How I’ve Taught My Kids to Give, Save and Spend

The “Give Save, Spend” system is something many parents use — it’s a great technique for kids (and heck, anyone) to learn the value of money. We ran this piece over on the WhatsYourSystem.com site back in 2010. We thought we’d republish it and check back in with Valerie and her girls to see how things had changed four years later. 

2010

Who: Valerie (the mom), Maya and Rachel Gardner

Job: Singapore denizens, world travelers. My sister-in-law and nieces.

The System: Valerie introduced the concept of “Give, Save, Spend” to her two daughters a few months ago. The idea is that each girl gets an allowance equal to her age (Maya is 8, Rachel is 3) and then they allocate the money in three envelopes – one to give to charity, one to put in “savings” and one to spend.

“They can do any allocation they want,” says Valerie, “but at least one dollar has to go into each category per week. So, yes, Rachel then only has one discretionary dollar but it’s just to get her used to it anyway. They can spend their ‘spend’ money at any time each week or save it up for a few weeks if they want something bigger.”

Where have they donated their “Save” money? “Maya and her friend Beatrice decided to give the give money to an animal charity in Berkeley. They combined the money from Maya’s envelope with money they made selling handmade dolls one day while we were there. Bea also emptied her piggy bank to add to the cause, so they ended up with $84 to donate! Rachel was not yet ready to part with her ‘give’ yet, despite my entreaties.”

Do the girls like it?   “Yes, when we were coming through the Tokyo airport on the way home to Singapore, I had given each girl 1000 yen to buy ‘stuff’, about 12 US dollars. Rachel found two things around 500Y each, so she was happy. Maya found something at 500Y, but wanted something else that was more than 500Y, so I said ‘sorry.’ Then she remembered she had her ‘spend allowance’ from the trip, so we pulled that out ($12), added it to the remaining 500 Y and she was able to buy an overpriced Zedbug! She definitely gets the allowance concept and is happy for me to throw foreign exchange money on top of it, even though she can’t follow all the details. I padded it with an extra $2 but I felt like she got the lesson.”

Valerie’s certainly not the first person to adopt this smart system; It’s a popular concept with parents to help kids learn the value of money. Here’s a variation on the theme on this blog.

TN290_WYS_give_save_spend_720a

2014

Valerie sent me this update via email:

So now it’s four years later and you’ve been back in the U.S. for a few years. Are you still using the Give, Save, Spend system with your daughters?

“Yes, we are. Maya is 11 and Rachel is 7, so now they each get ‘their age,’  per week, in US dollars. We didn’t do it for about a year, as we were getting re-settled. Then we started back up in January.”

Has the system evolved at all?

“Well, I haven’t changed it yet, but the girls got hip to the fact that they only needed to put $1 each in the Save and Give, and ALL the rest could go into Spend. So, I am going to change it, and make sure they put at least half of their money in the combined Give and Save. (As I type this, there are real moans coming from the kids. And this is after they virtuously, unprompted, answered the questions below!) I will be sure to remind them that all the other money they get for birthdays and Christmas go directly into the Spend envelope.”

What do Maya and Rachel think about it? 

“Maya says, ‘I find that it makes me think about the rest of the world and not just myself. The Give section makes me think about the less fortunate and makes me want to help out.’

Rachel says, ‘It’s a good system, but I’m mad that I only get $7. I gave my Give money to the SPCA. It makes me feel good, because I’m making animals happy. The system is OK.'”

Does the system apply when you travel with your girls?

“When we went to Disney World earlier this year, I didn’t make them take any money from any of these envelopes. In other words, we decided to give them BONUS money to spend over the four-day trip. I was worried I was going to be henpecked as we passed each gift shop. So I told the girls they each had $60 to buy their souvenirs. They were very particular and judicious about the items they bought. This is reflective of their shopping habits any time they’re spending their own money. When it’s not their money, they are liked ‘crazed dogs’ as their father says!”

Tell Us in the Comments

What do you think?

7 Responses

  1. Editor’s Note: I Need a Dollar; A Dollar Is What I Need. | Tue Night

    […] What’s Your System, we look at a system to teach your kids to give, save and spend. Does it really […]

    Reply
  2. Charity Singleton Craig

    What a great way to highlight some of the ways this system needs to be modified and explained over time. Thanks for the retelling. We have been experimenting with money with our sons, and the main reason they don’t give like we would want them to is actually my fault. I don’t always have the right amount of change to make that reasonable. Do you keep a stash of $1s around all the time?

    Reply
  3. Valerie Brett

    Charity Singleton CraigThank you. As a matter of fact, I do! The only time I go into a bank branch these days is to stock up on $1 bills — usually once every few months. For the girls, especially Rachel at age 7, CASH is king. We tried an accrual method on paper, talked about opening bank accounts for them etc., but realized that the tangibility of the greenbacks is important to them.

    Reply
  4. 「小さいころから芸術の薫陶を受け、訓練のグロリア-イップ、近年、芸術界やデザイン界作全方位の発展、創作範囲が広く、中には陶芸、絵画、製品設計、包装設計などの異なる領域。地

    「小さいころから芸術の薫陶を受け、訓練のグロリア-イップ、近年、芸術界やデザイン界作全方位の発展、創作範囲が広く、中には陶芸、絵画、製品設計、包装設計などの異なる領域。地元の芸術としてのデザイン界の活躍の分子、及び香港粘土の芸術学院の創始者の一つで、さまざまなアイデアの開会グロリア-イップも教授芸術コース、及び、多く本芸術や手芸の教育の本。グロリア-イップの創作広く認めて、かつて獲得し多くの芸術賞を主催20度を超える作品展展開を十分に発揮する彼女の芸術と設計の情熱と素質。カルティエコピー時計最近では、有名な腕時計ブランドを務めるグロリア-イップ招かれスイスティソ開催、「旅」をテーマにした「160週年环宇漫遊」設計試合切手の審判で、一方、グロリア-イップも招かれてはイベントデザイン1項の切手。スイスティソ表の厚情に誘われて、令愛する旅行の彼女がいるととても興奮。 http://www.bagkakaku.com/vuitton_bag/2/N51263.html

    Reply
  5. ガガミラノスーパーコピー時計販売、はスーパーコピーガガミラノ時計販売店です . 0.167677356 Gagaコピーの別のアプローチで、この伝統を運ぶ新しい作品は、SIHH 2015 でデビューを作る: Roger

    ガガミラノスーパーコピー時計販売、はスーパーコピーガガミラノ時計販売店です . 0.167677356 Gagaコピーの別のアプローチで、この伝統を運ぶ新しい作品は、SIHH 2015 でデビューを作る: Roger デュブイ エクスカリバー自動、スケルトン トゥールビヨンとは、トゥールビヨンの屈強な価格プレミアムなしこの前衛的な美学は、この種の最初の時計 . 主な経営:ガガミラノ スーパーコピーガガミラノ時計、ガガミラノ高品質コピー.2015年人気貴族ガガミラノ コピー安心専門店、一流ガガミラノ時計コピー、ベルト信用第一、良い品質 . レプリカガガミラノ時計Blog: http://www.ooobag.com/wallet/louisvuitton/index_12.html

    Reply
  6. もしアリストテレスはまだ生きている、彼はきっとそう評価Blancpainブランパン:“抜群の良好な習慣を訓練としての芸術形式は、したがって、抜群のは1種の行為ではなくて、1種の習慣。」

    もしアリストテレスはまだ生きている、彼はきっとそう評価Blancpainブランパン:“抜群の良好な習慣を訓練としての芸術形式は、したがって、抜群のは1種の行為ではなくて、1種の習慣。」継2006年と2007年にそれぞれ出しCalibre 13R0とCalibre 1315 2項のムーブメントの後、ブランパンは自主開発に取り組んで時計ムーブメントCalibres 13R5、Calibre 66R9とCalibre 5025ムーブメントはCalibres 13R0を基礎にして、Blancpainを表現した新型腕時計開発高い品質ムーブメントの決意を固める。ブランドコピーその執着と信念は、新しいシリーズが全面的に体現L-Evolution。これも証明し、卓越しただけでは、不断の努力の成果。 http://www.bagkakaku.com/vuitton_wallet/wallet/148.html

    Reply
  7. 1375年の個々のコンポーネントから成ると立っている約60センチメートル(約23 . 5インチ)背のユニークなコンスタンチンchaykinコンプトゥスの復活祭の時計は確かに属しました―これまで最

    1375年の個々のコンポーネントから成ると立っている約60センチメートル(約23 . 5インチ)背のユニークなコンスタンチンchaykinコンプトゥスの復活祭の時計は確かに属しました―これまで最も複雑なクロックのうち、実際には、最も複雑なロシアのクロックに応じて、chaykin。40才のロシアの時計屋、宗教のために、すべてのその形で、そして、彼らの異なるカレンダーと象徴性は、特に、本物の情熱です。 モンクレールスーパーコピー これは、彼の前のクロックとキリスト教の、ヘブライ語で腕時計に反映される、とイスラムのシンボルとカレンダー。 http://www.bagkakaku.com/vuitton_bag/2/N51261.html

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.