The Most Important Practical Skill for Kids

May 27, 2009

Money Management!

Managing money is one of the most important skills you can teach your children. Is that not the most prevalent problem in our nation on ALL levels?  Perhaps with the exception of salvation.

Resourcefulness is all about managing what you have,

and that is the biggest struggle with Americans, young and old.

Many of us are learning these things later in life, but hopefully we are teaching them to our children as we go along.

Teach your children to say "no" or "not now" to their ‘wants’.

Take every opportunity to teach them how to manage household affairs, not just do their chores, but let them be an active part in finding ways to make and save money!

 I love when Dave Ramsey says,

"Maturity is pleasure delayed."

One of the biggest ways to save money is in the kitchen. Most people will agree  with this but they don’t want to do what it takes to accomplish that savings.

The first issue is attitude, both on the part of the kids and the parents. So get a grip on that then you can proceed. View  your resourcefulness as an experiment, view it as an adventure, a challenge; view it has your high calling before the Lord, whatever it takes, get your attitude where it needs to be.

Team Spirit! You have got to have a team attitude, and the older the children are the harder that will probably be. You may even have a bit of a problem with a spouse, so have a team meeting and map out a plan of action, and make clear who is the team coach. ;o)

*Speaking of husbands… for most men food is very important to them. After a long hard day at work they want a satisfying meal, so keep that in mind when planning, we need to keep Dad happy! 

In our house Jeff is a major pasta lover, he’d eat it every day, but  the rest  of us struggle with our weight something awful, so my goal is to have pasta only twice a week. I also know he is not happy with just a sandwich or a salad meal, so those meals are for when he is not home. ;o)

If you have children age 10 or so, let them help with the menu planning. Give them a dollar amount they can spend to prepare a healthy meal. To make it more fun, tell them whatever they don’t spend of the amount given they can keep! ;o)

Plan ahead. To reduce your spending on food you have to plan ahead, there is no way around it!

Eat at Home! Eating out is a killer, even off the dollar menu, especially if you have children. When we get busy and I have not planned ahead grabbing a pizza or chicken on the run is an easy solution.

~If you know you will out a lot or at meal times, pack sandwiches, fruit, carrots and celery and homemade cookies.

~Keep extra bottles of water in the freezer so you can just grab them and go.

~Put someone in charge of each task. Do you have a son that could be the water boy making his job to keep the bottles filled?

Focus on the Big Picture. Explain to the kids that being resourceful is all about their future! Not only is it building their character;  but it is giving them skills they will use for a lifetime!

Emphasize that the more you can save,  the more flexibility you will have to give to others.

Think of ways to make your kids part of the team, you are training them for their future! Be extra careful to keep a good attitude and let them see the rewards!

The point of all of this is not about making or saving money. It is to TRAIN THE CHILDREN WELL, to train them to be responsible, resourceful, WISE adults, who will make the most of what they have, not just with money, but with life!

Here are some good resources to help inspire resourcefulness in the kitchen:

My article on Being a Smart Shopper

Supermarket Savings 101

Saving in the Kitchen

 For more about Resourcefulness go HERE.

Topics: Money Management, Resourcefulness | 2 Comments »