No King at Burger King

The other day we were driving home after running an errand and Jessie wanted an apple bag. She was very insistent about it. We passed Burger King first followed closely by McDonald’s. She cried from the back seat to turn around. She was really upset in the back. As we approached Walmart she wanted to get an apple bag there because there’s a McDonald’s inside. I kept driving home and as we approached the street where we’d turn, Jessie changed to wanting to go to Tom Thumb. We have a new tradition of getting a corn dog at the service … Continue reading →

Making Sure Your Kids Understand Debit and Credit Cards

Money is a difficult concept to understand, especially when it comes in so many different forms—checks, currency, coins. Add to that the concept of debit cards and credit cards, it really gets confusing, and kids don’t always grasp all the nuances. They see their parents swipe a card in a machine, the cashier lets them keep the stuff they chose, and it’s all pretty cool. When we use plastic instead of paper money, it can lead our children to have a disconnect between the reality that in order to spend money at the store, we need to make it and … Continue reading →

How to Help Your College Graduate Get on Their Feet

If you are the parent of a recent graduate or of a child who will be graduating from college soon, chances are that you’re just as nervous about his or her future as he or she is. There is plenty to be nervous about, including a sluggish job market and those enormous student loans. You may want to offer some assistance to your now adult child, but you may wonder what would be the most helpful thing that you could do. Here are a few ideas that might work for your family. As with any financial decision, discuss it thoroughly … Continue reading →

Money Lessons For Older Kids

A few days ago I wrote about starting to teach children about money when they’re very small. The important lesson is to delay satisfaction. By not getting everything the child wants when the child wants it, the child learns the value of savings and eventually earning combined with saving. The lesson should carry over later in life and increase the child’s financial good health. Elmo helps to give the lesson a visual so children will better understand. Elmo may be able to help toddlers and preschoolers understand how to save a dollar for something special instead of spending it on … Continue reading →

Teach Children Delayed Gratification

Not long ago I was listening to Dr Laura on Sirius satellite radio and she was talking about a study involving small children and self control. She explained that four-year-olds were given a marshmallow and told that they had a choice: They could eat the marshmallow now when the adults left the room or wait and get a second marshmallow when they returned. The children who waited for the second marshmallow ultimately did better in life. The children who were not able to control their desire to eat the marshmallow immediately did not fare as well later in life. That … Continue reading →

Cheap Summer Movies

When we moved to Texas there was a movie theater we went to more than others. It had a mommy and me program that I couldn’t wait to take part in. The theater changed owners and the mommy and me program stopped before we got our first foster placement. I was disappointed. What better way to go to a movie with children than at a theater filled with other moms with their children. Every summer the area foster parents go see a sponsored movie. The first year we went we saw Ice Age 3: Attack of the Dinosaurs. The movie … Continue reading →

Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse

I need free and low cost activities to do with the children this summer. School’s almost out and we’re going to need to do something. As much as I love to sit around the house, watch TV, and work on my computer, the toddler will go stir crazy. Daddy works from home and he needs some quiet to be able to do his job. Having the toddler in school has really gone a long way toward some quiet time in the house. We just got a family membership to the YMCA. That’s taking the place of Gymboree Play and Music … Continue reading →

Money Tips For Kids

Perhaps I did not listen closely when my parents tried to teach me about money, or perhaps I did hear their advice but thought that I could somehow be alright financially without following it. Maybe there was not much in the way of personal finance training in my grade school and high school curriculum. The exact factors that lie beneath my financial ineptness do not matter, though. What does matter is that I educate myself about personal finance now, and that I take care to do my best to ensure that my son grows up to be financially fit. Even … Continue reading →

When to Start Teaching Kids

My toddler is three. I haven’t started giving her any lessons in money yet. I know the time is coming and she needs to learn. Her only real lesson with money so far has been that swallowing a quarter is a very bad idea. The other lesson she’s been getting with money is that if a card arrives from Grandma, there will be a dollar inside. She loves to open her savings box and count her dollars. When is the right age to start teaching children about money? Jessie can understand the fifty cents that the ride toy requires outside … Continue reading →

Teach Children To Give

When I was a little girl and my parents gave me an allowance I was required to tithe ten percent to church. I dutifully put a dime in the tithe envelope and deposited the envelope in the offering plate in children’s church. We advocate for children now by fostering. Jessie is learning to care for others less fortunate by sharing her home, parents, and possessions with them. When she has a better understanding of money, then we will start to instill in her more of a stewardship to help others. There are opportunities all around us to help others. Start … Continue reading →