Have you ever know someone who is a Christian and yet they never take their kids to church or teach them about Jesus? I have and it always makes me wonder, how could you have this wonderful, life-changing knowledge and not want to share it with your kids?
The same could be said for teaching your kids about money. How many grown people do you know who think they should still get to eat and shop even if they don’t work? I do eventually want my kids to leave the nest, and I want them to do it on their own power, not the government’s.
I had read in Dave’s book, The Total Money Makeover, about giving your kids envelopes for Spend, Save and Give and helping them divide up their money accordingly. We have been doing this, but one thing I learned in the most recent lesson in our Financial Peace University class was about how they should earn this money, and it has totally changed how I do things around here.
I have tried many charts, systems and methods for chores and all of them have failed either on my end (not keeping up with it or checking behind them) or on their end (not doing what was required or not checking it off the list). We have given allowance, not given allowance, forgotten to pay allowance and I’ve been frustrated at my own inconsistency. But, as I listened to Dave talk last Sunday, I worked out a new system in my head and came home excited to implement it.
This week we started commission jobs. I posted a list of all jobs they can do for pay and hung it on the fridge. Things like clean the living room that used to be an assigned paid job is now a choice for commission. Each day they can choose to do one or several of the listed jobs and, when they do it, they write their name in the box on the corresponding day. For each job they get 25 cents.
Some other jobs include: unloading dishes, folding laundry, mopping, sweeping, cleaning windows, cleaning out the van and vacuuming.
Only 25 cents? Slave wages, you say? Maybe so, but I have 4 kids to pay (well 2 1/2 right now, but they’re getting older every day) and one highly motivated worker. This chart has the potential to release as much as $50 a month out of my pocket. But let me tell you, it works!
My house has been cleaner all week than it has been in a long while. The kids are motivated by this chart. I’m not sure if it’s having the freedom to choose what chores they do, how many and when, or the prompt payment (I’ve been paying them daily—works best for me).
They don’t get paid for everything. Keeping their room and bathroom clean are top priorities and must be done without payment. I use Meredith’s popscicle stick method for keeping track of this, and if I don’t see the colored end sticking up, they don’t get to play wii. Furthermore, if I check their room at bedtime and it’s a mess, they lose their commission pay for the day.
Also, Milo usually only gets 50 cents per day just for being obedient and doing the chores I ask him to do (and doing his reading lesson—don’t judge me).
They are still managing their money by using giving, saving an spending categories and, they have discovered, they really like to save!
Dave always says changing the way you deal with money can change your family tree. It sure is nice to see it at work.
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