How do you do this with children who are used to no money worries?

Hermia

duchy wrote: »

This is all quite thought provoking -Shopping is probably one of the top hobbies in the country.

I think that is one of the saddest things about our society. So many people just automatically head to the shops whenever they have a day off work. When there are so many wonderful, entertaining & educational things to do in the world it's just so sad that people want to spend their life trudging around high street shops that all look the same as each other. My friend is a teacher and does a little 'what I did at the weekend' exercise each Monday with her class. She says it's so sad how many kids write "We went to the shopping centre and Tescos" EVERY single week. They never seem to go to the park or the local free museum or bake cakes with mum. My best childhood memories are all about activities that we did as a family.

You should definitely have a look around your local area. I work in a library and we do some awesome kid's activities that are free or very cheap (crafts, creative writing, drawing manga, treasure hunts). We have a museum in the town that looks really grim and old-fashioned, but their kid's programme is incredible.

My friend and her husband are badly-off, but determined their children should have the same level of education as better-off kids. What they do is take turns to learn something to teach the children or they will do a project with them. So, for example my friend was concerned that the art teaching at the school was not as good as a private school. So, she taught herself about the art in galleries she could easily travel to. She got books from the library and studied their websites. Then she took them to a different gallery each weekend and they would discuss a painting together (she found lots of teaching projects online) and draw pictures or write stories about what was happening in the painting. I think her and her hubby have also done projects on different styles of music, drama, maths, philosophy (eek!), sports and cooking. What is cool is that it brings the family together, the parents learn something and her two kids (normal working-class lads) actually love learning. They aren't that bothered by material things and their friends even envy them.

GeorgieFTB

Oh good, sounds like you're having fun.

My two can thrash me at mario cart! Gives them no end of joy, I'm a little competative, my eldest has found me practicing late at night!:D

Another thing you might like to try is honeycomb, lots of fun, lots of science and sweets to eat at the end of it! can't go wrong, except the sugar high...

7roland8

I know its easy to fell guilty but there is loads you ca do - and as other's say - just don't go to town!
1 - My son had a fantastic time over weeks building a huge den in his bedroom - we would bring as many free cardboard boxes back from supermarket and he built a huge thing - he would eat in there and even sleep - we cut them all to fit/balance together.
2 - as you have wii that should take up a lot of time. If running short of games either borrow (or rent - as we would sometimes as a treat). Also you can sell old games to trade inf or new ones.
3 - how about swimming, walks(trying to spot trees etc), picnics, free museums. One thing we loved doing was buying nuts and going to feed squirrels in the local National Trust - we got a season ticket.
4 - libraries - for books, talking books and dvds.
5 - sell some old toys at boot sales to buy new ones.
6 - if going to £1 shop - go on your own.
7 - dressing up - great fun - we would have boxes of stuff.
8 - knock about tennis or football.
9 - cooking - anything or even just covering bought biscuits in chocolate and decorating them.
10 - cheap tent in garden.
11 - water play - they'll love that
12 - have friends over - or a sleepover
13 - sn made his own board game of Monopoly - with all local place names.
14 - colouring, painting
15 - cycling or scooter rides - I did this even though I had to use a mobility scooter myself - and it cost nothing - apart from perhaps a lolly in the summer.
16 - after school clubs or scouts, guides - some things don't have to cost a lot.
17 - how baout jigsaw clubs - or do they have lego - we would do that for hrs.
18 - if near countryside - why not build dens with them - we loved that too!
A lovng parent is worth more than any amount of money.

Lyns15

My advice is stay out of town on a Saturday! It saves me having to play 'bad cop' to my husband's 'good cop'. I have recently discovered online grocery shopping, which is a god send with 4 children.

My 14 and 12 year olds enjoy finding cheaper alternatives when we do go grocery shoppping.

i do agree with the others and be honest with your children, they may amaze you with their own money saving ways.

Good Luck

Jinx

When I started sorting out my debts my daughter was 13.... I didnt explain about my debts exactly, I just said i had bills to pay (I was single at the time) and I made room in my SOA for my daughters pocket money and things like school trips etc. Although not 'essential' I guess, it was important to me that she didnt lose out through my debts on all fronts and its just meant my debt free date was a little further away.

At that point I started saying, you can have pizza or the cinema but we cant do both... and we just reduced the costs a bit at a time. As she gradually got used to it I opened up more about debts and how it all works - over the years we've had some great conversations about money and this site! She loved doing the 5 quid for dinner challenge, she shopped with the cash and cooked the whole thing. Oh and when going shopping I used to say we are going for x and y, there is no cash for abc, so please dont ask...

Now my daughters at uni, budgets really well uses good offers; does online questionnaires; works part time; uses loyalty points and subscribes to this site!! Its a great learning opportunity for any child.....

debtfreewannabe321

hi i haven't read all the posts(so sorry if repeating what anyone else has said) but i have a 12 yo son and i have told him that we don't have the money to throw away on luxuries like his friends do, so now he thinks we are 'poor' (this is what he says everytime i say no- is it because we are poor! so loudly too) if i go into town i let all the kids have a pound in poundland...lol last of the big spenders here but i have 3 kids so that is £3 and then i sometimes take them to the library for free computer use...this kills hours of time the eldest loves this and the younger 2 love looking at the books! And you can rent dvd's & c.d's there cheaply. Once the weather warms up you can make more use of the parks, or go for bike rides instead of just going into town every saturday out of habit. We also joined a toy library which is £10 for the yr, tbh the eldest is a little too old but younger kids have a great choice there and you can take toys as often as you like and aftfer initial price there is no charge! bonus!

And i've always been a fan of charity shops for books, clothes toys etc for the kids, my son often tells me he wants his pound to go in one and will get 2 or 3 books of a t-shirt for that ....you just have to be more inventive with the money i think it doesn't mean the kids won't get treats at all

[Deleted User]

Hi Cleggie, just wanted to know if you had any updates for us - this thread is/was a goodie

Learning2Budget

Just been reading this with interest. I have a 5 & a 2 year old but we have been on a dmp since the oldest was 6 months.
We have treats and trips out but they are all carefully budgeted for. The oldest knows we don't have loads of money but she gets £1 a week pocket money in return for certain jobs round the house and she knows if she wants a new toy she has to save her pennies or she can blow her pocket money on sweets but she can only spend half cos she knows other half goes in her piggy.

I have been open and honest about money.....you want something you save for it and she helps me count the money into envelopes so she sees me budget for food, clothes fuel etc.x

ginger_lover

Totally agree with everyone who says that spending time with children is more important than money. I'm reminded of the story of the young lad at school who was an excellent runner/ athlete. At the school sports day, all the parents ( except his) came to watch. He destoyed all the other runners in the race, only to stop and walk the last 50 metres, and finished last. When his teacher asked why he had done that, he said ' Well,what was the point?'

borkid

makemedebtfreeplease wrote: »

we have 2 girls - 6 & 9 - and since going on dmp we have started giving them weekly pocket money which they have to save if they want something - its surprising how many things they decide they dont want when it is their money not ours buying it!!!

Exactly. When my daughter was 12 she always wanted /needed new clothes.I said "well I have x amount for clothes for you so you can have that every month and I'll buy school uniform and school clothes". She thought it a great idea. Amazing how quickly she didn't need lots of new clothes. She's a great money saving shopper now, only buys what she really needs, makes a lot of her own things and will shop in charity shops. I can't remember when she last bought anything full price. She's 34 now that lesson 22 years ago has really paid off. I did the same with my son and although he likes all the designer stuff he saves up before he buys, he won't have a CC because he doesn't trust himself.

Both of mine also had pocket money and if they wanted anything it had to come out of that. As they got older they had to earn it.

We weren't poor, weren't in debt just believed that learning to budget/ handle money is something that should be taught at home along with cooking, cleaning and basic DIY skills. I tried to prepare my 2 to be independant and survive once they went to uni.