As they watch the stack of currency get smaller and smaller, it will help them understand where the money actually goes, and that the supply is not unlimited.

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