Last week we made chore charts for our little one(s) to help them keep track of the chores they are responsible for each day. Nickelbug is LOVING hers, she even woke up early a couple times last week excited to do her chores! She enjoys flipping the cards over to show the smiley face indicating that she's done that chore for the day. This is such a fun way to get her motivated and also it builds her confidence knowing she's contributing to helping me take care of our home :O)
Along with her beginning to take on chores, she is now starting to make earnings for the work that she does each week. The chore chart is a way for her (and I) to track her progress for each day to make sure all her responsibilities are taken care of by the end of the week in order to get paid. Instead of her putting in hours at the office for her earnings she is putting in time by completing certain chores each day. Right now she is 6 so the chores are simple, short tasks that she is capable of completing. As she gets older the chores will change to meet her capabilities as she grows. If I were to make them harder, more time consuming, or too complicated right now then it would only burn her out and discourage her. My goal is to encourage her and build her up through this process :O)
Even at such a young age, with her making a small amount of earnings I think it's important to start teaching her how to manage her money. For a Christmas gift from a family member, my boyfriend received Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey which is a class I've been wanting to take. In one of Dave's segments he talks about an envelope system to help manage your money in a simple manner.
For Nickelbug I decided to create some pretty jars, instead of envelopes, to aid in teaching her how to manage her money as she receives her earnings each week. The amount of earnings your little one earns is up to you. Every age is different and every households needs vary so please don't feel the need to repliccate my exact amounts. I'm sharing what works for us at this point in time.
Nickelbug is now receiving $5 at the end of the week if she completes her chores each day (4-5 simple chores). I am teaching her to split up her earnings and place them in 3 separate jars: Spend, Save, and Give. She will be putting $2 into Spend, $2 into Save, and $1 into Give. Along this journey I will be reinforcing why we should set a limit to how much we spend, the importance of setting aside a certain amount to save for future goals, and how important it is to give and how it pleases God's heart and blesses us when we do so.
In combination with the chore chart, she was SOOOO excited last night to receive the jars and to count out her earnings for the week and to divide it up for each jar. I briefly explained to her what each jar means and what we will be working on regarding her money and budget and this morning she woke up SO excited to GIVE! She took her giving portion ($1) with her today just in case she had a chance to give it to someone haha. We discussed giving more in the car on the way to school. She is already willing and happy to give to those in need from what she earns :O) (2 Corinthians 9:7 New Living Translation (NLT) 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”)
Okay, now for the fun part: making your little one some money management jars!
First, get your scrapbook paper out. Remove the metal lid from your mason jar and place the outer rim (top-side-down) on the scrapbook paper to trace the inside circle (the part of the lid that screws onto the jar, not the flat center piece that covers the opening). Trace 3 circles and cut them out. Hot glue them to the flat part of the lid (the part that covers the opening).
Next, size and cut your burlap fabric to fit around the body of the mason jar. Then hot glue it onto the jar.
Before you move onto the next step, let's create the tags. The tags I found at Michael's craft store were already painted with black chalk paint for $.59 each. I used chalk paint pens to write the title for each jar onto them.
After you create your jar tags, then take your choice of ribbon to size and cut it to fit around the neck of the bottle. Hot glue the ribbon around the neck. Tie the tag to hang from the ribbon.
Lastly, take your choice of flower and glue that onto the burlap fabric.
Complete all of the above on the other two jars and you will have yourself a wonderful, handmade system to introduce your little one to managing their earnings!
I hope this is not only a fun project to complete, but also a project that helps you and your little one to explore how to work together on this learning journey! :O)
Sending you uber loads of Love, Laughter and Light!
~Cassie
